How to Write a Character Reference (Outline)

• feel free to copy and paste this text and use it as a template
• Click here to see a sample of a good character reference. 

Character Reference Outline:

1. TITLE: The title should be the person's first and last name. 
2. AUTHOR: Next, put "From: [your name]"
1. Pick 2 or 3 character traits from the following list: http://www.characterfirst.com/aboutus/qualities/
3. PARAGRAPH 1 - INTRO: Briefly describe how you know the person, how long, and what your relationship is to that person. Give a quick summary of the character qualities you picked at the end of this paragraph. (ex. Billy Williams is bold, diligent, and alert)
4. PARAGRAPH 2 - FIRST CHARACTER QUALITY: 
1. Define the character quality (ex. Diligence is "Investing all my energy to complete the tasks assigned to me."
2. State that your person has that character quality. (ex. Billy is a very diligent person.)
3. Give specific examples of things the  person has done that show he or she has the character quality. (ex. A great example of Billy's diligence is how hard he works on the make line. I remember one time ...)
4. Finally, state the good impacts this person's character quality has on others. (ex. Billy's diligence really makes people have confidence in him. You always know that if you ask Billy to get something done, he'll do it well. 
5. PARAGRAPH 3 - SECOND CHARACTER QUALITY:  Follow the same steps as Paragraph 2.
6. PARAGRAPH 4 - THIRD CHARACTER QUALITY: Follow the same steps as Paragraph 2.
7. ADD MORE PARAGRAPHS IF NEEDED.
8. CONCLUSION
1. Re-state the Character Qualities. (ex. As you can see, Billy is a shining example of diligence, alertness, and humility. 
2. State your recommendation. (ex. I would enthusiastically recommend Billy for any job, position, or responsibility he is qualified to handle. He'll be a great addition to any team.)
3. Let people know you can be contacted to back up your reference. (ex. Feel free to contact me with any questions.)
9. CONTACT INFO
1. Closing (ex. Sincerely, [Your name])
2. Phone number
3. E-mail address