Successful employment involves many factors, with reputation playing a key role. A reference letter is an official confirmation of your expertise, professional qualities, achievements and hard/soft skills from a previous employer. It is a tool that helps candidates stand out from the hundreds of other applications for a vacancy.

When and for whom is a letter of recommendation needed?

Written references are not always essential, but there are certain stages in one’s career where they become a decisive factor. A reference letter is absolutely essential in the following cases:

Moving to an international company. Western recruiters always carry out thorough background checks and verify candidates’ references.
Recruitment for senior roles. For executives, leaders and C-level managers, reputation verification is a mandatory standard.
A radical change in the scope of activities. A reference will show that you are a responsible employee, even if you have little experience in this new field.
A direct enquiry from an employer. Many companies include this stage as the final stage of the selection process before making an offer.

Who should write a reference and how do you go about getting one?

The ideal person to draft the document is your line manager, HR director, or a key client (if you were working as a contractor or freelancer), who can back up your results with hard figures.

An important tip: It is far better to request references electronically (for example, via corporate email or with a digital signature) and to do so immediately upon leaving your current company, whilst your achievements are still fresh in management’s minds.

How to use a letter of recommendation correctly

You shouldn’t just tuck this document away in folders on your computer. To get the most out of it, you can – and should – add it to:

Your CV (as a link to a file on Google Drive).
LinkedIn profile (Please ask your colleagues to fill in the «Recommendations» text box or attach a document to the media files).
Cover Letter, stating that you are willing to provide references to confirm your skills.

Are you having trouble requesting a letter of recommendation from a company? Not sure how to approach your manager or how to write a text properly? Please contact our careers adviser. Our expert will advise you promptly and suggest effective, diplomatic ways of resolving this matter.