Sample positive reference from a previous place of work. How to write a job description

The request to prepare a reference for an employee is most often addressed to HR department specialists:

• by the employee himself;
• government agencies;
• head of the organization.

In the first and second cases, a ready-made reference from the place of work is needed to present it to some authorities outside the organization in which the employee works (for example, to the guardianship and trusteeship authorities; or to the educational institution in which he studies on the job ; or to a new place of work; or to court). Thus, the characteristic is required by an external customer.

In the third case, certain internal organizational procedures related to the evaluation of the employee are being prepared, and the document will be used within the institution. His customer is internal.

HR specialists are not required to write a character reference themselves, because they cannot know the business qualities of each employee, but they must organize the preparation of such a document: contact their immediate superior, assist him in writing and completing the document.

The content will depend on the purpose of creating the characteristic. Therefore, we will consider various options that are often encountered in practice.

Examples of positive and negative characteristics

To begin with, let's give an example of a positive testimonial from a place of work. This is the most common option, which lists a person’s strengths and positive professional qualities.

Semyon Ivanovich Nikiforov is a high-profile specialist who has been working at Electrosystems LLC for 15 years. His total work experience is 22 years. During his work at Electrosystems LLC, he established himself as a responsible, qualified employee. Semyon Ivanovich competently, quickly and effectively solves the tasks assigned to him. The electrical systems installation projects entrusted to him were completed with high quality and in a short time. The main positive qualities of Semyon Ivanovich are his responsibility and perseverance in achieving his goals. It is also impossible not to note his ability to competently explain the task to other specialists. Nikiforov Semyon Ivanovich was twice awarded gratitude from the management of Electrosystems LLC.

Now let's give an example of a negative characteristic:

Ivan Ilyich Mitrofanov worked at Electrosystems LLC as a mechanic for 1 year and 3 months. During this time he did not show high professionalism. Despite some positive qualities, Ivan Ilyich is characterized as a poorly disciplined worker. Lack of discipline manifested itself in non-compliance with work deadlines and regular lateness. Ivan Ilyich was twice subject to disciplinary sanctions.

Characteristics for promotion

Promotion can be initiated by the management of the organization. In this case, the requirements for the procedure can be flexible and determined by local regulations: Regulations on Promotion, etc. Often the package of documents for submitting an employee for promotion includes a description of the immediate supervisor.

A sample reference from the place of work for a worker who is planning to be awarded a Certificate of Merit

To choose the right words for a description, you need to think about what qualities in the company are considered the most valuable, and based on this, define the employee. The job description example presented above emphasizes performance skills. However, it is possible that your company especially welcomes:

• dedication, loyalty to the company and its leaders;
• or the ability to make decisions, take initiative;
• or a responsible attitude towards the quality and timing of work;
• or the ability to build relationships with clients...

But there is another type of encouragement - state awards of the Russian Federation. In this case, there are serious requirements for documents from the place of work (details about this can be found in Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated 09/07/2010 No. 1099 “On measures to improve the state award system of the Russian Federation”, as well as in the Letter of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation dated 04/04/2012 No. AK-3560). The Letter contains methodological recommendations regarding the preparation of award documents.

Sample characteristics for an employee to receive a state award

Characteristics when deciding the issue of collection

The employee has committed an offense, and the question of punishment arises: a reprimand or dismissal. An internal investigation may be underway. What punishment should I choose? To answer this question, all the circumstances and materials of the incident are carefully examined. If a positive reference from the place of work is taken into account, containing assessments such as:

• responsibility for the work performed;
• absence of bad habits;
• compliance with labor discipline, etc.,

then the punishment for the employee who committed the offense may be mitigated.

Sample characteristics when deciding on collection

Characteristic when increasing

In a large organization with an extensive hierarchical structure, or in state and municipal bodies, many internal procedures are strictly formalized. For example, there is . The set of documents for each participant in such a reserve includes characteristics. They focus on the employee qualities necessary for a candidate for a leadership position: competence, strong-willed, organizational skills, intelligence and authority.

