Avoiding Things in Reference Letter

The purpose of writing a letter of recommendation is to convince the reader of the candidate's abilities and his potential to excel in his work. The letter helps to prove the candidate as deserving for the position. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid mentioning any such details that will harm the candidate's repute or the prospects of gaining the position applying for. Here are certain things to hide while writing the letter of recommendation.

Weaknesses
Do not mention weaknesses in the letter of recommendation. Writing the candidate's weaknesses or incapacities within the letter contradicts the overall objective of the reference letter. If the candidate mentions one of his weaknesses as lack of leadership abilities or poor communication skills, this may discourage the reader from selecting the candidate.

Employment Gaps
Do not mention any instances where the candidate has had employment gaps. It gives the impression that the candidate failed to get a job for long durations or had to work part time in absence of opportunities. The employers consider the candidate's incompetence to be the reason for employment gaps. Hence, as the employment gaps tend to affect the candidate's career prospects negatively, one should avoid writing employments gaps within the reference letter.

Demotions
Demotions happen when employers remove candidates from their original designations and bring them on to lower levels. This happens if they find the candidate is incapable and unqualified to perform the required duties. Avoid writing demotions within the reference letter as they denote failure in one's career.

Terminations
An employee terminates a candidate from his job due to reasons like disciplinary issues, incompetence at performing work, failure in adapting to work environment etc. Having termination within one's work profile is harmful for his career as it puts forth a negative impression of the candidate. It displays a possibility that the candidate may fail at performing duties or adjusting with work culture. Hence, do not mention any termination instances within the reference letter.

Academic Failures or Gaps
Refrain from including details of any academic failures or gaps. Having the right qualifications is enough for the employee. Often employees consider practical experiences to be of greater importance. Hence, including academic failures will harm one's career prospects, so avoid mentioning them in reference letter.

Given below are some of the reasons as to why the negative aspects of one's career should not be mentioned in recommendation letters.

• Mentioning weaknesses within the reference letter puts off an employer from considering the candidate. Such candidates come across as an incompetent and irresponsible in performing duties. The employer would not opt for a weak candidate. Hence, the letter fails in its objectives.
• Adding negative points of any candidate within the reference letter adds to the letter length unnecessarily. One needs to concentrate on positive aspects of one's career only.
• Candidates cannot explain or justify their weaknesses within the letter. They cannot mention the efforts and ways put forth into coping up with the weaknesses. Hence, it becomes difficult to nullify the negative points of your profile in absence of explanations.

Consider the given things to hide while writing letter of recommendation to draft a positive and effective letter that helps you achieve your targets.