FREE 7+ Professional Reference Letter Samples in PDF

Writing a recommendation letter could be quite a difficult undertaking. If you are a former college professor, former supervisor, colleague, or anyone burdened by the task to craft a recommendation letter, then you must be familiar with the mild trepidation that comes with this particular responsibility.

Worry not, we intend to make things easier for you by providing you with our collection of recommendation Sample Letters. These are available in Word and PDF formats so you can simply edit one of these by adding some of your personal recommendation details. You may scroll down below and click your preferred template.

Professional Work Reference Letter Example

Professional Reference Letter for a Friend in PDF

Professional Character Reference Letter Sample

Professional Letter of Reference for Employment

What Is a Professional Recommendation Letter

A professional recommendation letter is a letter stating the stellar qualities of a job applicant with the intention of promoting the applicant’s suitability for the job applied for. This letter is usually drafted by the following persons:

• a former colleague
• a former supervisor/manager
• a former internship adviser/supervisor
• a former employer
• a former professor
• a former vendor
• anyone who possesses the authority to attest to the job-related attributes, skills, and characteristics of the person who is the subject of the recommendation.

Why Submit an Effective Recommendation Letter

Normally, this letter is submitted to the hiring manager or HR recruiter along with a job applicant’s resume and cover letter. There are plenty of notable reasons for including a recommendation letter for job applications and some of those are,

• it widens the job applicant’s chance of getting hired for the job applied;
• it focuses on the applicant’s concrete behaviors in the past that makes him or her more viable for the applied position;
• it illuminates the positive characteristics of the applicants in another person’s point of view; and
• it specifically aligns the applicant’s qualities with the qualities that the job description of the job applied for requires.

In line with this, you will learn more about writing effective letters from our collection of Sample Letters of Reference and Sample Resignation Letters for your future letter writing needs.

Professional Business Reference Letter

Professional Reference Letter Example

Professional Reference Letter for College

Accountant Professional Reference Letter

Tips in Writing a Professional Recommendation Letter

1. Do your research first. Make sure you have familiarized again with the recommended person’s nature or characteristics. Afterward, ask for a copy or an overview of the job description of the position that the applicant intends on applying for.

2. Start formally. Begin your letter in a formal tone just like all formal business letters. Avoid using slang and gushy words.

3. Explain how you know the applicant. Succinctly state this part.

4. Expound why the applicant is suitable for the job applied. In this part, you may describe the applicant’s characteristics, and other positive attributes.

5. Specify the instances in the past that served as basis for your claims. You need to be able to convince the hiring manager regarding the veracity of the positive claims you endowed upon the applicant’s eligibility. Hence, you must be able to cite concrete evidence for these.

6. Close your letter in a professional tone. In this part, you may also inform the hiring manager that should she or he have any more inquiries regarding the applicant, he/she may reach you through a contact number or e-mail address.

For more detailed professional reference, you may want to check out our Reference Letters for Friend. Simply click on the link provided.