Sample characteristics for promotion

Characteristics during certification

The Labor Code does not regulate the procedure in the organization. However, if such a procedure is planned, it is necessary to draw up a local regulatory act - the Regulations on Certification, having it approved by order. The Regulations must contain a list of documents provided to the certification commission, including characteristics of the employee being certified.

The specification should include:

• information about education, advanced training, position, work experience;
• assessment of work results and implementation of significant projects;
• information about the presence or absence of penalties or incentives.

Sample characteristics for certification

Use in your work the sample characteristics for an employee from the place of work from the previous section as a template, substituting your own definitions.

This document:

• drawn up on the organization’s letterhead;
• includes the employee’s personal data (full name, year of birth, marital status, length of service, position, education, etc.);
• contains a detailed description of business and personal qualities;
• ends with a phrase explaining the purpose of drawing up the document (most often “for presentation to court” or “for presentation at the place of demand”);
• signed by the head of the enterprise;
• certified by a seal (if available).

Today, when applying for a job, you have to participate in a competition. The fight for a prestigious position is an indicator of the quality of the chosen position.

Places with a huge turnover, where they accept without any questions, should in themselves arouse suspicion. Why does half the workforce leave there at once?

What could serve as a strong argument in favor of your candidacy? Education, work experience and personal sympathy are the three pillars on which the success of the event rests.

To withstand competition, these qualities are sometimes not enough. Many employers look at an employee from a different angle: education today does not guarantee skills and knowledge.

Corruption has reached this area as well. Each enterprise has its own experience.

All that remains is to evoke personal sympathy. But a professional employee making a decision about the appointment of personnel will not be guided by personal sympathy.

Many bosses are of the opinion: “Let him at least be a maniac, as long as he knows how to sell our product.”

There remains one small but significant document: a letter of reference from a previous place of work.

A small document, which is not required everywhere today, will become a powerful argument in favor of your candidacy.

An employee cannot falsify a document, because all they have to do is dial a number and call their previous place of work.

A couple of minutes of personal conversation with your boss will help determine whether the document is genuine. Fake - instant failure.

It would be great to have a unified registration system for all organizations and able-bodied people, similar to a social network, where each employee would have characteristics in accordance with their abilities.

But bosses would not rush to write about the slightest miscalculation, since employees could write a response review, which would affect the number of people willing to work in the organization.

An honest and open characteristics site for workers and managers.

For now we can limit ourselves to writing. Remember one golden rule: when leaving a job, ask your boss to write a reference for you.

Just don’t do this if you’ve had conflicts; you don’t need negative feedback about your ability to work and communicate.

Sample document:

This profile is suitable for any organization; it contains complete data about the employee.

You may notice the repetition of the phrase: “He doesn’t smoke and doesn’t drink.” It's too much. Service information is also optional.

A few words about drawing up characteristics - criteria:

• The document does not have a uniform form; it is drawn up on the basis of the data that the employer wishes to disclose.
• It is important to indicate in the document what is not reflected in official documents. These are the personal qualities of the employee, his labor exploits.
• You can enter information about your merits and ability to cope with difficult situations.
• There is no need to over-praise; the “brilliant characteristics” seem dubious.
• There is no need to include negative traits in the description, since each person has his own shortcomings, and the goal is to show the employee’s strengths and help the person.
• If, for the sake of honesty, you want to mention the negative aspects, do it in a friendly manner: call a bore a pedant, a bully - an energetic and enterprising person.
• Provide basic information: name, length of service at your company, date. A seal is a must; without it, your document is Filka’s letter.

Here is another sample characteristic:

How to write for an internship student

Interns are another niche. Young people taking their first steps towards their life’s work.

For them, the first characteristic is an important leaf that will open doors to the future or make them doubt the correctness of their choice.

Important! Dear employers, if you have accumulated many complaints about the quality of work and behavior of an intern, express this to him personally.

