Character Reference Letter Sample and Tips

A character reference letter tells employers about a job candidate’s personal traits and attributes. While normal job references come from someone you’ve worked with before, a character reference letter is usually written by someone who hasn’t worked with you professionally. It’s a chance to highlight a candidate’s soft skills in a relevant way for a job.

Whether you’re about to ask for a character reference letter or you’ve been asked to write one, this article will provide the right context to provide a character reference, what to include in the reference, how to ask for a reference, and character reference examples to help you write your own.

Key Takeaways:

• You should only write a character reference for a candidate whose qualities you know well.

• Ask for a resume and information about the job to tailor your reference letter for the opportunity.

• Family friends, mentors, and organization members are all good people to use as character references.

• Your character reference letter should be a clear endorsement that includes specific examples of how they’ve displayed relevant traits.

What is a character reference letter?

A character reference letter, also known as a personal reference letter, is a document written by a contact of a candidate for a job, school, or admission to any organization. For the purposes of this article, we’ll be covering character reference letters for a job opportunity.

Character references attest to the integrity, work ethic, and other soft skills possessed by the job candidate. Notably, a character reference does not cover the candidate’s professional capabilities, because, by definition, a character reference has no knowledge of the candidate’s on-the-job hard skills.

Sometimes, hiring managers ask a candidate to include a character reference with the application, after interviews, or right before making a job offer. While professional references are typically more impactful for job opportunities, a character reference shows an employer whether the referee’s personality traits will fit in with the rest of the team.

What to include in a character reference letter

If you’re asked to write a character reference, you should only accept if you actually know the person well enough to highlight their positive personality traits. This is crucial, as the personal reference letter must highlight their transferable skills so that the employer can relate to their professional capabilities.

The main components of a good character reference letter include: “”

1. How you know the candidate. At the beginning of your letter, you should clearly state your relationship to the applicant. This does not have to be a long paragraph; just be as specific as possible. For example, “I coached Sarah in basketball for two years,” or “Bill volunteered with me during Bike and Build.”.

2. The length of your relationship. Employers want to know how long you have known the job seeker. Is this a relatively new relationship or have you been able to gauge their personality for years? For example, something like “Jason and I have volunteered alongside each other for three years,” or “I’ve known Felicia for five years and coached her for two years.”.

3. Positive traits (with specific examples). Throughout the body of your letter, you should speak to the qualities that may make the person a good fit for the job. Tell stories that bring those skills to life. For example, “Andy was always the first one to practice and the last one to leave, after helping clean everything up,” or “Cindy helped so many students with their standardized testing and got them into their top-choice colleges.”.

   Examples of valuable skills to highlight include being hard-working, collaborative, excellent at communication, or highly analytical. You can choose two to three relevant skills, making sure to include concrete examples of each.

4. Finish with a clear endorsement. The purpose of the document is to help the applicant gain employment, which means that this should be clearly stated within the letter. After describing the personal qualities of the applicant, close out by noting that those traits and experiences lead you to believe they would be a valuable member of the company.

   For example, “For all the reasons above and many more, I highly recommend Tim for this job and feel he would make a great addition to any organization he joined.”

5. Your contact information. The final step of the letter is to include your contact information. Provide the employer with at least two ways to reach you in case any follow-up is needed, like your email address, phone number, or LinkedIn page.

Character reference letter examples

Just as having a sample letter of recommendation from a former employer is helpful, so is the blueprint for a personal reference. We’ve put together some character reference letter templates to help in this. Here are a few sample character reference letters for employment:

1. Character Reference Letter for a Friend

   Dear Ms. Smith,

   It has been my pleasure to know Michael Long for the last ten years. He was a classmate at our alma mater Penn State, where he is also a coordinator for local chapter alumni events. Michael also has planned several events for my restaurant as well as other special occasions.

   Michael has a keen eye for detail and is extremely imaginative, showing great dedication to events. His foresight has allowed him to transform my ideas into appealing design aesthetics. Also, an effective communicator, Michael has been able to successfully liaison with various vendors allowing me to focus solely on my guests.

   Being that Michael has been able to expertly plan my events ranging from food tastings to my anniversary party, I believe he would be a valuable event planner for your organization.

   If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me at your earliest convenience.

