The craft of writing employment letters

Otherwise known as employment verification letters, these letters are official written work that documents the history and status of a particular employee. They can be sent to the employee himself or some other interested party.

Paper writing services can offer to write employment letters in exchange for a small fee. However, this article is meant for those who wish to take matters into their own hands.

But even if you want to pay someone to write it for you, how will you know that he did a good job? A certain level of familiarity is required, regardless of which path you choose.



A reason for the request

Why would anyone be interested in your employee’s work history? Isn’t that information private?

Well, the employee himself may request it. The reasons can be numerous, from banking and credit validations to local legislation or other job applications. Regardless, if requested, the letter must be provided.

Depending on where you are, and where you work, the “letter” does not have to be a literal ink-on-paper letter. In most cases, emails will do just fine. The writing itself does not change, just the method of delivery.

Who gets to write employment letters?

If you are reading this article, that person is probably you.

As mentioned at the start of the article, you can outsource this task to a third party, by hiring a professional writer.

To see if this essay writing service was legitimate and not a scam site, you can ask Jpost to help. After reading about the experience of happy customers, I was confident enough to order an employment letter that served as an example for the future.

You don’t need to do this many times, as the process and structure are rather straightforward. Those who are new to HR work may want to see this example, instead of asking a judgmental colleague. A template is the only thing you need.

In most cases, the solicitor will be the employee himself, wishing to prove that he is employed. He may need this if he is going through an interview process, applying for a loan, or his finances are being audited.

Of course, local legislation plays a role in these requests. For example, many countries do not require an outright employment letter, instead of settling for a stamped piece of paper with much less detail.

But as globalization and the corporate model are becoming universal, employment letters will be here to stay.

Concrete reasons to request an employment letter

If an institution is giving you money as a loan, they want to make sure that you can pay back that money. In addition, potential employers and interviewers do not want people who change their jobs too often. Stability and predictability are highly valued on the market.

The employment letter will contain basic dates, career longevity salary, and other relevant details.

With just a glance, the reader will be able to tell if you are a safe investment.

The most common requests come from banks or other employers, but not exclusively. For example, even car rental services are known to request a copy. Also, property owners can ask for an employment letter from their tenants.

It is important for both the letter writer and recipient to understand that the employee is not obligated to explain himself. He does not need to specify for which purpose he needs the employment letter, only that he needs it.

Of course, the employee has to specify which details, in particular, will be included in the letter.

What does the letter show?

The party that is asking for the letter ultimately gets to decide what info must be shown. For example, an employment letter directed toward a bank will contain a lot of financial information. They will focus on how much you make monthly, and calculate probable monthly payments based on that total.

Meanwhile, a potential employer will care much more about employment history, experience, and how much you tend to stay in one spot. Even excellent candidates are turned down if they are the type of people who quit after 6 months.

The HR representative has to ask the employee to sign a release form first, giving his consent for that information to be shared. In general, companies are very careful in regards to what info can be distributed.

Issues of legality and consent

Information technology has jumped 300 years in the future, in less than 5 decades. The advent of the computer and the web has allowed us to communicate instantly and share information without much trouble.

However, there is a dark side to this. Data is often harvested, collected, and sold to various governments or advertising companies. There is a saying on the internet: “If the service is free, then you are the product”.

Indeed, corporations are making billions by harvesting data. This has driven data protection laws to be passed in most civilized countries.

“Personal data” is the type of data that can lead to the identification of a particular individual. What is included on the employment letter falls under this distinction.

Most companies already have read-made release forms that must be sent, before processing and sending the employment letter.

Structure and content

Thankfully, you do not need to be a great writer to produce such a letter. Overall, it should be less than a page, and it should get straight to the point.

The page should have an official company logo and its address.  Here are a few essential that must be featured:

  • your company’s full name, along with the physical address
  • your company email address (in case you send a physical letter and it isn’t obvious by just reading the sender address in an email).
  • the name of the ultimate recipient (the new employer, a bank, a property rental firm etc.).
  • the name of the person whose letter this is
  • the company identification method (most firms have employee IDs, codes, or titles)
  • the date when the employee officially started working for you
  • the official function of the employee
  • the salary (specify with or without tax)
  • other special mentions (if requested)

The employee should specify if he needs a physical letter or just a fax or email. Depending on the protocol, you should send the letter and not give it to the employee to hand it over. It will carry more weight if it comes from a company’s email address.

All of this should take up less than 100 words.

The main duty of the employee in question is to sign the aforementioned release form, and to give you plenty of notice. The third-party that receives the letter may contact you with additional questions.

Conclusion

Thankfully, an employment letter writer is spared from having to compose intricate text. In essence, you are just writing down some essential details regarding an employee. Just make sure that you have written consent beforehand, in order to stay on the good side of the law.

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