A compelling reference letter can be a decisive factor in the hiring process. The value of a strong recommendation cannot be overstated in today’s competitive job market. I’ve seen how a well-crafted ...

Confirm you’re comfortable writing it. Politely declining is perfectly OK if you don’t feel you can write a strong or meaningful recommendation. It’s better to be honest than to provide a lukewarm ...

If you’re trying to climb the career ladder then at some point you’ll need to provide a reference letter during a job application. These letters demonstrate an applicant’s skills and character, and ...

If you’re active in the workforce then you don’t operate in isolation: you’ll have undoubtedly gained advantages from colleagues, bosses and mentors in the past, and you can pay that forward for ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. As the CEO of Command Education, I write about emotionally intelligent leadership and education. Summer internships provide ...

Academic reference letters are an essential aspect of academic life. Nearly every educator will be asked to write a range of reference letters during their career. In my long experience of doing so, I ...

Johnny C. Taylor Jr. tackles your human resources questions as part of a series for USA TODAY. Taylor is president and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management, the world's largest HR ...

To land a job or get into a university, we usually need someone to vouch for us. It can be tough to ask—recommenders are typically more senior than us, they’re busy, and we don’t always know where we ...