What do you think?

[dakcp2001]

I am applying for jobs, and asked my former boss for a reference letter. I just read it, it is FILLED with typos and misspellings. It is a relly nice letter aside fromt the errors. English is not her first language, but my prospective employers will not know this. Do you think they will hold it against me?

Is it ok to edit it and photocopy? I don't want to hurt her feelings, she wrote me a lovely letter. I would feel awkard telling her about the errors, but I don't think I can hand it in the way it is. I have others I can use, but well, she was my boss for the longest so she does know me the best.

What would you do? I am afraid if I tell her, even nicely she will be embarrased or never want to help me again. We have a great proffesional relationship, but it does not reallty go beyond that.

 

[sksjasams]

I would edit and do the photocopy. It will still be the same letter, just corrected. And that way she won't be embarrassed and neither will you.

 

[wvjules]

What do you mean by edit and photocopy?

 

[Rora]

I think it's perfectly fine. Good luck!

 

[klacey1]

Definitely edit it yourself. No need to embarass her, but you don't want to look foolish to potential employers either.

 

[mickeyboat]

I guess I don't agree with editing it. It seems like forgery to me.

I wouldn't send it if it was full of errors, though.

Maybe the best thing to do is to ask her if she would be willing to give a personal reference to a potential employer - by phone.

Good luck!

 

[crashbb]

NO, it is not okay to edit it. If it has her signature on it, that would be forgery (you'd be pretending that she signed something that she didn't).

What I often do is write the reference letter for the person I'm asking. Not due to language issues, but do to time (they are very busy people). Usually they just use what I've written as a framework, but I've had them use it verbatim. You could try that. Don't frame it as her language not being good enough, frame it that you know what the new employers want, so you've written the letter highlighting those points.