25+ Reference Letters in Word
A reference letter can be used as a form of recommendation for a particular application process. It is very important for an applicant to select an appropriate and credible reference as the content of a reference letter can support the application of an individual. You may also see Letter Samples.
Knowing that this type of document is essential for you to secure a positive response for whatever it is you applied for, we have curated a list of all the different kinds of formal reference letter templates and samples in Word format. Since there are various reference letters used in a variety of processes, we’ve laid out a whole array of samples at your disposal.
Reference Check Letter Template
Letter of Reference Long Template
Letter of Reference Short Template
Restaurant Letter of Reference Short Template
Sample Educational Reference Check Letter Template
Educational Reference Check Letter Template
Reference Thank You Letter Template
Restaurant Reference Thank You Letter Template
Restaurant Reference Check Letter Template
Personal Reference Letters
Employment Personal Reference Letter
Sample Personal Reference Letter
Job Reference Letters in Word
Teaching Job Reference Letter
Job Application Reference Letter
Job Interview Reference Letter
Professional Reference Letters
Professional Reference Letter for School
Kinds of Reference Letters
Reference letters can be used in different kinds of applications. It can also be usable in different industries and fields of expertise. The usage of reference letters is very essential as it can provide details that are not mentioned by an applicant in any of his/her application documents. Also, a reference letter allows the employer to see the qualifications and qualities of a candidate in a different perspective.
A few kinds of reference letters that are used in a variety of instances and situation are as follows:
- A job reference thank you letter is written by a person who was given a reference letter by another entity. This is mostly sent to the reference if the person to whom the reference letter is for got the job or any other purpose that he/she is applying for.
- A professional reference letter can be used in different kinds of corporate applications. It can be used for membership applications or any other processes where involvement with an organization or any other business group requires the particular kind of letter.
- There are personal reference letters that are used by individuals to provide personal information about the person that they are recommending. A few samples of personal reference letters are as follows:
- A friend personal reference letter is written by an applicant’s friend. Since the relationship that the applicant has with his/her reference is friendship, this letter commonly includes the qualities of the person to whom the reference letter is for and how he/she deals with different kinds of people. The characteristics of the individual is highlighted in this document. This kind of reference letter will be very effective if used for volunteering activities and other non-profit events and programs.
- An employment personal reference letter is the kind of reference letter that a person has willingly created for an applicant. This will help a job candidate to provide more details about his / her credentials and how he/she is perceived with the people around him/her may it be about personal character, work ethics or professional qualifications.
- Job reference letters are commonly written by references who already have a wide array of experiences in the industry where the applicant would like to immerse himself / herself in. It is very essential for the reference selected by the applicant to be a professional in the field of expertise related to the application so that the reference letter will be more credible and applicable to be used for strengthening the foundation of the candidate’s application.
- Academic or school reference letters may be used for the purposes of application for academic sponsorship, scholarship, academic organization, or admissions. Academic reference letters can be given to different academic applicants in various academic year levels. Most academic reference letters are beneficial to the application functions of tertiary or college students and those who are applying for a graduate school post.
Employment Reference Letters
Basic Employment Reference Letter
Employment Reference Letter for Landlord
Work Reference Letters
Professional Work Reference Letter
Work Reference Letter from Employer
Landlord Reference Letters
Landlord Tenant Reference Letter
Bank Reference Letters
Employee Bank Reference Letter
Reference Request Letter
Inclusions of a Basic Reference Letter
May it be a volunteer reference letter, a manager reference letter or any kinds of reference letters, it is very essential for this document to have the common information that is usually expected to be present in a basic reference letter. If you will create this document, make sure that you will include these items:
- The date that the reference letter has been written
- The name of the reference
- The purpose of the reference letter or the reason why the reference letter has to be made
- The name of the person to whom the reference letter is for
- The name and basic information of the entity who is requesting for the reference letter
- The position that the applicant is trying to get through the help of the reference letter and other supporting documents
- The information about the reference that makes him / her credible to give the recommendation
- The length of time that the reference has known the person to whom the letter is form
- The instance that allowed the reference to know the person he / she is recommending
- The professional relationship of the reference and the applicant
- The qualifications of the person that needs the reference letter
- The date the the applicant asked for the reference to write a letter for his / her application
- The competencies, abilities, and skills of the individual that needs the reference letter which can be used in the operations of the business
Guidelines in Writing a Comprehensive Reference Letter
If you want to create a reference letter that will help an applicant get the position that he / she would like to have, it is very essential for you to be guided in creating the specified document. A few guidelines that you may follow in creating an effective, usable, and well-curated reference letter include the following items:
- Look at a few samples of recommendation and reference letters that are used in the same application process. This can help you to have an idea of the kind of reference letter that you need to create depending on the situation where the individual who is requesting your recommendation is currently immersed in.
