A letter of recommendation is a document where the writer outlines the abilities, qualities capabilities of someone they know well. It’s purpose is to provide tangible evidence of employment attributes when attending interviews (although it does have other uses outside that of job hunting).

The great thing about having a few of these is that they form part of your portfolio so that when you do attend an interview, it does have a positive effect on the interviewers. So many job seekers don’t bother with them because they either do not see the potential or it seems too much like hard work. Therefore, if you obtain a handful of these prior to attending interviews then you will have a much better chance of being short-listed for the job.

The problem with letters of recommendation is that people seem to be too busy to put pen to paper and don’t get round to writing them for you. There is a simple way round this and write the drafts yourself.

As you progress through your career you probably have never thought about putting together such a thing as a career portfolio. You probably thing that you’re safely employed and don’t need one. If you’re lucky enough to have a secure job (at the moment) it doesn’t mean that putting together a portfolio would be a waste of time. Portfolios can make the difference in whether you get promotion within your company too. There have been many occasions where I have come across great candidates for more senior positions and they failed because they could not convince their employer of their value.