How to Give a Positive Reference for an Employee
Offer to write a positive letter., Gather information to incorporate into your letter., Draft a preliminary letter., Use positive and actionable words., Be honest and don’t exaggerate., Revise and copy edit your letter., Format your letter...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Offer to write a positive letter.
If someone approaches you about providing them a reference, first consider their request.
If you have had a good experience with the person and can positively support their candidacy for a position, then offer to write them a positive letter.
Don’t offer to write a letter if you cannot write anything positive.
You don’t want to hurt the person’s chances of getting a job.Only accept providing a reference if you’ve worked with the person for a longer period of time.
It’s hard to get a sense of someone’s capabilities and working style in a few months.Make sure that you are the appropriate person to provide the reference.
This may require checking your company’s policies on references. , Ask the person to give you information on the job for which they’re applying and any other relevant data you should know including her resume.You should also collect any information pertinent to the person’s job for you such as performance reviews.Ask the person for whom you will write a reference letter to tell you about the job for which you will be recommending her, an updated resume, and other information such as how she thinks she contributed to your company or projects and how she could benefit her new workplace.Consider reading through your correspondence with the person to get an assessment of their professionalism and how they work.
You can also use performance reviews for this purpose., Before you provide the person a positive reference for your former employee or colleague, use the information you gathered to draft a preliminary letter.
This will help you ensure that your reference is positive and comprehensive.
A reference letter should be between one and two pages in length.
If you write anything longer, the potential employer may not read the entire text and could miss vital information about the candidate.A brief introduction should state the person’s name, the job for which they’re applying, and if you recommend them for the position.For example, you could write “It is with pleasure that I recommend Christopher Smith for the position of brand manager.
Christopher has made a significant contribution to my work/ this company, and I think he could be a great asset to your team.” The body of the letter can be 1-3 paragraphs and should discuss how long you’ve known the person, in what capacity you’ve worked together, discuss and highlight their skills, and address how the person could benefit the potential employer.You want to provide actionable evidence of why the person is the best candidate for the job.You can also discuss the person’s character in the main body of the letter, though you should be careful to not include personal information, which may not only prejudice a potential employer, but could also be illegal.You should close with a brief summary paragraph noting that you highly recommend the person, and offering to make yourself available should the potential employer have questions.For example, “Based on my experiences with Christopher Smith, I would recommend him for the position of brand manager with Brand Management, Inc.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me via email or by telephone.” , When you’re drafting and later revising your reference letter, you want to make sure to use both positive and actionable language when describing the candidate.
This can help the potential employer get a better sense of the candidate and may also present a more positive image of her.Use verbs such as collaborate, cooperate, and promote.Use nouns such as team-player, asset, and responsibility.Use adjectives such as reliable, intelligent, good-natured, diligent.You can put these words together in phrases such as “Christopher and I collaborated on a marketing project and he was a significant asset in our gaining several new clients.
He is a responsible and friendly team-player who will make a positive impact on your company.”, You want to sell the candidate as best as possible while being honest about their qualifications.
There is a fine line between honesty and exaggeration and you want to avoid this so that potential employers don’t find your letter disingenuous.You don’t necessarily need to say the person is the best or the greatest unless they actually are.
Instead, consider writing something like “Christopher is one of the most responsible and collegial co-workers with whom I’ve had the pleasure to work.” When assessing someone’s technical skills and abilities, you can write something along the lines of “Christopher is among the top 5% of brand managers with whom I have worked.” , Once you’ve drafted a preliminary letter, revise the text to strengthen it and iron out any areas that need additional development.
This will also allow you to copy edit the letter for any spelling, punctuation or grammatical errors.
Make sure you’re revised draft has the appropriate components of an introduction, body, and closing that are honest, incorporate positive vocabulary and present the best picture of the candidate possible.Consider reading the letter aloud to hear possible mistakes and help ensure that it sounds professional.Make sure that the information you provide in the letter is tailored to the new job., Before you can send out a reference letter, you need to format it properly.
This can help ensure that the potential employer takes your reference letter seriously.Make sure the letter is on company letterhead.On the first line of text, write in the date of the reference letter.
Immediately underneath the date, put the address of the potential employer.
Address it either to the candidate’s possible supervisor or the human resources department.
Include your contact address underneath the potential employer’s information.
After your greeting, make sure to sign your name in black ink and have your name printed underneath it.
You can include your title, email, and phone number if you like. , Before you send the reference letter, read over the text one final time.
This can help ensure that you haven’t made any mistakes or omitted important information. -
Step 2: Gather information to incorporate into your letter.
