I need to write a letter of recommendation - UPDATED with Draft

[Binkandabee]

My former secretary has asked me to write a letter of recommendation for her, I've tried to avoid it, but she's really pressing me now and I need to do it. She and I were pretty close, and I still consider her a friend even though I don't see her everyday.

She was fired while I was gone during October and November recovering from surgery. I am certain the timing was intentional because I would have stuck up for her out of loyalty as a friend.

The problem is, she really wasn't a great secretary. She was/is a great friend, and that's why I put up with so much, but at the end of the day, I always had to be extra careful with the work I gave her, because I just couldn't rely on her to do it exactly right. I had to work hard to separate our professional relationship and our personal one. She did the absolute bare minimum and that was it. She was also not a team player by any stretch of the imagination. However, she was a good employee in many aspects. Meaning, she was one of the few who were actually on time, showed up everyday, took her lunch within her alloted time and is very honest and trustworthy. Would it be weird if I put in my letter of recommendation just these good attributes and mention nothing about her secretarial skills or her attitude?

I've never written anything but a glowing recommendation letter for people who deserved it, so I'm not real sure how to handle this one. Like I said, she's a good employee and person and definitely deserves a letter for those traits, but she's not a great secretary, and I just can't with a straight face recommend her to someone else. Do people often write letters for employees who don't necessarily deserve them? I'm just curious to hear from some of you with HR experience because I have zero.

[KLD313]

If you have to do it I wouldn't lie. I would put the good things you mentioned and leave out the rest.

[Binkandabee]

So, it's perfectly acceptable to write about her positive traits in general as an employee and not mention anything specific about her secretarial skills? The reason I'm asking is because she is applying only for secretarial positions.

[KLD313]

I don't think you have much choice other than to not do it. I'm assuming you don't want to lie so I think it's fine to play up her good skills and leave out the bad. It may be telling to the person reading it but it's what I would do.

[sariana]

Have you checked with HR? I once asked for a letter of rec and the person readily agreed. Then later she told me it was against company policy to do anything more than verify employment dates.

I remember my professor who was a specialist in the deep meaning of language. He used an example of a reference letter: "Jane is very punctual and has beautiful handwriting." The point was that this "reference" makes perfectly clear that Jane has no useful skills. So I would be really careful about writing a letter like that; it could come back to bite you if it comes across as facetious.

Maybe you can cop out and just SAY you're allowed only to verify her employment. Then a letter that says "Jane showed up on time, worked appropriate hours, and showed integrity" would be perfectly appropriate.

[mytwosons]

Only include accurate comments in a letter of recommendation. I've seen many job applicants not really read the letter of recommendation, but the person hiring is clued in that what is not said is often more important than what is said.

There are varying levels of secretarial positions, so perhaps she will find something better suited to her capabilities.

If you just aren't comfortable writing any letter of recommendation, you need to tell her.

[Philly Mom]

I agree with asking HR. We only confirm dates of employment and everywhere I have worked has done the same.

[Binkandabee]

We are a tiny firm and have no HR dept. It's perfectly acceptable to write this letter for her. The other attorney she also worked for here wrote one. He thought a lot of her, but his expectation level was pretty low. He had no issues with sending out letters containing typos and grammar errors.

[Binkandabee]

How about something like this?

I highly recommend XXXXXX as a candidate for employment. XXXXX was employed by XXXXX as a legal assistant from XXXXX through XXXXX and was my legal assistant from the time I joined the firm in XXXXX through XXXXX. XXXXX was responsible for office support including processing the filing of personal and business tax returns, word processing and scheduling appointments.

XXXXX is reliable, punctual, honest, organized and computer savvy. She is flexible and willing to work on any project that is assigned to her. When the need for overtime arose, XXXXX was always willing to fill the need.

XXXXX would be a a valuable asset to your company. If you have any further questions with regard to her background or qualifications, please do not hesitate to call me.

[Binkandabee]

Would really like any input on this! I want to do right by her, but I also don't want to be dishonest.

[Binkandabee]

And I just saw my typos! See now why I really need a secretary that has my back in that regard?

[BunnyBee]

Do you actually highly recommend her as a secretary? DH got stuck with an admin after another attorney he trusted provided a letter of recommendation. He had to fire the admin and now thinks less of the other atty too...

You could phrase it as more of a character reference. Yours seems to provide a glowing review of her work product.

[Binkandabee]

I tried to keep it neutral on the secretarial issue and the work product issue. I thought I did this by stating I recommend her for employment and not speaking to her work product, but rather her attributes....punctual, honest, organized, etc. All of this is true. Hmm...maybe I need to rework this. Any specific suggestions? No, I do not highly recommend her as a secretary. An employee doing something else...yes...but not a secretary.

[eagle]

you know what you could do.... you could have her write a letter of recommendation for herself for you. then when you get it, edit it how you see fit, sign it and mail it off.

my husband often does this. sometimes he writes them by himself but he often uses this strategy.

[BunnyBee]

I am happy to provide a character reference for XXXXXX. XXXXX was employed by XXXXX as a legal assistant from XXXXX through XXXXX and was my legal assistant from the time I joined the firm in XXXXX through XXXXX.

XXXXX is reliable, punctual, honest, and organized. She is flexible and willing to work on any project that is assigned to her. When the need for overtime arose, XXXXX was always willing to fill the need.

If you have any further questions with regard to her integrity or work ethic, please do not hesitate to call me.

[wendibird22]

I am happy to provide a character reference for XXXXXX. XXXXX was employed by XXXXX as a legal assistant from XXXXX through XXXXX and was my legal assistant from the time I joined the firm in XXXXX through XXXXX.

XXXXX is reliable, punctual, honest, and organized. She is flexible and willing to work on any project that is assigned to her. When the need for overtime arose, XXXXX was always willing to fill the need.

If you have any further questions with regard to her integrity or work ethic, please do not hesitate to call me.

Late to this, but the above is in line with what I'd do. However, you also have to be prepared for a follow up phone call from a potential employer. When that person asks you specifically about her skill set are you prepared to say she's not a good secretary?

[tg_canada]

Any chance you can be honest with her and talk to her about it? Maybe she doesn't realize she's a bad secretary? Has anyone told her? When she was fired maybe? If she was fired from you firm due to her lack of secretarial skills, you'd think she'd understand that someone couldn't write a reference based on her skills.

Any chance she is doing or has done additional training to improve her skill set? If so, she could use that to her advantage during an interview.