About Susan Shabetta Expertise I`m happy to answer questions and to critique short sections of in-progress fiction or poetry, including formal or metrical poetry. I can address most hands-on writing concerns, basic through advanced. I have a Master`s in English and creative writing. I have expert English skills at the word, sentence, paragraph and story levels. I`ve read and written poetry and fiction, including formal and metrical verse such as sonnets, villanelles, etc. I will help you see specific areas where your poem or story may need more attention, such as clarity of thought and expression, your choice of details, conciseness or wordiness, diction and word choices, effective imagery, sound, rhythm, meter and rhyme, line break choices, plausibility and believability, and voice. Sorry, I can`t help people who feel their work is inspired and perfect and want only praise. I strive to critique with kindness and sensitivity, but helping a writer achieve his or her best work often means "zeroing in" on the poem`s or story`s weak points.
Question I'm a logistic manager of a chemical company. One of my customer service staff who responsible for order processing has submitted her resignation and request me to give her a "Reference Letter" which can facilitate her in finding future job.
Can you please provide me with a sample of "Reference Letter" so that I can just tailor-made it with our own situation. No need to be a sophisticated one, just a generic sample would be fine. Thank you!
Answer Dear Ms. Lai, I just want to apologize for jokingly using the word "nameless" in my response to your recent e-mail. When your question first reached me, for some reason it did not include your name, which then did arrive in a follow-up e-mail. I meant my greeting in a playful spirit and hope I did not give offense.
Sincerely,
Susan Shabetta
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Hello, nameless logistic manager of a chemical company! I must tell you that I have no real expertise in writing letters of reference, so you may want to look elsewhere for a more knowledgeable response. But after some quick research I did put together the following two samples in case they may be a good starting point.
Sincerely,
Susan Shabetta
SAMPLE EMPLOYMENT REFERENCE #1:
Date:
To Whom It May Concern:
Re: (Name of Applicant)
Dear Sir or Madam:
This is to advise that (Name of Applicant) was employed by our company as a (Job Title) from: (Specify dates of employment).
The job duties included: (Specify in some detail the duties performed by applicant).
Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned.
Very truly yours,
Name & Title
SAMPLE LETTER OF REFERENCE #2:
Date:
Dear [Name of Employer]: Or: [To Whom It May Concern]:
This reference letter is provided at the request of [name of employee or former employee]. It is my understanding that [individual's name] has applied for the position of [job title] with your organization.
[Individual's name] has been employed by our company since [date] and has held the following position(s): [list positions and salary in each position].
In [his/her] most recent position, [he/she] had responsibility for [explain the person's main responsibilities in this position].
[You may wish to state your estimation of his/her performance, based upon performance appraisals or other work records that would support your evaluation].
[You may wish to add specifics, possibly with examples, such as the following]: [Individual's name] was prompt and reliable, got along well with others, showed good judgment, etc.
If you need further information, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
[Name and title of person writing the letter of reference]
