Letter of Recommendation or Letter of Reference Which Is It?

Copyright Shaun R. Fawcett

Of the more than 2 million annual visitants to my 2 primary “writing help” Web sites, over 60% of them are appearing for numerous type of letter-writing assistance, & of those, 50% are questing aid with composeing a “letter of recommendation” or “letter of reference.”

Why do so numerous folks want aid with good word letters over & above all else types of letters, you could ask? Well, the primary cause is this – they are BY FAR the most hard letters to write. The primary reasons are as follows:

Letters of good word invariably have significant implications since they are key to being liveed with (or NOT) for such stuff as: jobs & promotions, university & university program admission, membership in clubs & associations, qualification for awards & scholarships, financial aid approvals, entry into special programs, etc.

The consequences for messing up a letter of good word may be gravely serious, & may in reality alter the course of a person’s life – either your personal life, or that of another person about whom you are composeing the letter. (Just envision screwing up someone’s life since you would not take the time or problem to get a good word letter right!).

There is a fine negotiate of confusion about the whole matter of composeing “recommendation letters”. Many folks have no thought of the disputes and/or similarities one of the several types of tribute letters: good word letters, letters of recommendation, reference letters, letters of reference, commendation letters, performance rating letters, credit letters, etc.

So, BEFORE you go any further, kindly let me briefly clearup a couple of points on this whole good word letter and/or reference letter matter so that you do not go charging down the wrong route unnecessarily, & finish up with the wrong data about how to compose the wrong type of letter for your situation.

It so happens that there IS a lot of confusion about the disputes & similarities between letters of good word letters & letters of reference. For instance; which is which, & why? How are they different? In what styles are they similar?

It’s disorienting plenty for the median person who only has to compose one of these letters every once in a while. However, when you appear into it in-depth as I have, & understand that numerous of the alleged “experts” do not even recognize the disputes between a good word letter & a reference letter, the general say of confusion is really understandable.

ClARIFYING THE CONFUSION

Since I published my premier script on this subject, I have been seeing the whole matter cautiously & have conducted supplemental research, heading me to terminate the following:

Many folks & institutions use the expression “recommendation letter” to mean BOTH letters of good word AND letters of reference (about 2/3).

Many folks & institutions use the expression “reference letter” to mean BOTH letters of reference AND letters of good word (about 1/3).

Both groupings are talking about essentially the same type of letter in their minds & they do not appear to understand that there are significant distinctions between the two.

Thus, those who use the expression “recommendation letter” ALWAYS use that term. Those who use the expression “reference letter” ALWAYS use that term.

… & “never the twain shall meet”, as the telling goes.

The truth is that there are TWO major categories of such letters: Letters of Recommendation & Letters of Reference. Within every of these categories autumn a count of another types of letters, differentiated principally by the classification of addressee, the layer of item covered, & the unique purpose of the letter.

Below is how I have characterized & differentiated them in my favorite script on this matter Instant Recommendation Letter Kit – How To Write Winning Letters of Recommendation.

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION – DEFINITION
A “letter of recommendation” is one that is specifically requested about someone, & thus is all of the time specifically addressed to a fastidious requestor. Generally speaking, letters of good word are generally employment-related, or university program admittance and/or scholarship related.

Typical letters of good word are:

Employment-related good word letter
College admittance good word letter
Commendation or credit letter
Performance rating letter

LETTERS OF REFERENCE – DEFINITION
A “letter of reference” is generally more general in temper & is not generally addressed to a unique requestor. Typically, “letters of reference” are addressed as; “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear Sir/Madam”.

Typical letters of reference are:

Character assessment reference letter
College-related general reference letter
Employment-related general reference letter
General reference letters

Note of Caution:
It appears that somehow over the years, the course between the 2 types of letters has become blurred & numerous folks & institutions today use the 2 terms interchangeably. As distant as those organizations are concerned, both letters are precisely the same thing.

Accordingly, kindly note that numerous colleges & universities, as well as numerous companies & institutions, use the terms “recommendation letter” and/or “letter of recommendation” when referring to precisely the same thing as what numerous else colleges, universities, companies & institutions call “reference letters” and/or “letters of reference”.

So, when transaction with these types of organizations or institutions, MAKE SURE that you use whichever expression they use, in the same path that they use it. DON’T attempt to convert them to your terminology. That will just deceive stuff & you will pay the price.

Related posts:

  1. 7 Tips For Writing Thank You Letters With Class
  2. 5 Must Have Questions In A Sales Letter – Must
  3. Writing The Knockout Query Letter: How To Catch A Book
  4. Building A Rock Solid Query Letter
  5. Writing The Perfect Sales Letter