Students come to internships precisely to hear criticism.

Don’t be afraid to express all your complaints, but in a gentle form, so that overly sensitive individuals do not change their minds about going in the chosen direction.

Observe how a person reacts to criticism, how he follows instructions, and corrects mistakes. Try to make the description rosy, do not forget to describe all the advantages.

Write down little things, this information will be useful to you when writing characteristics.

Keep a notebook where each employee has their own sheet. Write there everything you notice about the person. This way you will create the most accurate document.

Example characteristics for an intern:

Examples of good characteristics

Let's try to write a good description for an employee.

Step-by-step instructions for managers:

1. Name of organization, full data.
2. Document name: characteristics.
3. Employee data.
4. Start with how long the employee has worked.
5. Describe how you handled your job.
6. Please note that there were no complaints.
7. Describe how you interacted with others.
8. Add a personal opinion about character: after all, the document was created to give a description of a person’s character, on which other qualities depend.
9. Write about your achievements.
10. Complete the document with a signature and seal.

What words of praise to use to more accurately express your approval of the employee’s performance:

• Skillful hands.
• Without bad habbits.
• Conscientious.
• Honest.
• Communicative.
• Trouble-free.
• Enterprising.
• With a creative streak.
• Stress-resistant.
• Hardy.
• With a wonderful sense of humor, good-natured.
• Polite.
• Hardworking.

Example of a good characteristic:

This characteristic will help the employee in the future, when applying for a job, and will be an excellent help in the resume.

This is also proof that the boss approves and appreciates his qualities, which is important to the person and pleasant on a personal level. We all need approval.

Even behind the wall of professional relationships, everyone is first and foremost a person, and then a salesperson, lawyer or manager.

Useful video

To assess the business and personal qualities of an employee, a characteristic from the place of work is used. This document also provides information about his official activities. Characteristics may be required when moving from one department to another or when changing jobs; as a rule, it can be requested either by large organizations or government agencies; in a small company, most likely they will not even remember about such a document.

The types of characteristics for an employee, depending on the purpose of application, may be the following:

1. External– can be drawn up at the request of a third-party organization or the employee himself to present this document at the place of request, for example, they can be used for military service in a military registration and enlistment office, in a municipal organization to make a decision on the admission of an employee, if they want to apply various measures to the employee rewards or punishments, etc.
2. Internal– they are used for the internal needs of the organization, for example, to impose incentives and disciplinary sanctions on an employee, when transferring between departments to provide complete information to the manager about his future subordinate

In these cases, the document is drawn up according to the general rules, however, there are other types of characteristics, for example, or, which are necessary in the event of an administrative penalty or criminal case being initiated against a citizen. They can play a key role when the court makes a decision, so when writing them, special attention is paid so as not to harm the person. A production characteristic can also be applied to an employee.

Sample description from place of work

To write the document, it is used in A4 format and is drawn up, as a rule, by the immediate supervisor of the characterizing employee or the human resources department. The document is signed either by an authorized person or by the director of the organization.

The structure of the document should contain the following points:

• Heading, it is necessary to indicate the details of the enterprise, as well as the date of preparation of this document, after which the word “CHARACTERISTICS” is written in the center of the sheet below, followed by a descriptive part.
• Employee profile information– this section is the first paragraph of the document, it contains information about in whose name the reference is issued, indicating his full name, patronymic and surname, his date of birth and information about his education.
• Assessment of work activity– this paragraph indicates information about the date of employment of the employee in the organization, the history of his career ladder, if any, indicates the most significant results of his work activity that he achieved in his workplace and the contribution that he made to economic development.
• Characteristics of various employee qualities, this can indicate business, personal, psychological qualities, professional competence, level of performance, leadership qualities, etc., as well as information about penalties or incentives:
  • Personal qualities are expressed in the level of general culture and education, his ability to conduct relationships in a team.
  • At assessment of professional level of training work experience, ability for self-education, general erudition, professional knowledge, knowledge of the legal framework and regulations, etc. are taken.
  • Performance level is determined by his activity in the course of performing the tasks assigned to him, the timing of their completion and quality, the ability to make effective decisions, behavior in difficult, non-standard and stressful situations, the ability to bear responsibility for making decisions, etc.
  • Assessment of business qualities occurs based on his ability to maintain business relationships with partners and colleagues, his analytical skills, the ability to plan his work, as well as the ability to manage a team, setting tasks and monitoring their implementation, and so on.
• Conclusion of the document is written for external characteristics, in this paragraph the purpose for which it was compiled is written, for example, “given for presentation to the military registration and enlistment office” or “at the place of requirement,” etc.

