So, youre the chosen one, youve beenasked to write the coveted letter of recommendationfor a friend, student or colleague. But where do you start? How fine is the line between truth and fiction? How long does the reference letter need to be? Breath, we know this responsibility can be heavy; this could be the make or break between this person getting the job. So before you dive straight into the deep end and start waffling on in your letter, its important to prepare in order to write an effective and sincere letter of recommendation.What is a reference letter?A reference letter (also known as a letter of recommendation) is written to testify to someones skills, experience and qualities. You may be asked to write a professional reference letter for your colleague or employee or a personal reference letter for a friend to attest to their good nature and personal attributes.Its important that the tone of your letter maintains a certain level of professionalism. Writing that your colleague is the life of the Christmas party and always the last one to leave Friday night drinks probably isnt the most appropriate.Senior recruitment consultant at Randstads HR Partners Carla Wilkinson says thatemployer references are “really important”when it comes to landing a job. “Theres a lot of weight thats given to them references. Particularly when its coming close to offering a candidate a role,” she said.How long does a reference letter have to be?Theres a fine line between having a letter thats too brief (you dont want to insinuate that you dont have enough to discuss about the candidate or you cant be bothered adding any more), and a letter that is too long (if you waffle on it can seem over exaggerated and sorry to say, boring).So, whats the magic number of characters thatll keep your letter concise, engaging, sincere and do the candidate justice? Wed suggest or even strongly encourage you to keep the letter to one page and at around three to four paragraphs. This should be enough space for you to highlight that you like and know the person youre writing about well; you trust and can attest to their skills and capabilities, and youll be happy to recommend them.Before you start This is a positive letter, so before agreeing to write a reference letter make sure you are in the right headspace and you have enough confidence in the person asking you. If you feel you do not know them well enough or dont think they added much value to the business then itll be best to say no. Youll see as we go on that if you try to fake it then youre just creating a harder task for yourself. Ask to see a copy of the persons resume (even if you have known them for a while), there might be an achievement or accreditation on there that youre not aware of and can help you when composing your letter. Get as much information as you can about whom the letter is for and the intention of the letterFormatting your reference letter for a co-workerGreeting:If you have the name of the employer/hiring manager then be sure to address them personally, otherwise, if you are writing a general letter of reference than a simple, “To whom it may concern”, will suffice.Note: If youre writing your letter as an email, be sure to include the full name of your reference in your subject letter. Eg:Reference for Rebecca Brown. If you are typing your letter then be sure to include the date above your greeting.Section 1:Here you want to introduce yourself and how long youve known the candidate; get in a positive affirmation about your co-worker and acknowledge the role theyre applying for.“Im pleased to recommend Bianca Jones for the position of Senior Interior Designer at Alphabet Studios. As the Head Designer and Owner of 123 Design Studios Ive supervised and mentored Bianca for the last two years and have worked closely with her on several large projects, building our relationship on both a professional and personal level.”Section 2:Were past the intro and now you can go into detail and give a bit more specific information on the person youre recommending. In these middle paragraphs highlight their skills, qualities, what they can contribute and if relevant, a specific example. Try and make what you write as closely related to the role as possible. If they are applying for an assistant role, highlight their high-level of organisation, or for a manager role, discuss their good communication and leadership skills.“Never one to shy away from hard work or putting her hand up for a project, Bianca will no doubt succeed in her next role and will be determined to make her mark. Since starting with the company in early 2017, she has been a great team player and integral part of our small interior design business. On all briefs (big and small) she has delivered and exceeded client expectations, all while remaining cheerful, optimistic and professional. As a senior interior designer, Bianca has gr