Personal letters of reference must sometimes accompany scholarship applications, college applications, applications for entrance into an honor society or other exclusive group, or job applications as attestation of good moral character.
In this article, learn reasons why a personal referral letter may be required, whom to ask for a referral, and instances when someone should decline to serve as a reference. Also find a link to a sample personal reference letter template.
Personal Reference Letter – Good Moral Character Recommendation
For scholarships and admission to college, committees use recommendation letters to distinguish among applicants; they want to find out which applicants are more deserving. Similarly, a personal referral letter is one way an honor society entrance committee can distinguish among applicants.
Job applications usually require professional references, but in the absence of a work history, personal reference letters are sometimes accepted; one personal reference may also be acceptable for someone with work experience, granted that the other references are professional in nature. The job description should indicate a preference.
Letters of reference may also be required to support creditworthiness. For instance, an apartment complex may request one as part of an application for residence.
Letter of Recommendation from a Coach, Co-Worker, Friend, Manager, Teacher, Volunteer
Whom should students ask for a letter of recommendation? Middle school, high school, and college students should ask a responsible adult in a position to observe the student’s behavior. Typically, a parent is not a good choice, as a mother or father will have bias. However, an objective third party such as a teacher, family friend, or even a coach would make a good referral. A student could also ask a manager at work or another employer (think: a babysitting or lawn mowing customer).
Job applicants and those who need referrals for financial reasons could ask a former co-worker or an old friend. Another idea – ask a member of an organization you belong to, especially if it’s a volunteer organization (which suggests good intentions on its own).
Attesting to Good Moral Character? Personal Referral Letter Tips
On the flip side, how should someone decide whether to serve as a reference? In general, a person will not request a character recommendation letter from someone who won’t be able to provide a positive reference. However, if that happens, below are some general guidelines.
If you know the personal is unethical, don’t agree to serve as a reference. Resist the urge to view his or her positive actions in a vacuum (meaning, don’t artificially inflate the value of a single good action when the individual typically displays poor judgment or immoral character). When someone provides a good recommendation for someone who ends up doing something unsavory later on, it reflects poorly on the person who provided the false positive reference.
Letters of Reference – When to Decline Requests
Not sure whether to write a personal reference letter for a particular individual? Here are two situations when it would be a good idea to decline a request to serve as a reference:
- It would be difficult to provide a positive review without fudging the truth.
- Examples exist of times when the candidate was not a person with good moral character. A red flag could be having to justify a past action with thoughts like, “It was a one-time thing,” or “It wasn’t technically illegal,” or “He usually doesn’t act that way.”
Free Sample Personal Reference Letter Template
In the article Reference Letter – Sample Recommendation, find a complete example of a referral letter written for a high school age babysitter (for use in a scholarship application).
For examples of professional letters of recommendation for co-workers and a discussion of what to include in a personal letter of reference, see the article Character Reference Letter Templates.
Lena Gott - Lena Gott is a Certified Public Accountant who gives practical financial advice to her readers.
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