The characteristic is an official document, the meaning of which is to describe the professional and personal qualities of the employee. It reflects the stages of the formation of the employee’s career, his labor activity, social activity, as well as the most important moments in life.
Why is the characteristic useful?
After the resume, the characteristic is the second most important document that the applicant needs to have when applying for a job. The presence of well-written paper allows a person to apply for vacancies with the highest possible level of salary.
Sometimes a potential employer asks the applicant to write a statement from the place of work. It is easy to compose such a document yourself, then you should contact the organization where you worked earlier and invite your previous manager to write a document according to the proposed template.
Document structure
Novice HR managers are often interested in the question of how to write a characterization from the place of work. Useful information on this topic can be found on the information portals on career issues and employment, as well as in various magazines of professional personnel officers. There is no standardized form for the characterization. However, it should contain the most detailed description of the skills and character of the employee.
The characteristic is always compiled on the letterhead of the company, which contains all its details, and includes the following items:
- Headline. It is written in the center of the sheet in capital letters.
- Personal data. This is the surname, name, patronymic of the company employee, date and place of his birth.
- Information about the education received. It is indicated in chronological order. This paragraph reflects the period of study at the school, the location of a higher or other educational institution, the period of study.
- Stages of labor activity: date of employment, all positions held, information on incentives, information on penalties and the fact of their removal.
- Personal, business and professional qualities.
- Conclusion It describes the purpose of the drafting of the document (for example, to transfer to the post of economist).
The characteristic is signed by the head or other authorized employee. It is not stamped.
Types of characteristics
According to the purposes of compilation, the issued characteristics can be divided into 2 types: external and internal.
The latter are intended for use within the organization itself. They are in those cases when the employee:
- claims to be promoted;
- rewarded for labor success;
- transferred to another job with a change in the nature of labor duties;
- subject to disciplinary sanctions for any offenses.
External - are available at the request of the employee or at the request of any other organizations (bank, military registration and enlistment office, municipal or state bodies).
Features of the compilation
How to write a description from the place of work, if it is provided to a third-party organization? There are no significant differences between internal and external documents. The recommendations of experienced personnel officers boil down to the fact that external characteristics should be more concise and contain mainly information that can be documented.
When writing an internal document, the main emphasis should be placed on the professional achievements of the employee in recent years, his ability to learn, relationships with company employees, commitment to the corporate spirit, and so on.
How to write a statement from the place of work when it is requested from the employer by a court? In this case, it is necessary to find out from the employee the reason why the relevant authorities are interested in him. The main difficulty in writing such a description is to provide comprehensive and truthful information and at the same time not to harm the employee. Therefore, before drafting a document, it is advisable to get the advice of a competent legal adviser or lawyer.
Examples of characteristics of workers in various professions
The characteristics of the driver from the place of work, in addition to general information, should contain information about the general experience and assigned categories. In addition, it is recommended to indicate in it:
- which car models were controlled by the driver during the period of work in the organization;
- whether fines were issued to him, if so, for which specific violations;
- Does the driver have additional skills, for example, he can perform the duties of a car mechanic.
The characteristics of the lawyer’s place of work should primarily contain information about his professional skills, ability to work with any regulatory framework, level of learning. In addition, it is necessary to provide detailed personal characteristics, where to highlight such qualities as:
- business and corporate communication skills;
- good memory;
- tolerance;
- goodwill.
After studying the information on how to write a description from the place of work, you can quickly and competently draw up such a document for any employee who has contacted on this issue, as well as successfully respond to such requests from external organizations.