How To Write A Reference

Learning How To Write A Reference for someone is an important task that should not be taken lightly. It is not only to the benefit of the person for which you are writing the reference letter, but also to the person that receives the reference letter. The person that receives the letter wants to know what type of person they are hiring, etc. If your reference letter is misleading, that will be damaging to all parties involved as misrepresenting someone and hurting their future is not something you want to do. You want to focus on writing a positive letter that is truthful and factual about your co-worker, employee or friend. I have written this article to help you along with this task.

You first want to start your letter by identifying your relationship for whom you are writing the reference letter for. As well, you will also want to identify how long you have known or worked with this person.  This inforamtion typically appears in the first paragraph of the letter.

Next you will want to focus on this person's positive traits, such as: their work ethics, skills, contributions that they have made to the company. If you are talking about contributions that they have made to the company, use specific examples. If they have saved the company money, identify how much if possible. Did they put any processes in place, what made them stand out from their peers, etc. You also want to use powerful words when describing this person, like excellent, superior, self-starter, confident, team leader and so on. You do not want to use vague words like nice, personable, cheerful, good, fine, etc. Use action words that are powerful in meaning is key.

The last part of the letter you want to state how the person will do well for the future employer, give them your recommendation for hire, and most important have contact information so that the recipient can contact you if they require further information. State the best time and means the recipient can reach you.

You want to keep your letter business professional and in business letter format.  Remember to include your personal contact information.

I hope that you have found this article to be informative and a good source of information on How To Write A Reference. For more information that I have found useful on writing letters with examples can be found by clicking on this link.