Four character reference examples
Each writer below knows the applicant in a different way, and each applicant has a complete CV example on this site, so you can see the reference beside the CV it supports.
From a teacher, for a first Saturday job
A teacher who knows the pupil well can vouch for what an employer cannot see on a first CV: turning up, handling money and getting on with people. Each quality comes with something the teacher has seen.
Ruth Garside
Form Tutor and Teacher of Business
Hollins Vale School, Stockport
0161 496 0732
9 October 2026
Ms Karen Whitlow
Store Manager
Pennine Garden Centre
Dear Ms Whitlow
Character reference for Amelia Hughes
I have been Amelia’s form tutor since she was in Year 9 and have taught her GCSE Business since September 2025, so I have known her for just over two years.
Amelia is reliable and careful with money. She helps run our school tuck shop at break twice a week, taking orders and payments and counting the float at the end, and the teacher in charge has never had to correct her totals. She is on time every morning and hands her coursework in before the deadline.
She is also good with people. She is often the student who makes a newcomer to our tutor group feel welcome, and as captain of her netball team she keeps the younger players going after a hard match.
I believe Amelia would make a friendly, dependable sales assistant, and she plans her week well enough to keep up with her GCSEs. Please call me at the school if you would like to know more.
Yours sincerely
Ruth Garside
Form Tutor, Hollins Vale School
From a former manager, for a part-time job
A manager from a past job can write about character as well as work. One specific moment, here the allergy caught before service, does more than a list of adjectives.
Joanna Pryce
Events Manager
Ashcombe Barn Weddings, Bristol
[email protected]
12 October 2026
Mr Sam Whitley
Manager
The Steel Bean, Sheffield
Dear Mr Whitley
Character reference for Kwame Mensah
I managed Kwame as an events waiter at Ashcombe Barn Weddings for the summers of 2025 and 2026, and I am glad to tell you what he is like to work with.
Weddings are long days with no second chances, and Kwame was someone I could rely on. He arrived on time for every shift, learned each event’s menu and the guests’ dietary needs before service, and passed them to the kitchen without mistakes. When a guest with a nut allergy was seated at the wrong table, he noticed and sorted it out quietly before the starters went out.
He is friendly and calm with guests, and the rest of the team enjoyed working with him. I would happily take him back next summer.
Kwame would bring the same care to a busy café. Please email me if you have any questions.
Yours sincerely
Joanna Pryce
Events Manager, Ashcombe Barn Weddings
From a colleague, when your employer gives only basic references
Some employers give only a job title and dates. Acas suggests asking whether a reference from someone you worked with will be accepted; a colleague who has shared your shifts can describe how you work.
Lisa Fenton
Warehouse Operative
Brightline Distribution, Milton Keynes
07700 900519
13 October 2026
Ms Helen Dyer
Operations Manager
Ouse Valley Distribution
Dear Ms Dyer
Character reference for Piotr Nowak
I have worked alongside Piotr in the goods-in team at Brightline Distribution since he joined in February 2023, usually on the same shift.
Piotr is the person the rest of us go to when something does not add up. If a delivery does not match its paperwork, he checks it line by line and reports it before it is booked in, even at the end of a long shift. He is careful on the forklift and patient when he shows new starters how to use the scanners.
He is also good to work with on a hard day: steady, cheerful and quick to help when another bay falls behind. I think he would make a fair and careful team leader.
I am happy to talk to you about him. My number is above.
Yours sincerely
Lisa Fenton
Warehouse Operative, Brightline Distribution
From someone you volunteer for, for a first care job
Acas names someone you have volunteered for as a character referee. For a care job, a coordinator who has watched you with residents speaks to exactly what the employer needs to know.
Sandra Mitchell
Activities Coordinator
Quayview Lodge Care Home, Plymouth
[email protected]
8 October 2026
To whom it may concern
Character reference for Tom Brennan
Tom Brennan has volunteered at Quayview Lodge Care Home every Sunday afternoon since spring 2025. I coordinate our volunteers and work alongside him most weeks.
Tom helps run our music and board games afternoon for up to 15 residents. He takes time to learn how each resident likes to be spoken to, and he gives people time to answer instead of finishing their sentences. Several residents ask for him by name.
He follows our procedures carefully. He completed our volunteer induction, including safeguarding and fire safety, and when a resident seemed unwell one Sunday he told the nurse in charge straight away.
I have no hesitation in recommending Tom for a care assistant post. Please contact me by email if you would like to know more.
Yours faithfully
Sandra Mitchell
Activities Coordinator, Quayview Lodge Care Home
How to write a character reference
A character reference, also called a personal reference, comes from someone who knows the applicant well.
What to put in it. Acas lists four things a character reference can include: how you know the applicant, how long you have known them, their character and personal strengths (for example communication or leadership), and their suitability for the new role (Acas, checked 14 October 2026).
- Say how you know them, and for how long. One sentence: your role, where you met and the years. It tells the employer how much weight to give the rest.
- Give two or three qualities, each with something you saw. “Reliable” means little on its own; “never missed a Saturday shift in a year” shows it. Acas says opinions in a reference should have evidence behind them.
- Link them to the job. Read the advert and say why those qualities fit it: handling money for a till job, patience for care work.
- Offer to be contacted. Give your phone number or email, then sign with your name and your role.
Keep it to one page and say only what you know to be true. References must not be misleading or include irrelevant personal information (Acas: What employers can say in a reference). Leave out health, family life and anything else the job does not need.
If you know the reader’s name, start “Dear Ms Whitlow” and end “Yours sincerely”. If you do not, “To whom it may concern” ends with “Yours faithfully”.
If you are the one asking for a reference
Ask before you give anyone’s name, and choose someone who knows you well and is not a relative, so the employer can trust what they say. Tell them the job, send your CV and the advert, and say who may contact them. A short email covers all of it.
Employers should make clear at the application stage whether they need a work or a character reference, and ask for references at the final stage, when they make a job offer (Acas: Providing a job reference). If you cannot get a reference from an employer, for example because the business has closed, Acas suggests asking whether the new employer will accept one from someone you worked with, or a character reference from someone who knows you well (Acas: If you cannot get a reference).
This page is about references for a job. A character reference for a court case is a different letter, written for the court; ask the person’s solicitor what it needs to cover.
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Updated . Reference rules from Acas, checked 14 October 2026. Every person and organisation in these letters is fictional.