{"id":9299,"date":"2025-11-28T10:06:05","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T10:06:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/character-reference-letter-examples\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T10:06:05","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T10:06:05","slug":"character-reference-letter-examples","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/character-reference-letter-examples\/","title":{"rendered":"Character Reference Letter Examples"},"content":{"rendered":"

Oh man, I remember the first time someone asked me to write a character reference letter. It was for my neighbor\u2019s kid who\u2019d applied to be a summer camp counselor \u2014 and I froze. My brain went totally blank, like when you forget your Starbucks order mid-sentence. I ended up writing something stiff and generic that sounded like a robot quoting Webster\u2019s Dictionary: \u201dTo whom it may concern\u2026 [insert name] is punctual and responsible.\u201d<\/em> Cringe.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what I\u2019ve learned since then (the hard way):<\/strong><\/p>\n

A few years back, my cousin needed a character reference for a teaching job. This time, I sat down with her over Dunkin\u2019 coffee and just asked, \u201cTell me about a time you messed up at work and how you fixed it.\u201d<\/em> Turns out, she\u2019d once calmed a parent meltdown during a PTA fundraiser by staying two hours late to reorganize donation spreadsheets. THAT story became the heart of the letter. She got the job \u2014 and her principal later said the fundraiser anecdote \u201cmade her real, not just resume bullets.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rookie mistake most of us make:<\/strong>
\nWe treat character references like Yelp reviews (\u201d5 stars, would recommend!\u201d<\/em>). But hiring committees and judges (I\u2019ve written letters for both) aren\u2019t looking for cheerleaders. They want proof<\/em> wrapped in a story.<\/p>\n

My tested formula:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    Start with a hook they\u2019ll remember<\/strong>
    \nInstead of \u201cI\u2019ve known Sarah for 5 years,\u201d<\/em> try \u201cSarah\u2019s the kind of person who\u2019ll drive through a snowstorm to return your Crockpot \u2014 and apologize for being 10 minutes late.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    Pick 1-2 SPECIFIC examples<\/strong>
    \nLast year, I wrote a letter for our Little League coach who was applying to mentor foster teens. I didn\u2019t just say he\u2019s \u201cpatient.\u201d I described how he handled the season when 8-year-old Tyler kept missing catches: \u201dEvery Tuesday, Coach stayed 30 minutes after practice throwing pop flies until Tyler\u2019s mitt finally went thwack<\/em> \u2014 and the whole team erupted like we\u2019d won the World Series.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    Show growth, not perfection<\/strong>
    \nMy friend\u2019s parole letter for his brother included this line: \u201dWhen Jamie relapsed in 2020, he called me at 2 AM instead of lying. That raw honesty \u2014 even when it\u2019s hard \u2014 is how I know he\u2019s ready.\u201d<\/em> Brutal? Maybe. But the judge said it was the most convincing part.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The awkward thing nobody warns you about:<\/strong>
    \nSometimes you HAVE to say no. Like when my college roommate asked me to vouch for his \u201cleadership skills\u201d\u2026 but he\u2019d ghosted our group project senior year (Ricky, if you\u2019re reading this \u2014 still salty about that B-). I told him, \u201cI\u2019ll write the truth, but let\u2019s find someone who\u2019s seen you crush it at work.\u201d<\/em> It stung in the moment, but he thanked me later.<\/p>\n

    Template? Sure \u2014 but make it yours:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n

    [First line that sounds like YOU]<\/em>
    \n[2-3 vivid examples \u2014 think \u201ccamera moments\u201d]<\/em>
    \n[Why this person\u2019s flaws don\u2019t scare you]<\/em>
    \n[Contact info + \u201cCall me anytime\u201d if you mean it]<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    I keep a Google Doc of bullet points for people I\u2019d recommend in a heartbeat \u2014 stuff like \u201dNatalie coordinated the neighborhood BBQ after the 2023 flood\u201d<\/em> or \u201dJose fixed my iPad without making me feel tech-dumb.\u201d<\/em> Life\u2019s too short to start from scratch every time.<\/p>\n

    Final tip:<\/strong> If you\u2019re stuck, imagine you\u2019re telling a friend about this person at a backyard cookout. Would you say \u201cThey demonstrate exceptional integrity\u201d<\/em> or \u201cRemember when they tracked down Mrs. Wilson\u2019s stolen Costco gnome? That\u2019s them.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

    You\u2019ve got this. And hey \u2014 if your first draft feels awkward, that\u2019s normal. Mine looked like a Hallmark card written by an IRS agent until I figured out the secret: Write like a human, not a thesaurus.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    (Coffee emoji)
    \n\u2014 Jen, mom of two, DIY disaster survivor, and reluctant reference letter pro after helping 17+ people nail job apps, custody cases, and even a firefighter exam<\/em><\/p>\n

    P.S.<\/strong> Need a gut check? Read it aloud in your best \u201cformal voice.\u201d If you cringe, add a sentence about that time they did something totally them<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Oh man, I remember the first time someone asked me to write a character reference letter. It was for my neighbor\u2019s kid who\u2019d applied to be a summer camp counselor \u2014 and I froze. My brain went totally blank, like when you forget your Starbucks order mid-sentence. I ended up writing something stiff and generic…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1750,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-content"],"modified_by":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9299"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9299\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oreateai.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}