A reference letter, or a Letter of Recommendation, is a letter written by a co-worker, colleague, employer, or professor that positively attests to a candidate's skills, accomplishments, work ethic, and/or character.

The letter can accompany a CV (or resume) and a Cover Letter in a job application, or it can be used in academic applications, such as part of a portfolio submission for admittance into a Masters degree program.

References are often a requirement for professional and academic applications. When someone applies for a new job, for entry into an educational institution, or sometimes for government grants, the application process generally includes providing reference letters from colleagues or superiors to back up the candidate's character, skills, and achievements.

Reference letters don't need to be long or complex. They just need to cover a few basic points to be effective.

In a reference letter, be sure to include:

• Your name and contact information
• A background on yourself and the relationship you have with the person for whom you're writing the letter
• A few of the candidate's strongest skills
• One or two concrete examples where they used these skills to achieve something positive
• A closing statement

It's important to keep your Letter of Recommendation positive and ensure that you're discussing examples that are the most suitable to the type of application the person is making.

For example, if you're writing a reference letter for a student's admittance to a Graduate Studies program, it would be prudent to discuss their strengths in research rather than their outstanding customer service abilities.