A lot can depend on how correctly, completely and reliably the document is drawn up, both on making a positive decision about hiring a citizen for a new job, and on his career ladder in a new place. You should not describe only the positive aspects, but omitting the negative ones, it is better to show the real situation without adding things that do not exist.

2018-08-23T17:10:39+00:00

Characteristics from the place of work, a sample is presented in the article. How to correctly write a character reference for an employee. Is an employer required to issue a reference for an employee? Characteristics to the police or court. What to do if the employee does not agree with the description?

Employees often turn to the HR department for letters of recommendation. They may be needed for court, for creditors, or when applying for a new position. In this article we will look at a sample characteristic for an employee from the place of work and give some tips on how to write it correctly.

Positive reference from the place of work: is the employer obliged to issue it?

Characteristics are a document in which the employer assesses the personal and professional qualities of the employee. Some may consider that such paper is a relic of the past, but if the HR department or the management of the organization has received a written request for its provision, the employee cannot be refused. Taking into account Art. 62 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, a completed reference from the place of work is given within three working days from the date of application. This rule applies not only to those subordinates who are currently registered with the company, but also to those with whom the employment relationship has already been terminated (see, for example, the Determination of the Moscow City Court dated 09/08/2011 in case No. 33-28750).

Here is just a small list of situations when it may be asked:

• when applying for a new position;
• when applying for a loan; when contacting the guardianship authorities;
• for submission to an educational institution;
• when being awarded a prize or state award;
• for the court.

In some cases, a personnel specialist may ask to prepare a document for an employee of his immediate superior, having previously given him a sample of how to write a reference for an employee. This is acceptable and even correct, especially if a new person works in the HR department who is unfamiliar with all the employees, or the team is so large that it is difficult for the HR officer to evaluate the qualities of a particular person.

Please note that the employer is not required to agree on the text of the specification with the employee who needs it. But if he does not agree with the content, he can challenge the document in civil law.

How to write a job description

When drawing up, you should adhere to generally accepted rules, although there is no clearly established form. The job description must contain the following information:

• Information about the citizen who requires a reference: full name, date and place of birth, military service, marital status, education, awards, etc.;
• Information about the person’s work activity. This item contains the following information: when the employee started working, when he left (if he no longer works at the company), what career heights he managed to achieve within the company providing the reference. You should also focus on the employee’s professional skills, advanced training or training (if he was sent to courses), and work achievements. In the characteristics of the employee, it should be noted that the employee has all sorts of merits - gratitude, encouragement. We should not forget about disciplinary sanctions, if there were any during his work;
• The employee’s personality profile is, in fact, the most significant and important section of the document. Information that reveals the personal qualities of a person is indicated here.

If the character being characterized is a performer, it is necessary to display his initiative, willingness to carry out instructions from superiors, desire to achieve high results, and responsibility. It is also necessary to reveal his communication qualities: relationships in the work team with employees, whether his colleagues respect him, whether he has earned a certain authority. If relationships “within” the team do not work out, and the reason is the difficult character of the employee or other personality traits, then this is also reflected in the characteristics.

Various government agencies and non-governmental organizations often require references from the place of work. For example, when applying for a new job or part-time job, in court in civil, labor, criminal cases, as part of administrative proceedings or consideration of a protocol on an administrative offense.

