How to write a character reference

The structure

Four paragraphs, one page. Longer references are not stronger references.

• Who you are, your relationship to the person, and how long you have known them.
• Two or three specific incidents that evidence the quality being assessed.
• Your plain recommendation, stated without hedging.
• Contact details and an offer to discuss further.

Specific beats glowing

'Sarah is extremely reliable and hardworking' tells a reader nothing they will believe — every reference says that.

'When our team lead was hospitalised three days before a client deadline, Sarah reorganised the workload, briefed the client herself, and delivered on the original date' is evidence. A reader can weigh it.

Character reference versus employment reference

An employment reference is factual and usually written by an employer: dates, role, and often nothing more, because many organisations restrict what they will confirm.

A character reference addresses personal qualities and is written by someone who knows the person outside a purely contractual relationship — a former colleague, coach, community leader or long-standing acquaintance. It cannot be written by a family member for most purposes.

Court character references

These have specific requirements and are read carefully by magistrates. State plainly that you are aware of the charge — a reference that appears not to know why it was requested carries no weight and can actively harm.

Address the person's character, any remorse you have genuinely observed, their circumstances and contribution to their community. Do not comment on the facts of the offence, argue the case, or suggest a sentence. Address it to 'The Presiding Magistrate' or as your jurisdiction directs, sign it, and date it.

Worked example

To whom it may concern — I have known James Okafor for six years, initially as a volunteer coordinator at Northside Community Centre where I served as chair, and subsequently as a friend. I am aware that this reference is provided in support of his application for the position of youth support worker.

James coordinated our Saturday programme for four of those years, working with young people who had often disengaged from other services. When funding was cut in 2023 and the programme faced closure, he restructured it around volunteer delivery and kept it running without a break in service — twenty-two young people continued to attend. On a separate occasion he identified a safeguarding concern that two other adults had missed, and escalated it correctly and immediately despite knowing the family involved.

I recommend him without reservation. He is reliable under pressure and, more importantly, exercises sound judgement when no one is checking. I am happy to discuss this further on [number].