You think you have great character? You’re the type of person someone should trust? Well, you may know it’s true, but there comes a time when you need someone to vouch for you in a more formal sense, and that’s where character references come in. Over the summer, I expanded the collection of letters at www.CharacterReferenceLetters.com.
Character reference letters are a lot like professional reference letters used in job-hunting, but they are intended to specifically address your personal character: honesty, dependability, and all that good stuff.
At CharacterReferenceLetters.com, you can find letter templates for all kinds of situations. They’re not just for employment, although there are plenty of those: nannies, college students, and more. There are also letters for people who wish to adopt a child, or who are facing a court sentencing hearing or other legal matter in which character is an issue. There are more than 40 sample letters to choose from.
These letters aren’t intended to be used exactly as-is, but rather you should use the text provided as a jumping-off point and customize it to suit your situation. This is easy to do, because the letters can be downloaded instantly, for free, in DOC format and edited in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and similar compatible programs.
If you’re still stuck, be sure to take a look at the articles on the site. There are tips on writing reference letters for friends, students, potential landlords, and so on. There’s a sample letter outline, too, that will help with organizing your thoughts.