Then, whenever you request, we will send copies of the contents of your file to prospective employers or schools. This saves you and your reference writers both time and additional work. Letters of reference are one of the most important factors prospective employers will use in their decision about whether or not to hire you. They also count heavily in your admission to graduate school. They are written by people who know you and can provide positive facts about you based on their particular relationship to you.
Facts is an important word.
Both employers and graduate admissions committees appreciate letters which cite facts about you which back up your references' judgments of you. Don't just assume a person will write a letter for you because she or he knows you. Never just leave a form for a letter of reference on a person's desk. Always ask her or him in person. As mentioned above, make sure you ask people to be your references who have had enough contact with you to provide facts about you based upon their experience with you.