Job Applications

Resignation Letters: Don’t Let Yours Backfire On You…

It turns out that tips, info, advice and templates on how to write resignation letters are among the most sought-after information at my Writing Help Central Web site.

So, when I looked into the subject more closely, I was surprised to find that there is not a lot of guidance available in guide book form on how to write a proper and appropriate resignation letter. In fact, a recent visit to the world’s largest bookstore www.amazon.com revealed that there are no “how to” books available there that deal with the art of writing resignation letters.

Surprising, but true.

This is interesting, because when you really look into it, you realize that whether you leave a job gracefully and appropriately will almost certainly have career and personal implications, and can be almost as important as writing a resume/cv or a cover letter.

THE EMOTIONS BEHIND RESIGNATION LETTERS

A resignation letter will be one of the most emotionally-charged business letters that you will ever write. The sentiments behind it are invariably volatile because of what it represents. In fact, studies have found that leaving a job can be almost as stressful as the breakup of a marriage.

Nevertheless, it is highly advisable that not too many of those emotions, especially any negative feelings, get transferred to the written page. As much as possible, a resignation letter should be treated as a business letter, just like any other business letter.

There are a number of reasons why resignation letters have more emotional implications than most other personal or business letters. Here are the obvious ones:

They are highly personal because they normally mark the severance of both professional and personal relationships, sometimes of a long-term nature.
They typically signify the end of a period in a person’s professional and/or personal life.
They represent the beginning of a new period or phase in someone’s personal and professional life, conjuring up the fears that often arise with an uncertain future.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF RESIGNATION LETTERS

Following are a number of primary characteristics that are unique to resignation letters.

Not Just Job-Related
Mention “resignation letter” and 99 of 100 people will think exclusively about job-related situations. In reality, there are a number of areas and circumstances for which recommendation letters can be required. For example, in addition to leaving jobs, resignation letters can be required for such situations as: stepping down from a committee, opting out of a course at school, leaving a club or fellowship, and others.

Sensitive and Delicate
When you submit your resignation letter it will have implications for you, the organization you are leaving, and the colleagues and friends you are leaving behind. You must realize that regardless of the real reasons behind your departure, the message received by many will be that you’re leaving because the organization and/or people just don’t measure up any more. This is a natural human reaction for many people and can’t be entirely avoided. Just be sensitive to it and don’t say, do, or write anything that unnecessarily aggravates such feelings of abandonment.

Simple Formality or Big Surprise
A resignation letter can simply be the formalization of a conversation that already took place with your boss, or an announcement you made in a meeting. On the other hand, a resignation letter can be tendered completely unannounced, as a total surprise. In fact, this is often the case in the real world. If this latter case applies in your situation, you will have to be prepared to deal with any one of a number of possible reactions from the organization and your colleagues, ranging from total acceptance, to anger, bargaining, and resentment.

Positive Beats Negative
The way in which you resign from an organization can have significant implications, both career-wise, and personally. Regardless of the circumstances and/or atmosphere surrounding your departure, you will be well-advised to take whatever measures you can to neutralize any negative factors that may be in play. The approach and wording used in the resignation letter can go a long way towards achieving this aim.

Always A Balancing Act
Writing a letter of resignation can be a bit of a balancing act. You want to be honest, clear, and firm regarding your intentions to leave, while at the same time you don’t want to alienate the employer you are leaving. It would be nice for that door to remain open, or at least ajar, just in case you want to enter it in the future. After all, you never know what may happen down the road. For all you know, your current employer could end up buying the company you are moving to. So be careful about limiting your future options.

Backlash Can Be Swift
Negative impacts from a poorly written or inappropriately worded resignation letter can be almost immediate. For example, if you are hoping to get a good recommendation or reference from the employer you’re leaving, a negative resignation letter can only hurt your letter of recommendation/reference. Also, even if you don’t request a recommendation letter there is nothing to stop future potential employers from checking back with organizations you have worked for.

