Reference letter samples review the sample reference letters here including professional references academic references personal references and letters asking for a recommendation to help you write your own plus review guidelines and tips for requesting and writing reference letters there is also information about how to create . The first paragraph of the reference letter explains your connection to the person you are recommending including how you know them how long youve known them and why you are qualified to write a reference letter on their behalf be sure to include the name of the company job school or opportunity for which the person is applying for example i have been james smiths supervisor at xyz company for the past five years i am pleased to recommend him for the position of head accountant . 123 main st northeast harbor me 04662 since this is a formal letter start the greeting with dear followed by the right salutation for the recipient so write either mr ms or their professional designation such as professor or dr for doctor. A reference letter is usually written to testify to a person or occasionally a companys skills character and or achievements sometimes a reference letter is known as a recommendation letter it is a formal document and should be typed and written in a serious and business like style reference letters are used in a wide variety of situations there is no definitive list that