A reference letter, also known as a letter of recommendation, is a letter that speaks to someone’s work experience, skills, expertise, and/or personal qualities. It is written by a former employer or colleague who can speak positively about that person.

It is essential to know how to write a reference letter because almost everyone is asked to provide a reference at some time during their career. Whether it's for an employee, a friend, or someone you've worked with, it is important to be prepared to write an effective letter of recommendation.

Here are the tips on how to write a reference letter:

Elements of a Proper Recommendation Letter

Every recommendation letter should include three important elements:

• A paragraph or sentence that explains how you know this person and the duration of your relationship with them.

• An evaluation of the person and their skills/accomplishments. If possible offer specific instances that illustrate the person’s strengths and qualifications. These examples should be short but detailed.

• A summary that explains why you would recommend this person and to what degree you would recommend them.​

Before You Write a Recommendation Letter

Writing a recommendation letter for another person is a large responsibility and should be taken very seriously.

Before you agree to the task, make sure you have a clear understanding of what the letter will be used for and who will be reading it. This will make it easier for you to write to your audience.

Of course, before you write the recommendation letter, you should know the person and their skills well. For instance, someone may need a letter talking about their leadership experience, you will need to know the person well so you'll be able to write about their leadership capability or potential.

What to Include in a Recommendation Letter

The content of the recommendation letter that you write will depend upon the needs of the person who asks for the letter, but there are some general topics that are usually addressed in recommendation letters for job applicants:

• Potential (such as leadership potential)
• Skills/Abilities/Strengths 
• Dependability
• Consistency
• Persistence
• Motivation
• Character
• Contributions
• Accomplishments​

Sample Recommendation Letter

[Recipient’s address]

[Date]

[Sender’s address]

To Whom It May Concern:

This letter is my personal recommendation for Cathy Cheng. Until just recently, I was Cathy's immediate supervisor for several years. I found her to be consistently pleasant, undertaking all assignments with dedication and a smile. Her interpersonal skills are commendable and acknowledged by everyone who works with her.

Besides being a joy to work with, Cathy is a take-charge person who is able to present creative ideas and demonstrate the benefits. She has successfully developed several marketing plans for our company that have resulted in increased annual revenue.

During her tenure, we saw an improvement in profits that surpassed RM800,000. The new revenue was a direct result of the sales and marketing plans designed and executed by Cathy. The additional revenue that she earned helped us to reinvest in the company and develop our operations into other markets.

Though she was an asset to our marketing efforts, Cathy was also exceptionally helpful in other areas of the company. In addition to writing effective training modules for sales representatives, Cathy assumed a leadership role in sales meetings, inspiring and motivating other employees.

She also worked as a project manager for several key projects and helped to implement our expanded operations. She has proven, on several occasions, that she can be trusted to deliver a completed project on schedule and within budget.

I highly recommend Cathy for employment. She is a team player and would make a great asset to any organization.

Regards,

Alvin Chong

Director of Training and Organisation Development

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