How to Write a Letter for Proof of Employment

Preparing to Write a Proof of Employment Letter

Consider why you are going to write a proof of employment letter. Depending on who your audience is for your employment verification letter, your content and tone may vary. If you are writing an employment verification letter for a financial institution, you may take on a more professional tone and you may have to include financial information (e.g., salaries, commissions, raises, and bonuses). In contrast, if you are writing a letter for an employee who is applying for new jobs, your tone may be more friendly and you might omit financial information. Understanding the purpose and scope of your employment verification letter will help you draft a letter that most closely fits the needs of the recipient.

Think about who should write the proof of employment letter. Normally, employment verification letters will be written by employers on behalf of employees. In this situation, an employee is likely to approach you, the employer, and ask you for an employment verification letter for a specific purpose. On the other hand, it may be possible for an employee to write an employment verification letter himself or herself. In this situation, you, the employee, will write the letter yourself and then ask your employer to sign it or adapt it to their liking. Whenever possible, the employer should write the letter on behalf of the employee, not the other way around. If you are an employer writing a letter for an employee, you will be able to customize the letter to your specifications and you will be able to control the message. Also, writing the employment verification letter yourself, as the employer, will give the letter genuineness and authenticity. However, the major drawback is the time it takes to write these letters. As an employer, you are likely to have a busy schedule and writing these letters may become time consuming. With that said, employment verification letters are often short and concise, so you may not have to spend too much time writing, especially if you have gone through the process before. If you are an employee writing your own letter, you will be able to dictate what information is conveyed to the recipient and you will not need to take time relaying your ideas to your employer. Also, writing your own letter may ease any pressure your employer feels about the time it may take to write one of these letters themselves (i.e., writing your own letter may make your boss happy because they will not have to do it for you). However, an employer will always have to sign the letter and they may not want to sign off on what you wrote. If this is the case, you may have to spend even more time re-writing the letter or you may force the employer to write it for you.

Gather the required information. Once you understand who your audience is and who will be writing the letter, you will need to gather the information necessary to write a complete employment verification letter. If you are the employer, you will need to have a conversation with the employee about what they want out of the letter. This will include information about who the letter will be sent to, what the purpose of the letter is, what specifics need to be included, and when it needs to be sent. If you are the employee and you are writing your own letter, you will have all of the information you need to write the letter, although you may want to talk with your employer first and ask what they expect out of an employment verification letter. This will help ensure you write the letter to your employer's specifications so they will sign off on it.

Writing a Proof of Employment Letter

Use company letterhead. When you begin writing an employment verification letter, you always want to use official company letterhead. If you are the employer, you should always have this handy; if you are the employee, you should ask your employer if you can use their official letterhead. Using official letterhead will legitimize the letter and will help your recipient trust the content of the letter. If you do not have official letterhead available, you can start by using a computer to create a header on your letter. When doing this, the header should include the employer's company name, address, phone number and email address. It should also provide information about who is writing the letter (and their job title) and the date the letter is being written.

Address the letter as specifically as possible. If you know the name of the recipient, address the letter directly to him or her. If you do not know who will be reading your letter, address it to the organization generally, with an attention line explaining what the letter is about. For example, if you know the address and name of the person you will be sending the letter to, write that directly below your header. Follow this with an appropriate salutation such as "Dear [Mr. John Doe]." If you do not know who to address the letter to, send it to a generally appropriate department with an attention line explaining what the letter is about. For example, if you are sending a letter to a financial institution for the purpose of an employee getting a loan, you may send the letter to the financial institution's local branch office with an attention line that says, "Employment Verification for [Employee] for the Purpose of Loan Procurement." Follow this with an appropriate salutation such as "To Whom It May Concern."

Explain who you are. In the first body paragraph of your employment verification letter, you want to explain who you are and what the purpose of the letter is. You will include what your title at the company is, how long you have worked there, and how long you have known the employee you are writing the letter for. Even if you are the employee writing the letter yourself, you will still write the letter as if it is coming from your employer since they will be the one signing off on it. For example, you could write: "My name is Bob Jones and I am the Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at ABC Corporation. I have been working at ABC Corporation for 12 years and have known employee for seven years. I am currently employee's direct supervisor and have been for the past three years."

Provide employment verification. The next body paragraph will summarize the employee's employment with your company. It will include the dates of the employee's employment, their title at the company, whether the job is temporary or permanent, and whether the employee still works there. This paragraph will include the employee's financial information if it is necessary. For example, an acceptable paragraph may say: "This letter is to confirm the employment of employee. Employee has worked for ABC Corporation for seven years, starting on September 7, 2003. Employee holds the title of associate sales director, which is a permanent position here with ABC Corporation. Employee is still currently working as an associate sales director at ABC Corporation as of January 7, 2011." Another example may look like this: "This letter is to confirm that employee worked for ABC Corporation for seven years. Employee worked at ABC Corporation from September 7, 2003 until January 7, 2011. Employee held the title of associate sales director while employed at ABC Corporation. Employee worked full-time for all seven years they were employed with ABC Corporation and they were paid an annual salary of $65,000."

Summarize the employee's duties. This paragraph will describe the employee's duties at your organization. This information will be most useful when you are writing an employment verification letter for an employee applying for another job. While an employment verification letter is not a letter of recommendation, it never hurts to include any positive feedback you have about the employee. It will help your reputation as an employer and will help your employee in their search for a new job, property, or loan. One possible way to write this paragraph would be: "Employee's duties with ABC Corporation included the following: Employee was responsible for selling radiators in the San Francisco region of California. Employee held a managerial position and was responsible for motivating a sales team of between seven and nine people. Employee was required to ensure customer satisfaction, deal with customer complaints, and was required to report quarterly to corporate headquarters about their sales progress."

Avoid sharing sensitive or illegal information about the employee. Most states have some laws regulating what you can and cannot say in employment references and other statements to prospective employers. Some states allow you to provide information about an employee only with that employee's consent. Other states allow an employer to reveal almost anything about an employee so long as they were being honest and were making the statements in good faith. Before revealing any sensitive information, be sure you look at your state's laws. You can start by looking here. For example, Alaska allows an employer to reveal information about job performance, and the employer will be immune from liability for making those statements unless the employer knowingly or intentionally discloses false or misleading information, or information that violates an employees civil rights. Another example is Connecticut, where an employer is allowed to reveal any truthful statement of facts.

Give the recipient your contact information. The final full paragraph of your employment verification letter should include your (the employer's) contact information. It is necessary to include this information in case the recipient of your letter has any follow-up questions or concerns. Make sure you state that it is okay for the recipient to contact you. For example, your contact paragraph may say: "If you have any questions or require more information, please do not hesitate to contact me at (555) 555-5555 or at [email protected]."

Sign the letter and send it. Once you have completed your letter, you will include a closing, sign the letter, and you will either give it to your employee or send it to the recipient yourself. Close your letter with "Sincerely," or "Best". Always sign the letter using your official signature and job title. Include any official stamps or verifications your company usually uses for these types of letters.