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Step 3: Draft a preliminary letter.
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Step 4: Use positive and actionable words.
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Step 5: Be honest and don’t exaggerate.
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Step 6: Revise and copy edit your letter.
-
Step 7: Format your letter.
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Step 8: Proofread one final time.
Detailed Guide
If someone approaches you about providing them a reference, first consider their request.
If you have had a good experience with the person and can positively support their candidacy for a position, then offer to write them a positive letter.
Don’t offer to write a letter if you cannot write anything positive.
You don’t want to hurt the person’s chances of getting a job.Only accept providing a reference if you’ve worked with the person for a longer period of time.
It’s hard to get a sense of someone’s capabilities and working style in a few months.Make sure that you are the appropriate person to provide the reference.
This may require checking your company’s policies on references. , Ask the person to give you information on the job for which they’re applying and any other relevant data you should know including her resume.You should also collect any information pertinent to the person’s job for you such as performance reviews.Ask the person for whom you will write a reference letter to tell you about the job for which you will be recommending her, an updated resume, and other information such as how she thinks she contributed to your company or projects and how she could benefit her new workplace.Consider reading through your correspondence with the person to get an assessment of their professionalism and how they work.
You can also use performance reviews for this purpose., Before you provide the person a positive reference for your former employee or colleague, use the information you gathered to draft a preliminary letter.
This will help you ensure that your reference is positive and comprehensive.
A reference letter should be between one and two pages in length.
If you write anything longer, the potential employer may not read the entire text and could miss vital information about the candidate.A brief introduction should state the person’s name, the job for which they’re applying, and if you recommend them for the position.For example, you could write “It is with pleasure that I recommend Christopher Smith for the position of brand manager.
Christopher has made a significant contribution to my work/ this company, and I think he could be a great asset to your team.” The body of the letter can be 1-3 paragraphs and should discuss how long you’ve known the person, in what capacity you’ve worked together, discuss and highlight their skills, and address how the person could benefit the potential employer.You want to provide actionable evidence of why the person is the best candidate for the job.You can also discuss the person’s character in the main body of the letter, though you should be careful to not include personal information, which may not only prejudice a potential employer, but could also be illegal.You should close with a brief summary paragraph noting that you highly recommend the person, and offering to make yourself available should the potential employer have questions.For example, “Based on my experiences with Christopher Smith, I would recommend him for the position of brand manager with Brand Management, Inc.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me via email or by telephone.” , When you’re drafting and later revising your reference letter, you want to make sure to use both positive and actionable language when describing the candidate.
This can help the potential employer get a better sense of the candidate and may also present a more positive image of her.Use verbs such as collaborate, cooperate, and promote.Use nouns such as team-player, asset, and responsibility.Use adjectives such as reliable, intelligent, good-natured, diligent.You can put these words together in phrases such as “Christopher and I collaborated on a marketing project and he was a significant asset in our gaining several new clients.
He is a responsible and friendly team-player who will make a positive impact on your company.”, You want to sell the candidate as best as possible while being honest about their qualifications.
There is a fine line between honesty and exaggeration and you want to avoid this so that potential employers don’t find your letter disingenuous.You don’t necessarily need to say the person is the best or the greatest unless they actually are.
Instead, consider writing something like “Christopher is one of the most responsible and collegial co-workers with whom I’ve had the pleasure to work.” When assessing someone’s technical skills and abilities, you can write something along the lines of “Christopher is among the top 5% of brand managers with whom I have worked.” , Once you’ve drafted a preliminary letter, revise the text to strengthen it and iron out any areas that need additional development.
This will also allow you to copy edit the letter for any spelling, punctuation or grammatical errors.
Make sure you’re revised draft has the appropriate components of an introduction, body, and closing that are honest, incorporate positive vocabulary and present the best picture of the candidate possible.Consider reading the letter aloud to hear possible mistakes and help ensure that it sounds professional.Make sure that the information you provide in the letter is tailored to the new job., Before you can send out a reference letter, you need to format it properly.
This can help ensure that the potential employer takes your reference letter seriously.Make sure the letter is on company letterhead.On the first line of text, write in the date of the reference letter.
Immediately underneath the date, put the address of the potential employer.
Address it either to the candidate’s possible supervisor or the human resources department.
Include your contact address underneath the potential employer’s information.
After your greeting, make sure to sign your name in black ink and have your name printed underneath it.
You can include your title, email, and phone number if you like. , Before you send the reference letter, read over the text one final time.
This can help ensure that you haven’t made any mistakes or omitted important information.
About the Author
Alexander Morgan
A passionate writer with expertise in crafts topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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