Job Reference Letter Samples | How to Write (with Examples)

A job reference letter is the type of letter written to recommend someone for a job,  testify to an applicants’ character, skills, achievements, and experience.

When someone applies for a job role, the person would be asked to submit a job reference letter to affirm his application. An excellent job reference letter can give an applicant an edge over other applicants during the hiring process. It can serve as a way of filtering applications to separate the best from the rest.

The reference letter helps the employer or granter to better understand the applicant from an interested party’s perspective. Therefore, reference letters are mostly considered as recommendation letters addressed to employers in favor of a particular applicant. Also, the large organization’s seeking contracts from governments locally or internationally require reference letters in order to gain the contracts.

There are four main types of reference letters; Academic, Employment, Professional, and Personal reference letters.

• Employment Reference Letter: An employment reference letter is from former employers, co-workers, vendors, or clients. It is the type of letter written to recommend someone for a job, testify to an applicants’ character, skills, and achievements.
  Often, potential employers do request an employment personal reference letter with a CV and cover letter. The employment reference letter is often helpful if the applicant doesn’t possess much experience.

• Personal Reference Letter: A Personal reference letter comes from a person who can attest to the applicant’s attributes and skills. A personal reference letter is needed if a person is in the procedure of offering specific details about someone’s behavior.
  It might be needed to provide the letter when considering adopting a child or a potential landlord while submitting a rental agreement. The person selected to write this letter is based on the nature of the letter or what it is needed for. For example, a close friend could be writing a reference letter for his friend whom he has known for years and can attest to their capabilities

• Academic Recommendation Letter: The academic reference comes from professors, teachers, or academic advisors. An academic reference letter is used by students or applicants applying for school admission. The admission board or office uses the letter to understand the candidate’s character from their previous school. This gives the admission board a fair representation of the personality and capability of the student.

• Professional Reference Letter: A professional reference letter is a type of job reference letter from someone who knows an applicant professionally and can attest to his skills, working experience, and prowess.

Some of the main details to be included in a job reference letter are;

• How long you have known the applicant
• The applicants’ abilities, skills, and talents.
• The writer’s contact information and email address for potential follow-up.
• The writer should ask for the job listing and description to have the information needed to draw and link up the applicant’s skills with the job description.

A job reference letter should not be too long, but it should be sufficient enough to give the reader a full view of the person whom they are referencing. A well-written reference letter has an introduction, at least two paragraphs, and a conclusion to end it.

Introduction

The introduction should be brief. It should just be highlighting how the employee is related to the person referencing him/her. How long they have known each other and what role he held in the company.

For example,

“Dear Dustin,
I am writing this letter to recommend Mark Wales. He has worked for me at Johnson Corp. for two years. He started as an intern and rose to a managerial position while still attending taking his classes at imperial college.”

Or it could be –

“Dear Ms. Jones,
It is my pleasure to recommend Ronald Lionel for employment with your Company. I have known Lionel for over four years, during which time he worked as a legal assistant to the MD in the office.”

Body paragraphs

The first paragraph can go on ahead to explain the capabilities of the applicant and what incredible feats he has achieved in the company whilst he worked there. It’s necessary to state both his technical, functional, and interpersonal skills and how it has helped him work effectively with people in the company.

Here is a sample:

“He quickly became one of our most valued staff, he was the go-to person for questions and special projects. His assiduousness and willingness to dedicate long hours on end to get the work done were vital in helping us close some of the biggest projects we had in record time.”

The following paragraph should then contain a recommendation and reason why the applicant would be a perfect fit for the job. Here is a sample of how the paragraph should look:

“I highly recommend Janet for your legal position. In her time at LongBrothers, she has shown functional, technical, and fantastic interpersonal skills show exceptional legal prowess. I know that you are looking for someone with great knowledge and zeal for excellence in the legal sphere, and I can vouch that she would provide you just that.“

Summerize all

The concluding part of the letter should give a summary of the letter while re-stating why the applicant is getting the recommendation. A brief highlight of the skills that would make the candidate a perfect fit for the job again would suffice at this point.

“Again, it is sad for us to see him leave our team, But I believe he is going on to greater heights, and his joining your team would greatly benefit both him and your company. His people management skill and technical skills would come in very handy whilst working with your legal team, and I am certain he would do well in your company.”

