Reference Request Rejection Letter Samples

Reference Request Rejection Letter SamplesReference Request Rejection Letter SamplesHave you recently been asked to write areference letterfor a colleague or acquaintance? For various reasons, you might need to decline. The challenge then is to do so with thought and tact. The first thing to understand is that there are all sorts of very good reasons for declining to write a reference. Its possible that you dont know the person well enough towrite a detailed letter. You may have had experiences with the person that leads you to believe that the position they are seeking would not be a good fit. You might not know enough about the position to be able to offer a strong endorsement for the candidate. It may be that you just dont have the time to spend writing a well-thought-out reference. Whatever your reason, if you cant write a positive reference that will help your contact make a good impression on the hiring manager, its best if you say no. Some Tips for Declining a Reference Req uest Dont wait.When you need to decline a request for a recommendation, try to do so as promptly as possible. It might be tempting to put it off no one likes having to let someone down. But delaying is crueler than responding promptly, even if they dont like what you have to say. You should give the person as much time as possible toline up alternative referencesif you cant provide one.Be gracious.Its better to decline the request than to write a lukewarm endorsement, but that doesnt mean that you have to be rude or overly critical in your response. Its perfectly reasonable for them to ask you to write a reference its perfectly reasonable for you to refuse. Theres no need to make the interaction mora negative than it needs to be. Besides, most industries are a small world. You never know when you might run into them again someday at a future job. Be positive.If you can, include some positive feedback. Offer to help in another way perhaps you can offer somejob search advice for the ir target industry, or recommend a mutual acquaintance who would be a more appropriate person to endorse them.Keep it short.The message you need to convey is short for a given reason, youll be unable to give a reference and the letter should be, as well. A few paragraphs are more than enough to convey what you need to say.Review sample letters for declining a reference request,but be sure to customize your letter for the situation. Letter Samples for aReference Request Rejection Example 1 Elizabeth Waters2022 Commerce Street, Ste. 3Oceanside, MA 02190555-765-4321ewatersemail.comOctober 12, 2020Joe Smith37 Chestnut Street, Apartment BBirmingham, MA 02192Dear Mr. Smith,I am glad to hear you are interested in a job in the publishing industry. I do not feel that I worked with you long enough to write you an accurate reference letter for your job search.However, if you have any questions about job searching in the publishing industry, I would be happy to answer them.Sincerely,Eliz abeth Waters(signature - hard copy letter)Elizabeth Waters(printed) ExpandExample 2 Daniel Bruno34 Oak StreetOcean View, NY 11732555-123-4567medanielbruno.comJuly 8, 2021Terry Johnson12 Main Street, Apt. 3Ocean View, NY 11732Dear Ms. Johnson,I am pleased to hear that you are applying for a sales position with XYZ Company. Unfortunately, since I havent had the opportunity to observe your work in this field, I would be unable to offer the strength of endorsement that one of your closer colleagues could.Best of luck in your new endeavor.Sincerely,Daniel Bruno(signature - hard copy)Daniel Bruno(printed) ExpandExample 3 Nancy Wallis15 Coastal AveLos Angeles, California 90001555-987-6543nancy.wallisemail.comFebruary 3, 2019Joe Black34 Sunny WayLos Angeles, California 90001Dear Mr. Black,I received your request for a letter of recommendation. I believe that you would be better served to utilize a reference who is more familiar with your coursework in a field related to the IT position at A BC Systems than I am.I am happy to supply a general character reference, but I would not be able to speak directly to your qualifications for this position.Regards,Nancy Wallis(signature - hard copy letter)Nancy Wallis(printed) Expand