How to ask for a Letter of Reference
Asking for a letter of reference is relatively basic process. A person must know the credibility of the individual that they are asking for the document from. If the individual does not have proper credibility within the business community, then the letter itself has no real value. Formulating a meaningful relationship with this individual before asking for the letter is very important. Failure to do this will mean that the letter itself does not have the potential to have the maximum impact that it should. This person should know the integrity of the person that they are writing the letter of reference for.Depending on the experience level of the person in question, sometimes asking a teacher or professor for a matter of reference can be very beneficial. This happens because someone with an elevated degree of education has more credibility within the local community than other individuals. Asking someone for a letter of reference should be done because they have been willing to give effective references to others before the letter for this individual.It is also very important that they individual is asked if they believe that the person asking for the reference is capable of completing the job in question. Failure to do this will result in the reference itself not being as honest as it should be. Asking for a letter of reference should be done in person. Doing so in an email or by phone is not professional approach to this task. Asking in writing can be helpful but only when the individual that is requested to provide the reference have been consulted in a verbal conversation previously.If a person is not comfortable providing a letter of reference, they should not be asked on multiple occasions. If they are asked more than once, they may be inclined to produce any substandard letter of reference just to please the person that has made the request. This is not in the best interest of the person requesting the document, because the quality of the document will not be sufficient. Furthermore, asking for a letter of reference should be a private conversation. This is because if a professional individual is not comfortable giving the majority of people a reference, they may be more willing to give a reference to someone that they believe in. However, if they feel pressured because other people are watching, then this may damage the quality of the letter itself.