Letter closing

The letter closing should contain the recommender’s contact details; an avenue for further discussion concerning the applicant should be shown at the letter end. Finally, a handwritten signature should be given when the reference letter is mailed. Conversely, typed signatures would be okay.

“If you would require any more detail from me or have questions you would need clarifications on, you can reach out to me on with the contact details: John Doe, 23 Huntersville street Wyoming Texas USA. Tel: +23451878952.

Best Regards,
John Doe(Signature)
John Doe

Here are free downloadable templates that can be customized as per needs

Following are the sample letters for you to develop a better understanding of the sentence structure and tone of the letter :

Job reference letter sample – Text version

Job reference letter sample – Format

This template is used for a job application letter. The format is more formal and detail-oriented. It is written with a focus on specific academic achievements as well as impressive career milestones.

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Job reference letter sample – General 01

This template is used for a personal reference letter. The format is more easygoing since the reference is personal and not professional, and it is written as a detailed, individualized statement on the positive attributes of the prospective employee for the potential employer.

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Job reference letter sample – General 02

This template is used for a letter of job reference. The format is more formal, and it is both lengthy and detail oriented. This letter focuses on academic achievements and important career milestones.

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Job reference letter sample – For accountant

This template is used as a letter of job reference for an accountant. It is formatted from the perspective of a fellow employee, and it describes the applicant’s positive attributes in the workplace.

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Job reference letter sample – For bank jobs

This template is used as a letter of job reference for a bank. The format is formal, and it is written with a focus on specific career achievements and strong skills that would be an advantage in the prospective position they are applying for.

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Job reference letter sample – For marketing jobs

This template is used as a letter of job reference for marketing. The format is formal, and it is written with a focus on significant achievements within the previous companies as well as the strong skills necessary in this field.

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Job reference letter sample – For medical jobs

This template is used as a letter of job reference for the medical field. It is written with a focus on the positive attributes necessary to excel as a medical professional and ends with a testament about how the prospective applicant would enhance their future work environments.

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Job reference letter sample – For nurses

This template is used as a letter of job reference for a nurse. It is written with a focus on strong attributes (like interpersonal skills) and a personal, positive testimony about working directly with the prospective applicant.

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Following are the general considerations regarding a job reference letter:

Elements of job reference letter

A reference letter consists of two major elements. These elements help the employer to better understand the applicant’s potential and suitability characteristics which can influence them to offer the job to the applicant. First, a focus on the applicant’s qualities such as; their tasks and responsibilities from their previous job or contract, duration of their contract or employment, their position in the previous employment, and the applicant’s abilities such as their intelligence or creativity levels. In addition, the applicant’s qualifications, i.e ability to speak in other languages or skills to communicate socially, can help motivate the employer to consider the applicant for the applied position. Secondly, the applicant’s termination of their previous employment or termination of contract details is an important element in a reference letter.

Things to note when writing a job reference letter

It is advisable to write a reference letter for an applicant whose qualifications and skills can be affirmed. Especially, write for a close worker or colleague. Don’t forget to have information such as:

• Recipients E-mail
• Recipients Name
• Submission Date

Before writing the reference letter, There are things to ask for and to include in the reference letter.

• Updated Resume and Job details
• Address
• Whom the letter should be addressed to for better personalization
• Follow strict submission guideline(Either hard copy or via email)

Recommendations

In order to write the most suitable reference letter, it is important to clearly define the applicant’s qualities and abilities that match the job of interest. The employer will blend the best qualities with the job requirements and therefore it is easier for the applicant with the best attributes to gain the grant, contract, or employment. Also, it is important to understand the job requirements before writing the reference letter. This will prevent Unnecessary information that could be irrelevant to the specific application of interest. However, using the most suitable template for writing reference letters can be an easier and possibly best option considering the most relevant elements for the reference letter will be covered in the template. Therefore, on this site, we provide reference letter templates that can provide insightful knowledge and information that could guarantee a successful recommendation letter.

Unlike other applications, a job reference letter offers information concerning the applicant from an outside. It provides information about the applicant’s skills, experience, qualifications, traits, achievements, personal perspective, and capabilities.

A well-crafted job reference letter endorses the applicant’s qualifications and skills for the job and other employment opportunities.