Strictly speaking, compiling a job description is the task of the HR department. But most often, such a document is drawn up by the employee himself, and is signed by the immediate supervisor and the main employer (chief manager). We will tell you how to draw up such a document yourself, what to include in its content, and also post an example of a description from your place of work so that you can use it as a sample.

If the employee held a leadership position, you need to indicate such qualities as demandingness towards subordinates and yourself personally, willingness to make difficult decisions, organizational skills, initiative, desire to achieve high performance, etc.

At many enterprises, internal rules provide for the provision of characteristics to employees on forms with the details of the organization. If such a form is not available, then the company details must still be present in the description, and if the document was requested by an official request, it is necessary to indicate exactly where it is provided.

Sample characteristics from a place of work for a worker: what to write about

The main requirement for a document, of course, is objectivity. However, the content may vary depending on who it is being prepared for. If an employee intends to go to the guardianship authorities for the purpose of adoption, it is better to focus on his personal qualities, for example, mention goodwill, caring, good manners. If a worker is planning to advance up the career ladder or needs to find a job in a new place, such epithets as “executive”, “initiative”, “responsible” will come in handy. The court needs details about how honest a person is, how he approaches his responsibilities, and what kind of relationships he has with his colleagues.

HR specialists also need to know that if a testimonial is being prepared in connection with awarding an employee at the state level, they must follow the recommendations from P=77528; T=Letter of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation dated 04.04.2012 No. AK-3560. It states, in particular, that the information should help evaluate the contribution of the awardee, and it is important to mention the qualifications, personal qualities, merits of the employee, and an assessment of the effectiveness of his activities. It is expressly prohibited to list job functions, track records, or describe the life path of a specialist.

Characteristic writing structure:

1. The title indicates the full details of the organization, the date the characteristics were written, and the title of the document CHARACTERISTICS in the center.

2. The first paragraph of the document contains personal information about the employee: (full full name), date of birth, education received (which educational institutions, where and when he graduated).

3. The next section provides a description of the employee’s work activity in this organization, from which the document is provided: the date of employment of the employee in the organization, brief information about his career growth, indicating the positions held by the employee in this organization and the duties he performs. You can indicate a list of the most significant results that he achieved.

4. The characteristics must include an assessment of the employee’s various qualities - personal, business and psychological; the level of his performance and professional competence, and must also contain information about incentives, awards or penalties. For example:

Download samples of characteristics from the place of work for free:

Which bodies and institutions may be needed?

Characteristics from the place of work can be provided in next authorities:

1. In an organization where an individual plans to find a job.
2. To law enforcement agencies if the employee has committed an offense falling under the Criminal Code.
3. In court, when representatives of the court need to prove that a participant in the process has positive qualities and can be given a chance to reform.
4. To the consulate when an individual needs to obtain a visa.
5. To the military registration and enlistment office.
6. To a financial institution, if an individual plans to receive a large loan.
7. To the drug treatment clinic.

To court from last place of work

Various situations arise when people need to participate in legal proceedings. In these cases, you are required to provide a reference from your last place of work. Much determines the type of process - criminal or civil. Each has its own nuances in describing an employee, emphasizing certain qualities. The civil trial will consider the fulfillment of job duties, promising career advancement, and job stability. When adopting, it is advisable for the plaintiff or defendant to provide a document that describes the positive qualities and financial security.

The structure of the characterization to the court is presented in the following sections:

• date and place of compilation;
• Full name, position, date of birth;
• herd of work from the last place of work;
• marital status and family composition;
• education, courses, skills;
• details and name of the company;
• description of the type of activity in which the employee is engaged;
• Military service; achievements, promotions, awards.

The reference is certified by the manager or head of the HR department. Important formulations are solvency and salary level, level of professionalism, business potential, relationships with colleagues and responsibility.

Characteristics to the police or court

When drawing up a positive reference for a court or law enforcement agency, the official must note all outstanding employee achievements. Emphasis should also be placed on his personal qualities, respect for the work team, etc.

