Letters of recommendation
Oil painting by August Heinrich Plinke , 19th century
A letter of recommendation (or letter of recommendation , letter of reference , letter of assessment ) is a piece of writing with a positive recommendation in favor of a person .
General
While the term recommendation rather describes a written document that is addressed to a specific addressee, a letter of reference is usually addressed to an indefinite addressee ( Latin offerta ad incertas personas ). A reference should support the benevolent formation of opinions about an applicant. Recommendations usually focus on the future (recommendation for a specific position), references usually focus on the reference giver's experience with the applicant in the past ( qualifications acquired , activities carried out ).
construction
Basically, no defined structure is prescribed for recommendations or references. Recommendations are addressed to a recipient and should correspond to their informational value; references usually have no specific recipient. For references, it is advisable to include the following content:
- Subject with reference to speaker, name of person and type of activity ,
- Description of the company and the referenced position ,
- Description of the specific tasks and the skills used,
- Qualitative assessment of work performance and quality of work ,
- Evaluation of social behavior ,
- Wish for the future.
Recommendations and references therefore correspond to the content of a job reference, but usually do not contain its grades .
use
In the Anglo-Saxon legal system, letters of recommendation ( English letter of recommendation, letter of reference ) replace the job references customary in German-speaking countries . While the "letter of recommendation" is addressed to a specific recipient, the "letter of reference" is addressed to an undisclosed (indefinite) group of addressees ( English To whom it may concern ). It often begins with a request to this recommendation ( english recommendation ) to accept the candidate. This is followed by the previous employment period , the previous position and a job description. If at all, technical competence ( English ability ), work performance ( English performance ), honesty / trustworthiness ( English honesty ), leadership competence ( English conduct ) or punctuality and presence ( English timekeeping, attendance ) are mentioned. It is not advisable to simply translate German-language job references into English, as there is an inherent risk of making false friends . For example, while the high flexibility ( English flexibility ) of a working person in German employment references enjoys a positive value, it shall be in English as indecision.
Three references are often required in the US ; they largely replace certificates there. The recommendation is made by a person who is in a position that allows this statement to be made about the applicant. In the German-speaking countries, letters of recommendation are still rare compared to the USA, but they are increasingly important as an addition to an application, even if they do not yet replace the job references. Since vocational training or a course of study in Europe leads less and less to standardized careers, letters of recommendation are likely to gain in importance, especially for career changers, compared to training and university certificates.
In some cases, letters of recommendation are required for applications in a religious environment or with other companies with a tendency to develop . These are then drawn up by previous employers or people from the personal environment (e.g. religious office holders, teachers, members of the same faith group). This can also include applications for an internship, a study place or a scholarship.
The reference is also gaining importance in the German-speaking area due to the increasing number of freelance employees . Since freelance employees do not have a permanent employment relationship , they are usually not issued a job reference. The reference closes this gap.
In contrast to a job reference that is issued by a previous employer, a letter of recommendation can in principle be written by every third person. In order to achieve the desired effect of a credible assessment, however, it makes sense if the exhibitor is able to assess the performance and personality of the recommended person based on his position and has a certain professional or social reputation, for example as a university professor , politician or clergyman . Thus, not only full-time activities can be described, but also long-term voluntary activities, group leader activities and qualified statements about social and other skills can be made and included in the application.
So-called “character references” are particularly important for people without meaningful certificates or for activities with a high level of responsibility. Meaningful details are often relevant for this (e.g. someone has managed the central key for a locking system with hundreds of apartments).
The person making the recommendation or reference should clarify with the applicant whether the future employer may approach the person making the recommendation or reference. Certificates and references are increasingly being checked by the recruiting HR department through inquiries with the recommender. Often the reference is only obtained orally; In this case, the applicant will only provide the function and contact details of the person (s) providing information.
Demarcation
The job reference is addressed to the assessed employee , while letters of recommendation are addressed to third parties .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Andrea Frey: The career ladder highly praised , in: Die Zeit , September 1, 2011.
- ↑ Hans-Jürgen Weißbach / Barbara Weißbach: The job promoter. Continuing education curriculum. Volume 2. Module 5. Dortmund / Frankfurt a. M. 2012, ISBN 978-3-924100-41-4 .
- ↑ An example for the selection of au pairs from New Zealand : [1] ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (pdf), accessed January 17, 2017.