- Make sure that you will properly curate the reference letter and that you will appropriate format the layout and content of the document. It will be helpful if you will use any of the downloadable templates that you may download from this post so you can have guides in creating the reference letter than an individual is expecting from you.
- Always maintain the positive mood within the entirety of the reference letter that you are creating. Always give focus on how the candidate that you are recommending is the right fit for the position that he/she is applying for. More so, you should not have any reservation with the decision of recommending the person.
- It is very important for you to give focus on the relevance of the additional value that the applicant can provide to the entity should he/she be accepted. If the reference letter will be used for a particular job application, the reference needs to assure that the reference letter will give highlight to the job position that the candidate is applying for. The content of the reference letter should match the requirements of the job position. Also, it should be able to explain why the candidate is the right fit for the work post available for employment.
- Always remember that a reference letter is a professional and business letter. Always use a formal letter format in curating the items you would like to include. You need to be selective in terms of the choice of words and the way that you will incorporate them in the discussion which is placed in the reference letter that you will create. If you want your reference letter to be effective as much as you have thought of it, you need to make sure that your formatting and content organization is properly created and applied.
Though there are still other ways on how you can make your reference letter stand out, following these items will not cause any harm. Always make sure that the reference letter that you are creating can either make or break the application of the individual that requested you to be his/her reference. You can give back the trust that he / she has given you by writing a reference letter that truly works.
Employee Reference Letters
Reference Letter for Employee
Student Reference Letters
Student Scholarship Reference Letter
Nursing Student Reference Letter
Medical Student Reference Letter
Company Reference Letter
Commercial Company Reference Letter
Creating a Reference Request Letter
If you are an applicant who needs a work reference letter from a person that is credible enough to be your reference, you need to write a reference request letter so you can professionally and formally ask the person to write a reference letter for you. A reference request letter should include the following information:
- The reason why you think that a person deserves to be your reference
- The purpose of your application and how your reference can help you for your application
- The specific professional position that you are applying for
- The things that are needed to be present in the reference letter, if there are any
- The format of the reference letter, if the entity where you are applying has provided one
- The due date that the reference letter needs to be submitted
How to Be an Effective Reference
Writing a reference letter is a serious task as the document that you will create can truly affect the application of the individual to whom the reference letter is for. Before accepting to be a reference, you need to make sure that you truly know the applicant and you are capable of showcasing his / her capabilities and qualifications.
A few ways on how you can be an effective reference are as follows:
- It is very important for you to ask the person who needs the reference letter if there are any guidelines that you need to follow in terms of creating and submitting the document. You need to make sure that you will create an effective reference letter and that will only start if you are aware of the terms and rules that are needed to be followed in terms of the document creation.
- Be aware of the things that you need to execute especially with regards to the requirements that you need to have as a reference and the ways that you can send the reference letter to the establishment or any other entity or institution who needs it.
- It will be best if you will include your contact information and details to the reference letter that you will create. As a reference, it is not only in your writing that the person to whom the letter is for will be assessed. Companies may also contact you to get more information about the applicant. You need to be ready with regards to this instance so you may also include the best or suggested time that you may be contacted by the entity who will review your recommendation letter. Do not give a lot of options and be precise with the contact information that you will share. A mobile number, a business contact number, and your e-mail address are all that needs to be stated.
- Should there be further questions that may be thrown at you after you have already created a reference letter, make sure that you will remain on the side of the applicant and you will be able to showcase his/her qualifications and competencies. Remember that being a reference does not end on just writing a job reference letter.
- You can put real life instances to assure that you will help the candidate standout from his/her competitors. The content of your reference letter will be more believable if you will incorporate a few occurrences where the competencies, abilities and skills of the applicant has been used to resolve an issue or to provide betterment and development to a particular process.
Just put these items into mind so you can be guided on how you can assess whether you are an effective reference for an applicant who is targeting to be a part of an organization or a company. This will also help you in using a reference letter template to its maximum potential.