How to Ask for a Business Letter of Recommendation

During the interview and hiring process, many employers will ask you for a letter of recommendation from past employers, professional business associates or character references. Obtaining these letters shows that you are a viable employee with a solid reputation and a positive work history.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Prepare Your List of Contacts

1. Take 30 minutes to compile a list of business contacts from whom you would like a letter of recommendation. These should be former bosses, coworkers and/or others who can attest to your professional work attributes.
2. Make initial contact (by phone, email or snail mail) to each of your references. Let them know that you are on a job search and that you would be interested in using them to write letters of recommendation.
3. Take note of which references will write you a letter as well as those who don't wish to do so.

Ask for a Business Letter of Recommendation

4. Determine what information your potential employer would like to know in the letter. This could be professional demeanor, timeliness, achievements or the reasons you left other jobs. Use your newfound information to outline a letter of recommendation to each of your references.
5. Give your references the contact information for your potential job so they can properly format a letter.
6. Inform your references how they should deliver the letter of recommendation. Some companies prefer sealed, private correspondence sent separately, while others want the applicant to bring in all references unsealed.
7. Set a time limit for each letter. Typically, two weeks is plenty of time for references to complete and mail these documents.

Follow Up With Letters of Recommendation

8. Send a hand-written thank-you note to your references for their letters of recommendation. These notes should be on formal stationery and should be legibly written.
9. Call your potential employer to verify receipt of all letters of recommendation if they are to be sent separately.

Tips & Warnings

• Always ask more people for letters of recommendation than you need. Employers typically want at least three business references, so make it a practice to ask up to five people to ensure you meet the minimum number required.
• Check out a popular job search site such as CareerBuilder to read about topics like business letters of recommendation (see Resources below). Remember, online job search services are not just informative—they're also effective.
• All job applicants should be required to submit the same number of recommendation letters. Companies cannot discriminate against you based on age, race, sex, marital status, disability or religion. If you are asked for more references than another candidate, this could be illegal under U.S. Federal law.

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