Date:

Dear _______________:

I am writing to request a letter of reference from you because of our good working relationship in the past.  Anything you can do in this regard would be much appreciated.  As usual, it would be helpful if you could attend to this promptly.

If you would find it helpful to discuss this request, call me any time at your convenience at the number on this letterhead or at _____________________.  It would be helpful if you could include the following information in your reference letter: ______________________________________________________________________.

My employment with the Company ran from ___________ to  ________

Please note that I have included a Permission Letter for your files, to authorize you to release this information.

Please send the letter directly to: ___________________________________________.

Please contact me if you have any questions or need additional information.

Thank you in advance for your help and prompt attention to my request.

Best regards,

_______________
Reference Seeker

Enc.  Permission Letter Authorizing Reference

Reference Letter, Request by Former Employee
Review List

This review list is provided to inform you about this document in question and assist you in its preparation.  Reference letters are helpful and rarely used tools.  They are helpful not only for employment but also for business investment purposes and a host of other things.

The above letter is often a good icebreaker for an employer you have not been in contact with for some time.  If you retain any kind of ongoing relationship with the individual, consider calling them instead.   In addition, remember to include the Reference Letter, Permission by Employee, document.  This will expedite the process and, on a more visceral basis, please them that you were thoughtful enough to include it so they could act promptly on your behalf but be covered legally in their personnel files for their reference.

Interestingly, the longer you have been away from employment at the company in question, presuming the same cast of characters are there, the better they will usually remember your employment there.  Their more recent issues have long since obscured whatever problems you may have had there.

If your immediate supervisor left that company, by all means get his or her recommendation even if they are at another company and/or in a different industry.   People generally try to be helpful in this area.

1.    Make a list of possible references.  Keep working on the list for a few days and you will find new, and often better, names popping up.

2.   Call to follow-up on the Reference giver.  Make sure it has been done or get another person to do it, either in that organization or in another.  You are generally advised to get your most enthusiastic backer, though lower in the organization (as long as the enthusiasm relates to your work their).

Date:

Dear _______________:

I am writing to request a letter of reference from you because ____________ (“Candidate”) said you could comment on their work with you at your company.  Anything you can do to add to our understanding of the abilities of the Candidate would be much appreciated.

If you would find it helpful to discuss this request, call me any time at your convenience at the number on this letterhead.  It would be helpful if you could include the information on the following subjects in your reference letter: ______________________________________________________________________.

We have included a written copy of the Employee’s Permission to Release Employment information for your convenience and protection in preparing this request for a Reference Letter.

Please send the letter directly back to me at your earliest convenience.

Please contact me if you have any questions, need additional information, or would simply prefer to give us an oral reference.

Thank you in advance for your help and prompt attention to my request.

Yours very truly,

_______________
Reference Seeker

cc Copy of Employee’s Permission to Release Employment information.

Reference Letter, Request by Employer
Review List

This review list is provided to inform you about this document in question and assist you in its preparation.  Reference letters are helpful and rarely used tools.  They are helpful not only for employment but also for business investment purposes and a host of other things.   You should seek them out on the various people you deal with.   Be sure to include a signed copy of the Employee’s Permission to Release Employment information form.

If their immediate supervisor left that company, by all means get his or her recommendation even if they are at another company and/or in a different industry.   People generally try to be helpful in this area.

1.    If a written reference reveals new or interesting information, by all means call back the reference giver and see if you can elicit more information.

2.    Be creative in seeking references and you will develop a broader understanding of the candidate, how they relate to people, and how they perform or don’t perform their work.