Update on Letters of References

["tronajc" <tronajc -at- freemail -dot- absa -dot- co -dot- za>]

>From my original request I received many answers - So thanks to all whom
contributed, Some where amusing , some tried to be amusing, other's where
very Helpful.

To summaries: As request by various interested parties

**I worked with Paul ****** from xx/xx/xx through xx/xx/xx. During that
time,
he demonstrated thoughtfulness and diligence through timely completion of
his tasks. He was always willing to contribute ideas to issues that arose
and I found his problem-solving skills tremendously valuable. He took the
initiative on several issues, such as how to convert our legacy OfficeVision
documentation to RoboHELP, and how to distribute our documentation to
clients. He was instrumental in implementing a "no Word doc to client"
policy that was quickly adopted as a company-wide standard.

etc etc

**In my experience, potential new employers do not want a letter of
reference
from a former employer.  Rather, they want the name and contact info. for
that employer so they can contact him/her themselves.  I would simply ask
the manager if he will give you a good reference if a new employer contacts
him.  Then ask for a phone number, e-mail address, or physical address where
he can be contacted.

**Use the same rules in writing a letter of reference that you wrote for
others.
It should be easier, though because you know the person very well.  Make it
short, to the point, general to specific and back to general.  Basic
outlines
can be found in books (can't think of any off the top of my head), but I'd
probably start with a letter that someone else has written and fill in the
blanks that fit.

As an aside, I don't particularly like it when someone asks me to do this
because I like to read what they thought in their own words. If my boss
asked me
to write this, I'd probably ask nicely, if he/she would reconsider and take
the
time.

**search in March/April archives of this year.

**Stick to tangible results that you produced when working for or with the
referencee. Then, it won't seem so much like Steve's reply.

Have you used letters of reference before?

In some businesses, letters of
references mean the opposite of what they say, like "Yeah, you take him, I
want him out of here. Anywhere, but here would be great."

To avoid this make
sure to include some info on when you worked with the referencee, and why
the relationship ended.

**My final Conclusion was - Be Honest, To the Point, Describe briefly what
you did / what they did, For how Long-
How long you worked with / for  that person/ reported to,  then a
conclusion.

NOTE: There are many different formats - This one works the best for me in
most situations..

Basically 4 paragraphs
First Paragraph - Introduction - whom is writing the Letter of Reference -
Name and Title / Position.
Second Paragraph - Brief Overview (Work) of what person did.
Third Paragraph - Brief Summary of some of Persons Character / qualities.
Fourth Paragraph - Conclusion - Plus It you would recommend them for another
position .

Signing off with Full name, Title or position, Company. and Contact
Telephone numbers and or e-mail.
i.e. Joe Blogs
Document Manager
COCO Pan
Tel 123 456 7890
e-mail: asdf -at- ghjkl -dot- com









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