The employee profile is the most important document that gives an idea of ​​the suitability of a person’s personal and professional qualities for the position held. It also shows his labor potential, desire for growth in the service and allows him to make a decision on possible reward or punishment.

Typical characteristics for an employee: structure

Any document has its own structure, which helps to present information as logically and completely as possible. The employee profile includes the following necessary information:

• information about education, positions held and their terms;
• description of qualifications and characteristics of work activity;
• information about rewards, achievements and penalties in the workplace;
• psychological traits, the nature of communication with colleagues and other business qualities;
• the purpose and place for which the characteristics are compiled.

Personal data

The personal information included in the employee profile includes not only his personal data. This also includes date of birth, marital status, children, physiological characteristics (presence of contraindications, for example), social living conditions of the employee and his family (for example, the presence of disabled close relatives, if this matters for the place where the characteristics are being compiled). Depending on where the document is submitted, the description may contain information about other areas of a person’s life. This may be the presence or absence of a criminal record, bad habits, etc.

Employee qualification

An employee profile is, first of all, a description of a person’s business qualities and professionalism. Therefore, qualification occupies one of the main places in the document. Here you should describe:

• education, its levels, retraining, advanced training courses with dates;
• main stages of labor activity (places and positions held);
• functions and tasks that are solved at this place of work;
• the degree of fulfillment of the requirements for the employee;
• self-education and ways to independently improve your professional level.

Merits, achievements, punishments

All the rewards and penalties that were imposed speak for themselves about the success of a person’s work activity. Therefore, the characteristics must indicate:

• certificates of various levels with nominations;
• extraordinary individual awards and related merits;
• qualitative or quantitative changes in the workplace that are the merit of a person;
• implementing your own innovative ideas at work;
• disciplinary and other labor sanctions.

Psychological picture

The psychological traits of an employee largely influence his labor potential. They are often the reason for promotions. Here it is important to describe exactly which features contribute to or hinder successful work activity. These include:

• determination;
• poise and pedantry;
• ability to work in a team and/or be a leader;
• communication skills;
• analytic skills;
• ability to plan and manage time;
• value orientations;
• strength and mobility of nervous activity;
• self-confidence, the ability to stand your ground, to convince.

Sample characteristics for an employee

Petrova Maria Petrovna, born in 1989, has been an employee of the Mystery cafe since 2012.

Maria has a higher education with a degree in marketing: in 2013 she graduated from... (name of educational institution). In 2012, she began her professional career in a cafe as a waiter. From 2013 to 2015 she worked in this establishment as a bartender. Maria’s main responsibilities included servicing cafe customers according to requirements, taking orders, advising on dishes on the menu and cafe promotions, paying customers, and maintaining cleanliness in the room.

During her time working in these positions, Petrova Maria showed herself to be a hardworking, attentive, and principled employee. She is able to quickly learn and apply knowledge in non-standard situations in practical activities. For successful and responsible work, Maria was promoted to administrator.

At this workplace, the employee performed the following functions: organizing and monitoring the work of staff, labor discipline of subordinates, organizing the work of the recreation room, consulting clients and resolving conflict situations. In her position, Maria was able to demonstrate her leadership potential, good organizational skills, ability to plan and meticulously monitor the quality of work of her colleagues. She is responsible for the development of a system for more efficient organization of staff working time, taking into account the requirements of labor legislation.

In dealing with her subordinates, Maria Petrovna is strict but fair. Knows how to properly motivate colleagues for effective work activities. Always friendly with clients. Knows how to establish contact with people, resolve controversial situations and maintain the image of the institution.

In 2016, Maria Petrova took 2nd place in the city competition "Effective Leader". Before this, she was repeatedly awarded prizes and certificates from the management of the cafe for her personal contribution and conscientious performance of her duties.

Maria Petrovna is actively engaged in self-education, reads the necessary literature, and attends professional development trainings. Believes that the result depends on the effort invested.

The characteristics are compiled according to the location of the requirement.