Academic and Employee Recommendation Letters

It is also known as a letter of recommendation, letter of reference, or a reference letter. You can simply call this a “Letter,” too. It is a document in which the writer assesses the capabilities, qualities, and characteristics of the person, which is recommended in terms of that individual’s ability to perform a task or function.

Recommendation letters typically relate to employment, admission to various higher education institutions, or scholarship eligibility.

The letter related to employment can be termed a job reference or employment reference. The recommendation letters are normally requested to be written about an individual and are thus addressed to a certain requester (such as a new employer or University admission officer.

The letter can also be issued to a recommended person without specifying an addressee.
The person who is providing a reference would be known as a referee.
Because of potential lawsuits, some employers may not be willing to provide a reference or recommendation letters. In such a scenario, the employer may only provide the employee’s dates of employment, job titles, and salary history.
Austria, Germany, Bulgaria, and Switzerland are the only countries in Europe where employees can legally claim an employment reference and the right to a correct, benevolent, and Unambiguous appraisal.
In Switzerland and Germany, the reference letter is known as Arbeitszeungnis. In Austria, it is called as Dienstzeugnis.

Usually, the employment reference letter is written by a former employer or manager. One can also request references from co-workers, colleagues, customers, and vendors.

This is not only them; references can also be supplied from teachers and professors. This typically applies in the scenario of recommendations for academic purposes but for employment as well. This happens particularly when a person is applying for their first job.

References may also be needed for companies seeking to win contracts, especially in engineering, industry, construction, and consultancy. Such references are provided by people or parties with whom the company shares a cordial relationship and has been working in the past.

This always helps companies to win a contract and gain the trust of new clients or companies. Most employers call the referees to acquire references before hiring new employees for a job. The letter of recommendation works well for both the employer and the employee because employers try very hard to find capable employees and recommend that people cut down on their hassles. The people who have worked in the past and have a referee for their new job have better chances of being employed than those who don’t have a letter of recommendation or a past employer willing to recommend them. For a person to have a reference letter, there is a very obvious condition. To have a reference letter for your job, you must have done a job previously and have performed well in that company.