Administrative Assistant Reference Letter

A former or current employer may write a letter recommending an assistant for a job, but it can also be written by anyone who can speak to the applicant’s character or work record such as a supervisor, a neighbor, a teacher or anyone else. Reference letters are an important part of the application process. They should be concise and well written and they can be mailed to the prospective employer or delivered by the applicant.

Format and Content

Prospective employers receive many reference letters, particularly if a job opening has been advertised to the public. For this reason, it is important to make sure you clearly identify the applicant and the desired job. The administrative assistant reference letter format should explain why the writer believes the applicant would be a good employee and it should include a few examples of what has made the applicant stand out among others in past job performance.

Sample

This administrative assistant reference letter sample is from a finance director whose administrative assistant wishes to move to the advertising department because her degree is in marketing. A position has opened up in the advertising department and the administrative assistant has submitted an application to be considered for the job.

Dear Ms. Coffey:

It is with mixed emotions that I recommend Crystal Reese for the job opening as your administrative assistant. Crystal has served as my assistant in the Finance Department for the last 3 years; however since her degree is in marketing she would like to transfer to the Advertising Department. I support Crystal’s decision to seek a position in a department that is more in keeping with her degree and interests; however she is an excellent employee and will be greatly missed.

Crystal has remarkable organizational and time management skills and is the most effective multi-tasker I have ever known. In spite of juggling numerous tasks simultaneously she does not make mistakes and that is an extremely important quality in the Finance Department. Crystal is highly proficient on Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Her marketing background has enabled her to design very visually appealing charts and graphs in Excel, well-written proposals in Word and eye-catching presentations in PowerPoint.

With a Bachelor’s degree in marketing and a minor in Spanish, I believe Crystal would be an tremendous asset to your department, particularly with your clients that serve the Hispanic population in the city. In addition, she is very well-liked and respected by the staff. She is a vital member of our team, but we do not want to prevent her from moving along in the organization and reaching her ultimate potential.

I highly recommend Crystal for the open position in your department and am confident that you will be just as pleased with her work as I have been these last 3 years. If you would like to discuss details about her job performance please feel free to give me a call or shoot me an email. I will be happy to meet with you and help Crystal’s transition to be a smooth one should you decide to hire her.

Sincerely,

Roberta Giles

Roberta G. Giles,

Director of Finance

XYZ Corporation