Reference Letter

Reference Letter is a letter written by an authoritative person for an acquaintance, to introduce the acquaintance to the concerned and ascertain his/her attributes towards employment, admission and/or other objectives. It is an informal character certificate and is a mean to influence the receiver in favour of the sender. A reference letter is an informal letter type as it follows a certain format. It is often known as a ‘Referral Letter’. Reference letters provide a tangible proof to the concerned as compared to a verbal one. A reference letter should always be written by an authoritative person who is well known to the requester of reference. A person who doesn’t know you well may not be able to do justice to your abilities in his letter.

Who requires a reference letter?

• A student applying for an academic course may need to prove his worthiness for the course
• A student who requires funds for further education needs to supplement his application with reference letter/s
• A candidate looking for a job requires a reference to support his application
• An interviewee who acquires a new job may need a reference letter before the contract can be signed
• Organisation and companies may require reference letters as testimonies towards their credibility
• Prospective tenants may need to provide their landlord a testimonial from their employer or previous landlord towards a good financial status and repute
• Certain clubs or banks may require a reference letter from an existing member or account holder before they can acquire membership or an account

Who writes the reference Letter?

A person of authority with whom you have a well established acquaintance with possible expertise in such matters.

The writer of a Reference Letter can be:

• An advisor
• A faculty (professor, teacher)
• An expert (engineer, doctor)
• A senior colleague
• Any acquaintance
• A well wisher

Types of Reference Letters

• Character Reference Letter – Used for vouching character of a person

• Teacher Reference Letter – Used for asserting a fresh teachers teaching skills

• Employer Reference Letter / Job Reference Letter – Used for acquiring employment

• Scholarship Reference Letter – Used for acquiring scholarships, grants etc.

• Business Reference Letter – Used for showing credibility to prospective business clients

• Adoption Reference Letter – Used for adopting a child or caretaking

The mentioned information here does sound familiar to recommendation letter. It is true, reference letters and recommendation letters are almost the same. Sometimes the term is used interchangeably. However there are minor differences between the two.

Differences between Reference Letter and Recommendation Letter