Letter of Reference

Have you ever been asked to write a letter of reference for someone whom you were not too enthusiastic about?  Or, worse, have you been put 'on the spot' to comment about someone who was listening to the conversation.

As Rod Serling might say, "Consider the following":

THE BOSS ASKED FOR A LETTER DESCRIBING BOB BURT

Bob Burt, my assistant programmer, can always be found
hard at work in his cubicle.  Bob works independently, without
wasting company time talking to colleagues.  Bob never
thinks twice about assisting fellow employees, and he always
finishes given assignments on time.  Often Bob takes extended
measures to complete his work, sometimes skipping coffee
breaks.  Bob is a dedicated individual who has absolutely no
vanity in spite of his high accomplishments and profound
knowledge in his field.  I firmly believe that Bob can be
classified as a high-caliber employee, the type which cannot be
dispensed with.  Consequently, I duly recommend that Bob be
promoted to executive management, and a proposal will be
executed as soon as possible.

Sd/-
Project Leader

A MEMO WAS SOON SENT FOLLOWING THE LETTER

That idiot was reading over my shoulder while I wrote the report sent to you earlier today.  Kindly read only the odd numbered lines (1, 3, 5 ...) for my true assessment of him.