The letter of recommendation is especially important for the person who has been terminated. In such a case you are not seeking a glowing letter, but one which at least emphasizes your positive qualities and contributions. If you can get your former boss to say positive things in a letter, the person will almost certainly say positive things when called by prospective employers. Obtaining a positive letter of recommendation, or at the least, one which is not negative, can be very reassuring to you throughout your job search. Obtaining such a letter almost assures you that nothing negative will be said if a potential employer calls for a reference check.
Feel free to suggest to the person the points or ideas you would like covered in the letter. You may even want to list the points that you would like people to mention, and then ask each reference to cover some of those specific points. In that way, with three or four letters of recommendation, all of your desired points will be covered at least once. Do not give any one person all of the points, spread them out among those writing the letters. These people are likely to appreciate your help because most people find letters of recommendation difficult to write. Depending on the circumstances, you could even send a sample letter and suggest that the person adopt the portions he or she is comfortable with, or just use it for ideas. People will often use a sample letter as it was presented, or make only minor modifications, and have it typed on their own letterhead.
Anyone would rarely encourage people to enclose letters of recommendation with resumes. Several researches have observed that it may be helpful for people in entry-level jobs and for those seeking office work, but most should save letters of recommendation for appropriate points during an interview. When the researchers tested the effectiveness of letters of recommendation with engineers, their resumes were rated more highly when the resume was not accompanied by a letter of recommendation. Thus it seems that for professionals, the inclusion of such letters with resumes is not generally appropriate.
Never use a letter of recommendation unless it is glowing. Avoid using the typical letter which says, "Rosalyn worked for me for six years in such and such a capacity and she is an excellent employee. I can recommend her without reservation. Should you have any questions feel free to call me." Such a letter is simply not strong enough. It appears to have been written with little heart in it. Such a letter will have no positive impact-don't use it.
The glowing letter points out some of your specific strengths and uses terms like excellent and outstanding. The letter may even mention a project where you worked above and beyond the call of duty. That type of letter can help, but even in such a case, use it only if it seems appropriate.
Some people like to bring letters of recommendation or performance reviews to interviews. That's fine; people must be encouraged to take whatever they believe may be helpful to them. Take a briefcase or something similar so that your portfolio, letters of recommendation, performance reviews, or examples of past work, will fit neatly inside. Arrange everything so that you are able to quickly find what you are looking for and can present it in a way that does not seem awkward.
Present your materials only if it seems appropriate. For any given interview, assume that you will not be showing your materials. But if they are needed, you'll have them with you. You should never feel obligated to show your stuff just because you have it with you. For most people the best way is to tell the employer what it is you have and ask if the person would be interested in seeing it. If there seems to be no interest, you can simply summarize the contents. This will still be effective because the employer knows that you are able to back up what you are saying with the materials.
If you are going to show something, the best suggestion would be that you describe it first and then hand it to the person. If the employer must do any reading, stop talking so the person can concentrate on your materials. If you are showing a portfolio of drawings or photographs, provide some background to it as the person is reviewing it.