So here’s a word for the wise. Before you blindly jump into writing a resignation letter, you might want to spend some time thinking about it and finding out how to write one that is proper and appropriate, so that it won’t come back to haunt you.

To see a fully-formatted “real-life template” of a simple letter of resignation, click on the following link:
http://www.instantresignationletterkit.com/sampreslet.html

(C) Shaun Fawcett is the world’s foremost expert on writing ALL types of letters of resignation for ALL situations: personal, business, employment, community service, etc. His comprehensive resource book, with real-life templates, is among the top resources on this subject on the planet:
http://InstantResignationLetterKit.com

Letters of Reference: Defined

As I point out on the main page of my Web site recommendation-reference-central.com, there is a great deal of general confusion about the differences and similarities between letters of reference and letters of recommendation. For instance; which is which, and why? How are they different? In what ways are they similar?

It’s confusing enough for the average person who only has to write one of these letters every once in a while. However, when you look into it in-depth as I have, and realize that many of the so-called “experts” don’t even know the differences between a reference letter and a recommendation letter, the general state of confusion is very understandable.

Based on extensive research into the subject, I define a “letter of reference” as one that is normally more general in nature than a letter of recommendation and IS NOT addressed to a specific requester. Typically, “letters of reference” are addressed as; “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear Sir/Madam”.

The most common letters of reference are:

Employment-related – general reference letter
College-related – general reference letter
Character reference letter – general-purpose personal reference
General reference letter – various subjects

Employment-Related Reference Letter
These are more general letters that are often requested by employees when they leave the employ of an organization. Normally factual in nature, they are usually addressed, “To Whom It May Concern” and provide basic information such as: work history, dates of employment, positions held, educational credentials, etc.

These reference letters sometimes contain a general statement (as long as a positive one can be made), about the employee’s work record with the company that they are leaving. Employees often submit these letters with job applications in the hope that the letter will reflect favorably on their chances for the new position.

College-Related Reference Letter
These letters are very similar to college-related letters of recommendation, EXCEPT that they are not addressed to a specific individual or requestor. In the college and university context they are typically addressed to officials such as: Director, Admissions or Chairman, Scholarship Selection Committee, etc.

These college-related letters can be as specific as a recommendation letter when it comes to describing the subject/person about which the letter is written, but they are more general/generic in terms of targeted addressees. That’s because at the time they are written it is often not clear exactly to which businesses or institutions they will be sent. For example, a person plans to apply to a number of colleges but when the letter is written, the specific colleges are unknown.

Character Reference Letter
Character reference letters are always written about a specific person by someone who knows them fairly well, and usually focus on a person’s general personality characteristics. They are often used in business and community service situations. Typically, a person will ask for a general character reference letter when they are leaving a company or service organization.

The focus of character reference letters are such personality characteristics as: honesty, integrity, trustworthiness, dependability, work ethic, values, community service, and other widely accepted indicators of individual character attributes. These letters are almost always used by people who provide personal and domestic services, where trust is an important factor.

These letters are typically addressed in a general way using “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear Sir/Madam”.

General Purpose Reference Letters
These reference letters deal with general situations that are not covered by the other reference letters described above. Typically, they address special situations such as tenant to landlord letters, business customer references, pet owner testimonials, etc. These letters are always addressed in a general way using “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear Sir/Madam”.

Watch Out…
Over the years, the line between “letters of reference” and “letters of recommendation” has become quite blurred, and many people and institutions now use the two terms interchangeably. As far as those organizations are concerned, both letters are exactly the same thing.

Accordingly, many colleges and universities, as well as some companies and institutions, use the terms “reference letters” and/or “letters of reference” when referring to exactly the same thing as what many other colleges, universities, companies and institutions call “recommendation letter” and/or “letter of recommendation”.

So, when dealing with these types of organizations or institutions, MAKE SURE that you use whichever term they use in the same way that they use it. DON’T try to convert them to your terminology. That will just confuse things and you will pay the price.

