A reference letter also called the recommendation is a formal document that is written for testifying a person’s achievements, character and skills. This letter is not just required by an employee but a student too. You might need a reference anytime in your career. That’s why it’s said that even if you are leaving your previous company you need to stay in touch and show interest that you still care.
Importance of reference
There are can be many scenarios where a reference letter might be required. Typically when you are applying for a new job somewhere, you are mostly required to give away a reference before you actually get hired. Secondly, if you are about to apply to an academic course even overseas, you are required to give away a reference. Sometimes even landlords ask for Recommendation Letters in order to make sure the tenant they are about to deal with has good character and has a stable job to pay for the rent.
Like all business letters, a recommendation should also be precise. It should follow the 7Cs. This letter is as important as your college degree therefore, it needs to be presented professionally. There shouldn’t be any grammatically mistakes. Even the quality of paper and ink used for getting the letter printed counts a lot.
Recommendation Sample
If you are the one writing this then here is an advice for you. Keep the recommendation positive and don’t take revenges here. Don’t say anything bad at all and also don’t exaggerate much. These letters are extremely important for a candidate so be sympathetic when you are writing one.
If you are referring someone you need to give some proof to the one reading the letter that the candidate actually has accomplished something and his character it good too. When you have a logical explanation of something, people do believe you. Write something like “during my 10 years tenure in ABC Company, I have found John actively contributing in the projects assigned. The results of each project have always been positive and they are completed right on time too.”
Be true all along because companies verify the information given in the reference. A survey tells that almost 70-80 percent of the organizations conduct information verification before hiring any candidate. So even if you are writing this recommendation yourself, be honest and don’t go for an over exaggerated appraisal.