Writing a reference letter for a friend can be an intimidating process as you are actually vouching for someone on a personal level. But you can hardly say no to a friend if she asks you to write a reference letter for her unless of course you have a very strong reason not to write one! In the event that you do need to write a personal reference letter, the first thing you need to do is ask your friend what she needs it for and then attempt to customize it as much as possible.
Your friend may ask you to write a personal reference letter for a number of reasons; a company may have asked for one or a landlord may require one. In either case, you are putting your reputation and credibility on the line so you must write an honest one.
A personal reference letter actually acts as a type of character certificate so it must be a positive one. You will need to provide details of how you know the person you are writing the reference letter for and any relevant information regarding the reason why the reference letter is being written. Following is a sample personal reference letter written for a friend that you can use:
Sample Personal Reference Letter for a Friend
December 8, 2014
To Whom It May Concern
I know Sarah Wellington in a personal capacity for ten years. She is a close friend of mine but our family has considered her as more than just a friend. She possess strong moral values and is very dependable; a quality that you don’t see much nowadays.
Calling Sarah helpful and conscientious does not do justice for her; on a number of occasions, I have asked her to babysit my infant daughter Jane and she has never said no. On three occasions, she has found herself in situations (with Jane) that should have been beyond the control of a 22 year old but she handled it with prowess and presented them as “nothing much”.
In early 2012, Sarah stayed as a paying guest at my house for three months until she could find proper accommodation and I must say that when it was time for her to leave, we wished she wouldn’t. She helped tremendously around the house, assisted me in cleaning the whole house and even stood guard when we were away on a holiday to Miami.
I strongly believe that Sarah will be a credit to any place to which she applies for accommodation. I vouch for her dependability and ethics; if you need any further information regarding Sarah, please call me at (333) 333-3333.
Regards,
Rosaline Page
22 New Street
San Diego, CA 54110
(333) 333-3333