A personal reference letter is also known as a recommendation letter written by a person who knows you personally to speak about your character traits, personality, achievements, and qualities. This letter can be asked by the former employer, institute, landlord, and any other person who needs a testament of your abilities.
For that purpose, you need to get a well-written reference letter from a family friend, neighbor, teacher, and other people who can attest to your qualities and character. In this way, well-designed reference letter templates make sure that the written letter is correct. You can also see the sample of personal reference letters to get an idea of writing them effectively.
A personal reference letter is used to strengthen someone’s qualities for a job, academic admission, community post, or club. This reference letter should be written by a person who knows you personally and doesn’t have any professional relationship with you but can speak about your capabilities, character, and personality traits. It is commonly asked the employer in the recruitment process to know about candidates beyond their work ethics. A well-written reference letter secures the opportunity to get a job, admission to school or college, housing purpose, and community post.
The person who writes this letter should include their name, relationship with the recommended person, skills and abilities, and other positive things that support her. The letter should be written formally and free from any mistakes. It would be best if the writer gave an example of the candidate’s life that supports his qualities and capabilities. Put all the related details that show the candidate is perfect for the post where they applied. In this way, personal character reference letter templates save lots of time and allow you to make a power letter. The person you ask for a character reference letter must know what should be included in it and avoid the mistakes that could ruin your chance.
When do We Need a Personal/Character Reference Letter?
When someone requests to attest to your qualities, personality, and character, you need to get a reference from the person who knows you well. Therefore, a reference letter is required when you need some words from another person who knows you personally to verify your qualities and capabilities. The most common situation where you need to submit a personal reference letter is as follows:
In the hiring process, the employees want to verify your character trait and personality and ask you to get a character reference letter to testify that you are perfect for this job. You can ask your close friend to write a strong reference letter for a job.
It is also required when you apply to a school, college, or any other academic institute. They ask you for a character reference letter to be a testament to your qualities and capabilities.Â
Students who apply for a scholarship also need to add well-written reference letters that make their application stand out in the crowd.
To get a house on rent, the landlord asks for a reference letter from family or friends that attest to your character and verifies your personality to win the landlord’s trust.
If you apply for volunteering, then the organization needs a reference letter before accepting your application.
It is also asked by the judge or jury when you are facing a case in court. Court wants a testament of your character and qualities. You can ask someone who qualifies for writing this letter to stand out on your side of the case.
If you need a personal reference letter that gives you all the benefits you need from this letter, follow the below-mentioned steps to write it correctly. If you are the person who agreed to write this letter for your friend, neighbors, family member, and others, then make sure the letter should be written in a way that contains all the essential components. In this way, a sample of character reference letters for students, jobs, friends, court, and rental apartments helps you understand how to write it strongly. Here are some steps that you should follow to write an effective reference letter.
Sender Detail: If you want to write an effective letter, then follow the business letter format. First of all, write your full name at the top left corner of the letter. Then, on the next line, write your address, mailing address, and phone number. The receiver of this letter uses this information to contact for further details.
Date: Put the date right after your contact details. The date should be when you send this letter to the sender.
Receiver’s information: Collect the letter receiver information and put it on the left side of the page right after the date. Write the full name of the receiver but the designation, and then add the address of the receiver where you want to send this letter.
Salutation: When you write a formal reference letter, add a greeting using Dear, Mr, and Mrs followed by the receiver’s name.
First Paragraph: In the first paragraph, state your relationship with the person you recommended. Be specific in your writing and avoid irrelevant things to include. Add how long you know the candidate that makes you eligible to write this letter because this letter is only written by those who know the recommended person well.
Second Paragraph: In the second paragraph, write about the candidate’s qualities beyond the work ethic. Use some positive words about the personality of the recommended person that shows how the candidate is perfect for this post.
Closing paragraph: The closing statement should be the reference statement where you put “High recommended” the candidate or “Recommended without reservation” and similar words.
Offer to contact: At the end, you can offer to provide more information about the recommended person and state how they can contact you.
Signature: End the letter with some positive words like “Sincerely” and put your signature after that to sign off.
An excellent personal reference letter has a massive impact on someone’s position to get the desired post. For that purpose, you need to know the main things you should focus on to make a useful reference and increase the chances of getting an opportunity. In this way, some valuable tips help you write a compelling letter.
Think about it: When someone asks you to write a recommendation letter, then think for a second before saying yes. Think about how much you know about that person’s qualities and character. If you know him well, then say yes to writing a personal reference letter.
Follow standard format: The reference letter must be written formally. For that purpose, you need to follow the standard business letter format to write a compelling letter.
Free from mistakes: Before sending the letter, review it and check to make it free from any errors. Make sure the letter should contain correct information about the recommended person and is free from any spelling and grammatical mistakes.Â
Positive in writing: Use positive words in your writing to show the qualities of a candidate. The letter should be written in a way that speaks well for the recommended person and stand-out from other applicants.
Follow submission rules: Ask the person for whom you write a recommendation letter about the requirements to submit this letter. Sometimes there are rules by the institute or organization like letters should be written in a specific format and submission deadline and similar others.
Share contact details: It is essential to provide your contact details and ask the letter receiver to contact you for further information about the recommended person.
Who can Write a Personal Reference Letter?
When an organization or institute asks for a character reference letter, the first thing that comes to your mind is who is eligible to write this letter. The answer is the person who knows you for a long period and knows you personally well. Some people who are qualified to write this letter are as follows:
Friend: A close friend of yours knows your qualities and capabilities and states it confidently in the reference letter. Make sure the friend you choose to write a reference letter must speak well to your personality. You can get the reference letter template for a friend to write it more correctly. :
Neighbor: Neighbours are people who have known you very well for a long time. They know about your behavior and character. If you have a positive relationship with your neighbors, you can ask them to write an effective reference letter.Â
Teacher: Choosing your school or college teacher for writing a personal reference for yourself is the best decision. Teachers know about your character and personality very well. They know how to write a strong reference letter that stand-out you from other applicants. In this way, samples of personal reference letters for students from teachers define all the essential things that make a letter effective.
Client or customer: The client or customer with whom you have a great relationship also helps you get a strong reference letter. The client who knows you professionally and personally for a long time and then asks him to write a letter that speaks about your character trait and personality is a good decision.
