A reference letter template is a structure, not a set of sentences to copy, and the structure is the same whether the firm is writing for a contractor who finished an engagement, an associate who is leaving or a client's own staff member who asks. The letter opens with the facts a checker verifies, gives a paragraph to each piece of work worth describing and each strength worth naming, carries an example for every strength and a number for every result, and closes with the recommendation and how to reach you. The free reference letter on this site sizes each part from the engagement's own facts; this page is the template those parts sit in.
Paragraph one: the relationship, the role and the period
The first paragraph carries what a reference checker confirms before reading on: your name and position, the capacity in which you knew the person, the role or the engagement, and the dates it ran. Seventy words is enough; the point is that the checker finds the period in the first lines. A reference that buries the dates reads as evasive whether or not it is. The template on this site prints the years the engagement covered so eighteen months reads as a figure rather than rounding away.
The middle: the work, then the strengths, each with an example
Give each piece of work worth describing its own paragraph, with what the person was responsible for and what it produced. Then give each strength its own paragraph, and attach a specific example to it: the client who was retained, the deadline that was held, the problem that was found before it cost money. A strength without an example is an adjective; a checker discounts adjectives and remembers examples. Results with a number, revenue retained, hours saved, a score moved, get a sentence each and are the lines the checker writes down.
The close: the recommendation, the caveat if there is one, the contact
The last paragraph says plainly whether you recommend the person and for what, names any limit on that recommendation honestly rather than leaving it to be inferred, and gives a direct line so the checker can call. A firm's reference is the firm's word; the template is structured so that every paragraph carries a fact you can stand behind if the call comes, and Sowbird Pro keeps the letter with who it went to and when.
Questions people ask about reference letter template
Is the reference letter on this site free?
Yes, without an account. It sizes and structures the letter from the months, the pieces of work, the strengths, the examples and the results you enter, and prints the parts. Keeping the engagement it is written from, and the letter with who it went to, is the paid product.
How long should the reference letter be?
On the worked example, 480 words in seven paragraphs: two pieces of work, three strengths with an example each and two results with a number. A page and a bit. The length comes from the facts; add a piece of work and the template adds a paragraph.
Should the template name weaknesses?
Name a limit on the recommendation if there is one, plainly and once, rather than hinting. A checker reads a hint as a warning larger than the fact; a stated limit is read as what it is.