   Sincerely,

   Amanda Teller

   ateller@email.com
   (555)-222-1111

2. Character Reference Letter for a Fellow Volunteer

   Dear Hiring Manager,

   I have known Laura Tevez for over five years in our work at a local soup kitchen. Laura has also helped me personally by creating logos and designs for my website.

   Laura is an incredibly hardworking, compassionate, and creative person I’ve enjoyed working with. No matter who you are, she talks to you as an equal and listens to what you have to say. One time, a guest at the soup kitchen mentioned how she was upset that she wouldn’t be able to get gifts for her children over Christmas. Laura went out the next day with the most amazing toys — ones that she knew the kids would like from her brief times meeting them — and drove them over to the guest’s house, pre-wrapped.

   Laura is the kind of person who is always looking for a way to help and genuinely finds joy in solving a problem.

   For these reasons and more, I highly recommend Laura for the graphic design position and believe she would make a great addition to any organization lucky enough to have her on their team.

   Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

   Sincerely,

   Jon Franklin

   jfranklin@email.com
   (777)-999-3333

How to write a character reference letter

Regardless of whether you’re asking for or writing a character reference letter, keep these tips in mind:

• Specificity matters. Talking about someone’s skills is great, but it doesn’t really prove anything. It’s much more impactful to provide a few specific examples of the referee’s soft skills in action.

  For example, rather than say that the person is a determined and resilient individual, talk about how they worked two jobs while earning a bachelor’s degree and starting their own blog. Actions always speak louder than words, and the more detailed you can be, the more alive the candidate becomes on the page.

• Be 100% positive. Reference letters (both professional and personal) should be entirely positive. The character reference should sound as though they have no reservations about recommending the referee for the job.

• Mimic the job description. Whether you’re trying to guide your character reference on what to write, or you’re the writer trying to come up with good content, turn to the job description. Look for words that are repeated or otherwise emphasized — they’re probably extra important.

  Then, look for ways to incorporate similar language into your character reference letter, with a special focus on relevant soft skills. You can also use the applicant’s resume as a model for understanding what skills and experiences they find most valuable for the job.

• Keep it short. Character reference letters don’t need to be especially long. About a half page to a page in length, with 3-4 paragraphs and 200-400 words should be plenty to say everything that needs saying. Plus, you can always leave your contact information and an invitation for further contact at the bottom of the letter.

  That way, the hiring manager can call or send you an email if they have further questions.

How to request a character reference letter

The most important aspect of requesting the letter is who you ask. You already have a good idea of how to narrow this down, but just remember that the best piece of starting advice is to choose the right person — someone who can honestly speak to the qualities you’d like highlighted in a reference letter.

From there, make sure to ask this person well ahead of when you need the letter. You want to give a reasonable timeframe to write the letter. To help expedite the process, send them your resume and other pertinent details as soon as they say yes.

If asking by email, simply reply with your statement of appreciation and attach or link your background documents. Also, give a firm but realistic deadline to meet.

As you wait, feel free to give a follow-up email if you are within a few days of the requested date. Ask if there is anything you can do to be helpful, or if any more information is needed.

Once you get the letter back, send a thoughtful thank-you note that summarizes your sincere gratitude.

Who to ask for a character reference letter

If you’re asking for a character reference letter, it should specifically come from someone in your network whom you’ve not worked with professionally. If you’re being asked for a character reference, you should only accept the request if you’re familiar with the person’s positive personality traits.

Examples of good people to write a character reference letter include:

• Co-volunteers

• Fraternity or sorority members

• Church members

• Sports teammates

• Neighbors

• Family friends

• Advisors

• Counselors

Character reference letter FAQ

1. What should a character reference include?

There are five elements a character reference should include. They are: how you know the candidate, the length of your relationship, positive traits of the candidate, a clear endorsement, and contact information. These elements should be direct, grammatically correct, and written in a positive tone.

2. Who can I use for a character reference?

Your character reference should be someone who knows you well and can speak definitively about you. Preferably, this should be someone NOT in your immediate family, as they can come across as biased. It is better to pick either close family friends, mentors, or members of organizations you belong to because these are people who can make judgment calls about your character.

3. Can I use a character reference for a job application?

You should only use a character reference if directly asked or if you do not have any professional references. Generally professional references are better for job applications because they speak directly about your relevant skills. However, sometimes it is not possible to obtain a professional reference. There are also times when organizations like to hear from people in your personal life. In these cases, it is OK to use a character reference.

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.