How to write a professional Project Manager reference letter? Why do project managers need reference letters? We have prepared a template for you to use when requesting a reference letter for a project manager position. The template also includes sample language you can use to customize the letter to suit your needs. Download this sample reference letter template now!
A professional Project Manager reference is a recommendation from a person who can vouch for your qualifications for a PM job. A professional reference for an experienced worker is typically a former employer, a colleague, a client, a vendor, a supervisor, or someone else who can recommend you for employment.
Recent college graduates might also tap professors, coaches, and college personnel who were advisers for your activities. The key is picking references who have observed you acting in a productive capacity where you displayed your skills and credentials for employment.
These differ from personal or character references, which are much more personal references. The professional reference speaks mainly to the applicant’s employability and work-related qualities, as opposed to their personal or character traits. Personal references may be helpful at times but don’t be tempted to submit a personal reference as a substitute when the job listing or interviewer specifically requires a professional reference. Adequate communication is essential in projects, in order to have truthful and accurate information exchange in order to ensure program managers or project managers are able to do rational and correct decisions making.
Project Manager Reference Letter sample content:
- Dear {{Name}},
- I am pleased to refer {{Name}} to you to fill the temporary position of project manager over our upcoming computer conversion.
- I am more than happy to recommend {{Name}} as your next Project Manager.
- In the world of contracting, work comes and goes so unexpectedly that it can sometimes be difficult to keep good people around.
- When our firm hit a serious lull in work, I encouraged {{Name}} to explore his options.
- He/she is, by far, my most qualified project manager and the one I would miss losing the most.
- As this is slated to be a major undertaking for the company, we will need someone from within our current staff who already understands the company dynamic and is very familiar with our technological needs. {{Name}} fits the bill in all of these areas.
- As you know {{He/She}} successfully managed the system integration when we acquired {{COMPANY NAME}} Industries and oversaw a complete conversion of {{COMPANY NAME}}’s antiquated computer system over to our system here at {{COMPANY2 NAME}} Affiliates.
- The entire project came off without a glitch and was completed on time and slightly under budget. I believe {{Name}}’s job performance during this crucial time proves that {{He/She}} has the knowledge, expertise, and leadership skills necessary to take the lead as the project manager on our upcoming system conversion.
- {{Name}} has demonstrated strong interpersonal skills and has earned the admiration and respect of both subordinates and superiors alike. Always displaying a positive attitude, {{Name}} has a talent for identifying the best abilities of each person on her team, assigning them tasks at which they usually excel and skilfully motivating them so that they put forth their very best efforts. {{He/She}} handles stressful situations in a calm and methodical manner and knows instinctively when a member of her team needs a little extra encouragement.
- His/her excellent written and verbal communication skills enable her to, not only make each team member’s task clear but to provide ongoing written reports to management regarding the progress of each phase of the project.
- I hope you will strongly consider {{Name}} to fill this temporary project manager position. I am confident that {{He/She}} will be able to successfully complete the project within the desired timeframe and budget and without serious setbacks.
- {{Name}} takes each project to heart and has never missed a deadline.
- He/she has never cost me a dime in liquidated damages and he has never been the subject of a union complaint.
- His/her methods for managing workers, both union and non-union, have brought nothing but success.
- {{Name}} has been able to successfully balance that line between responsibility to the company and responsibility to his workers.
- Every worker who has ever been on {{Name}}'s crew has always requested to work for him again.
- His/her productivity and profitability numbers are the best in the company.
- Losing {{Name}} is a blow to my company, but I cannot allow a good man to ignore the opportunities he has earned. If you need to discuss anything further about {{Name}}, please call me at {{phone number}} or email me at {{email.com}}.
- Please contact me if you would like to discuss this matter further.
- Yours sincerely,
Using this PM reference letter template guarantees you will save time, cost, and effort! Keep in mind that this example reference letter is only a basic and simple letter template. You should spend some effort in tweaking the letter and add some of your own creativity and personality to it. In fact, we encourage you to do so!
What makes a good Project Management reference letter?
- Enthusiastic! Show off the character and personality of the person;
- Provide descriptions of your contributions to the work/academic environment related to completed tasks on time or your strengths;
- Always use action verbs to describe your accomplishments, skills, and strengths;
- Make sure to use the active voice which indicates that you completed tasks and demonstrated desirable behaviors. Since the passive voice can indicate that events happened with or without your active involvement;
- Explain how you performed the responsibilities required, and therefore it’s good to study some appealing anecdotes;
- If possible, a statement indicating people would re-hire you or collaborate with you on another project;
- Structured and written to highlight the person's strengths;
- Immediately clear about the purpose and position the person is seeking;
- Brief, preferably one or pages in length;
- Clean, error-free, and easy to read;
- Using common business letter format;
- No copying of exact words/phrases from sample letters without checking the context;
- Uses the correct name of the company/organization;
- Contact information including his or her full name, appropriate title, address, phone number, and/or e-mail address;
- Expands upon their resume; do not repeat it verbatim in your reference letter as well.
Feel free to download this Project Manager Reference Letter, or simply browse through our other basic or advanced template designs. They are intuitive and in several kinds of formats, such as PDF, WORD, XLS (EXCEL including formulas and can calculate sums automatically), etc.
Using this project management template guarantees that you will save time, cost and effort and makes you more successful in your project, work and business! Completing your Project Manager Reference Letter has never been easier and quicker. Download it now!