People often change jobs in their corporate journey and one document that acts as proof of the same is the experience certificate. This is a crucial document that is ultimately crucial for employees to grow in their careers as they take on more challenging jobs. And here, we will tell you all about an experience certificate, the things it includes, its Experience Certificate Format, and some things to remember when drafting one.
What is an Experience Certificate
Granted by a workplace to its former employees when they leave, and experience certificate certifies that the employee has indeed worked for the organization and how they have contributed value to the organization through their work. Furthermore, it also entails how long they had worked there. In other words, the certificate documents their time with the organization, their roles and responsibilities during their presence, as well as how well they performed those roles and responsibilities.
When and why is an experience certificate needed?
An experience certificate is needed when employees wish to leave a company and are on their way to join a new one. The document is required at this time since it acts as proof that the employee indeed worked there for as long as is mentioned in their resume. It also helps their new employers in making informed decisions regarding their roles and responsibilities in their previous employment and acts as a testimony of the old employers regarding the employee’s abilities.
This is most commonly required by candidates going into senior roles in new organizations, where expertise and proficiency in their roles are crucial requirements. In such cases, the certificate acts as proof that the employee was indeed efficient in the tasks assigned to them and that they will be able to do the same for their new employers as well. It also helps employees maintain a record of their professional experience, where Experience Certificates from each of their previous employers can help them trace their professional journey.
The contents of an Experience Certificate
A traditional Experience Certificate format includes several things to ensure that it complies with professional standards. It should include everything that the new employer may need to know about the concerned employee. The experience certificate should also be printed and is not acceptable as a handwritten note. So, apart from this, here are the 10 things that an Experience Certificate should contain:
- Must be on Company’s Letterhead: First of all, the Experience Certificate must be printed on the letterhead of the company and not a blank A4 sheet. The letterhead is an indication that the certificate has indeed been provided by the former company and that it is genuine.
- Date of issue of the certificate: The certificate should clearly mention when it was issued to the employee. Generally, this date is within a week or so of the employee leaving their former company and should be dated as such.
- Salutation or Declaration “To Whomsoever It May Concern”: The certificate should be addressed as “To Whomsoever It May Concern,” so that the employee can use it and submit it to all their future places of organization. It should never address a specific organization, such as the place that the employee would be joining after leaving that specific workplace. This quote keeps the certificate general and suitable for all future employers that the employee will be working under.
- Full Name of the Employee as per the official Record: The certificate should mention the full name of the employee as it appears in the official records. This is crucial since there may be many employees with the same name. So, if the departing employee has a middle name, then even that should be included in the certificate. This also helps future employers to ensure that the certificate is indeed about the candidate they are hiring.
- Period of Employment (Date of Joining and the last day of working in the organization): The certificate should mention how long the employee had been with the organization. This implies the specific joining date and the accurate leaving date, which is the date of leaving after they served their notice period.
- Designation or position: The specific designation that the employee was working in when they left the organization needs to be clearly mentioned in the experience certificate. This includes only the last role they were working in when they left the position and need not list all the positions they were in during their time with the company.
- Description of Performance: The experience certificate should include a brief but informative description of the employees’ performance during their time with the company. The description should be sufficient in letting the new employers get a somewhat clear understanding of how diligent the employee will be in their new role.
- Best wishes at the end: The certificate should conclude by wishing the employee their best on their professional journey after leaving the organization. This should be written as positive encouragement to genuinely wish the candidate a flourishing career.
- Signed by the Director/HOD/Manager/HR Department Head/Authorized Signatory: The certificate needs to be signed and attested by someone in a position of authority within the organization. While it is the most suitable for it to be signed by the Director, the HOD, direct manager, the HR head, or any other authorized signatory may also sign it.
- Should have Company’s Seal or Stamp: Lastly, the signature needs to be accompanied by the organization seal or stamp as proof that the certificate had indeed been issued by the company. While the letterhead can also be stated to do the same, the stamp makes the certificate more official, especially since only those in positions of authority would possess the seal or stamp.
Objectives of Experience Certificate letter
The primary objective of an Experience certificate is to attest to the employee’s professional work experience by the employers themselves. Additionally, it also adds credibility to the employee’s capabilities in the role they had been in within the organization. As a result, the certificate helps the employee get a better position and possibly a better offer in the new workplace. Down the line, the objective of this letter is to act as proof of the employee’s professional journey and work experience.
How to write a company experience letter
While there are many ways in which a company experience letter can be written, the following is a basic format that you can follow:
Things To Remember
When issuing an experience certificate, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind. These things can enhance the credibility of the letter as well as your credibility as the one issuing the letter:
- Make sure to write or print out the letter on the organizational letterhead only.
- Make sure that the employee’s full name is mentioned when introducing who the letter is for. For all subsequent times, you may use only their surname prefixed with the relevant honorifics. However, their full name as present in your organizational records needs to be mentioned in the first section of the letter.
- Try to achieve a perfect balance of explaining their responsibilities and their performance while also trying to keep it as brief as possible. Lack of sufficient information can lead to the letter falling short of achieving the intended purpose while over-explanation may also do the same.
- Remember to close the letter with the company seal and then the company’s name and registered corporate address. This is needed even if you have used the company letterhead to write the letter.
- If you are sending the letter as an email, then do not provide this letter in the mail body. Instead, attach the signed and stamped letter on the company letterhead as an attachment. You can use the subject “Experience Certification Letter for {Employee name with honorifics}” when writing the email.
Conclusion
Losing employees to other companies is common, especially when your employees are talented and looking for better opportunities for professional growth. In this case, writing the perfect experience certificate letter can help you show your appreciation for their services by attesting to their abilities and talents. So, keep in mind to include all the points we have mentioned and draft the letter with a friendly but professional tone.