Shaun Fawcett is the world’s foremost expert on writing ALL types of letters of recommendation and letters of reference for ALL situations: personal, business, character, employment, and college admission. His comprehensive book, with real-life templates, is considered the top resource on this subject on the planet: http://InstantRecommendationLetterKit.com

Letters of Reference Writing Tips and Strategies

In addition to standard letter-writing dos and don’ts, there are a number of basic guidelines that apply specifically to most situations related to the writing of letters of reference. These are usually more “situational” than “how-to” in nature.

This article is an excerpt from my ebook/book “Instant Recommendation Letter Kit – How To Write Winning Letters of Recommendation”
Instant Recommendation Letter Kit

These reference letter guidelines are important to both note and apply, since writing letters of reference is always a somewhat tricky and delicate matter. That’s because they almost always affect the reputation and future of the writer or that of another person.

The following tips and strategies apply primarily to the writing of letters of reference in their various forms (i.e. reference letters, character reference letters, employment reference letters, college reference letters, and general reference letters).

Only Write It If You Want To
If you are asked by someone to write a reference letter about them, you don’t have to say “yes” automatically. If it’s someone you respect for their work, and you have mostly positive things to say, by all means write the letter.

There is no point saying “yes” and then writing a letter that says nothing good about the person, or worse still, concocting a misleading positive assessment of someone.

So, whatever you do, don’t get sucked into writing a reference inappropriately out of feelings of guilt or obligation.

If You Must Refuse, Do It Right Up Front
On the other hand, if someone asks you to write a reference letter for them, and you know you’ll be hard-pressed to keep it positive, say “no” right away.

There is no point in hesitating and leading the person on to believe that the answer might eventually be “yes”.

A gentle but firm “no” will usually get the message across to the person. Explain that you don’t think that you are the best (or most qualified) person to do it.

Suggest Somebody Else
If you feel you should refuse, for whatever reason, it may be helpful for you to suggest someone else who you think might have a more positive and/or accurate assessment of the person.

That other person may be in a better position to do the assessment. Usually there are a number of possible candidates, and you may not actually be the best one.

In fact, I have seen a number of cases over the years in which people requesting reference letters have not requested the letter from the obvious or logical choice. This usually happens when the requestor doesn’t like the person who is the obvious choice, and/or they are worried about what that person will say about them.

Write It Exactly As You See It
Writing a less than honest letter of reference does no one a favor in the end. It is likely to backfire on you, the person being recommended, and the new employer.

Also, many employers and head-hunting agencies check references these days.

How would you like to be called up and have to mislead people due to questionable things you may have written in a reference letter?

Be Honest, Fair, and Balanced
Honesty is always the best policy when it comes to writing reference letters. At the same time, try to be fair and balanced in your approach.

If in your estimation, a person has five strengths and one glaring weakness, but that weakness really bothers you, make sure you don’t over-emphasize the weak point in the letter based on your personal bias. Just mention it in passing as a weakness and then move on.

Balanced Is Best
An overall balanced approach is the best one for a letter of reference. Even if your letter generally raves about how excellent the person is, some balance on the other side of the ledger will make it more credible. After all, nobody’s perfect.

There must be some area where the person being recommended needs to improve. A bit of constructive criticism never hurts and it will make your letter more objective in nature.

Bottom Line:
The most important point to take away from the above tips and strategies is that it is your choice as to whether, and how, you will write a letter of reference.

It’s an important type of letter that will have a definite impact on the future of the person about whom it is being written, so don’t agree to write one unless you are willing to give it your utmost attention and effort.

(C) Shaun Fawcett is the world’s foremost expert on writing ALL types of letters of reference letters and letters of reference for ALL situations: personal, business, character, employment, and college admission. His comprehensive book (with templates), is considered the top resource on this subject on the planet: http://InstantRecommendationLetterKit.com

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