Being asked to write a reference for a colleague is an important role, and could potentially make or break your colleague’s next step on the career ladder. Here are some things you should do if you are asked to write this important part of a job application.

The first thing to do is speak to the person who is applying for the job – what sort of things will they be doing in their new role (should they get it!) – information such as this could help you to tailor your comments to suit their next role better and show them in a really good light.

Next, make sure you read the instructions carefully! Some reference requests are simple ‘tick box’ questions, others may require a fuller statement be written. Whatever you do, check that you are answering exactly what is being asked!

Finally, always, ALWAYS spell check your work. This seems like a basic tip, but it is surprising the number of people who forget to do this, and then end up sending in a piece with mistakes in. This doesn’t look good for either you or the potential employee!