2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16
At some point in your life, you may need to write a letter of recommendation to a new employee, colleague, student, or someone you know very well. Making a request of this nature for another person imposes a very serious responsibility and should be taken as seriously as possible.
What is a letter of recommendation?
This is a letter that gives positive feedback, recommendations to the person about whom this is written, and also advises the person to someone. If you write a letter of recommendation to someone, then you kind of vouch, trust, give a guarantee for the person you are writing about.
Who needs letters of recommendation?
Typically, a letter of recommendation is requested for a student applying for study programs from the last place of study or work, and a letter of recommendation may also be required for people applying for a job. For example, those who apply to study at schools of business and management need two or threeletters of recommendation explaining why this person is the best candidate for this position. A letter of recommendation for admission may explain why the student has leadership potential or what previous academic or business successes they have had. Such letters are often requested from teachers, professors, deans.
Some scholarship programs of study or research require applicants to submit a letter of recommendation to a student in order to accept their application.
Applicants sometimes also need references that answer the question of why the applicant is the best candidate for a certain position or company. These letters mainly focus on the professional qualities and skills of the candidate. Very often, a letter of recommendation may be asked for a few days or weeks later, after the application has been confirmed, the resume of the candidate.
Before you start writing
Before agreeing to this, specify the purpose of the letter: who will receive and who will read. When defining the audience, it will be easier for you to write. Also determine the type of information required from you. For example, someone needs a letter that highlights the qualities of a leader of this person, and you do not have any information about the leadership capabilities of a person, you may encounter serious difficulties in writing. Or if you need a letter about work ethic qualities, and you write a letter about the candidate's teamwork skills, then the letter will not make sense.
If you don't have time or don't have enough information to write a letter, you can suggestthe candidate to sign a letter prepared by him in advance. This practice is used very often and is beneficial for both parties. But before you sign something written by another person, make sure the letter honestly expresses your opinion and the skills of the candidate. And be sure to save a copy of the letter for archive.
Components of a letter of recommendation
Every letter of recommendation should include three key components.
A paragraph or sentence describing how you know this person and the length of your relationship.
Evaluation of a person and his qualities. If possible, offer specific examples that are specific to this person, which can reflect the positive aspects. Examples should be short but precise. The summary of why you recommend this person, and to what extent.
What can be included
The content of a letter of recommendation depends on what exactly the candidate needs, but there are also general topics that are usually covered in letters of recommendation for applicants and students:
- potential (for example, leadership);
- qualities/skills;
- endurance;
- motivation;
- character;
- contribution (to an institution or society);
- achievements.
Copy
Never copy text from another letter of recommendation, the letter you write must be new and original. Template example of a letter of recommendationhelp you understand and focus on the topic and determine the type of letter of recommendation you need and only.
Why write a letter of recommendation if you're not getting a job or a scholarship?
If you need to write a letter of recommendation from the company to an employee, then by completing the request, you will thank him for all his contribution to the company and reward him for his work. This is a very good professional skill and a nice feeling that you helped someone get a job, as very often it depends on the recommendation.
How to write a letter of recommendation
Start with an address and a greeting. Use your company's letterhead to make the letter look more formal. Write the date the letter was written on the first line, then write the recipient's name, position, and work address.
Example:
June 22, 2018
Name Patronymic
Head of Human Resources, Company Name LLC
Address"
Since this is a formal letter, it must begin with the appeal "Dear (s)" and continue with the name, patronymic. In some areas, recruiters are very strict about professional etiquette, so avoid informal greetings like “Hi.”
Write the right introduction. Writing the first paragraph is very easy as you highlight the main details of your working relationship with the person you are referring to.
Include:
- your position in the company;
- name of the person you recommend;
- his position;
- your relationship: boss or colleague;
- duration of cooperation.
Example of a letter of recommendation for writing an introduction:
"As the project coordinator for 'Company Name', I was Supervisor of (Name of Recommended) from 2015 to 2018. We worked closely during several startups and I enjoyed working as a team with such an outstanding business analyst".
Write quality copy. The body of the text includes details of the skills, knowledge, and accomplishments of the person you are recommending.
To keep the body of the letter concise, start with an area in which the referred person is an expert, describe situations that showed qualities that manifest themselves in solving problems at work. After that, you can choose two or three traits that will present a valuable candidate as a potential employee.
Write your opinion about the qualities of the candidate in the last paragraph of the body of the letter. Employers hire candidates based not only on their technical skills, but also on qualities such as independence, initiative, honesty, etc. If you think that these descriptions do not fit your case, try choosing from the following list:
- Good communication quality.
- Leadership.
- Creativity.
- Analytical thinking.
- Teamwork.
The following is an example of a recommendation letter for a nanny that can be used in body textletters:
“(name)'s knowledge of baby nutrition and child psychology gives her an edge over other nanny candidates. She not only follows the children, but also works with them, performing various psychological tests with the children, and applies an individual approach to each child. She is also an honest and reliable person who can be safely left alone with children and not worry about their safety"
To write a letter of recommendation to an accountant, you can use keywords such as:
- attentive;
- responsible;
- punctual;
- honest.
Example:
“(Name) has excellent knowledge not only in the field of accounting, but also in the legal field, which helps to reduce the time in resolving disputes during the project, which is an excellent quality. (Name) is also a very loyal person, resolves all issues within his competence without reservations.”
If you have been asked for a letter of recommendation to a bank, you can refer to the example below.
“(Name) is very knowledgeable in bank transactions and bookkeeping, and we entrusted him with our bank's cash register. Not a single inconsistency was found in the final reports. Thanks to his sociability, he spoke confidently and was polite with regular customers, and they invested in bank projects.”
In the final paragraph, you can write why you would hire this person again, but only if you reallymade. If not, you can simply write a closing paragraph on a positive note, noting how valuable the employee's contribution to the company was. Invite the recipient to contact you for further guidance or questions.
For example:
“For all the reasons above, I give (name) the best recommendation for the position of Chief Information Technology Officer. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.”
“(Name) is one of those workers that I would re-hire without hesitation. I am sure she is an excellent graphic designer and would be a great member of your team. Please contact me if you have any questions.”
Finish with your own signature
Don't just write "Yours Sincerely" before your name. Add your position, office mailing address, work phone number to give the recipient options to contact you.
We hope that the article was able to answer all your questions and clarified the topic completely. Use the recommendation letter examples from the article by adding your own words.
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