How To Write A Letter Of Recommendation: Your Go-To Guide

Someone you know has asked you for a letter of recommendation — where do you start? What should you include? How can you make sure you give this person the best chance at achieving their goals? Writing a letter of recommendation can be an undertaking, but it is an essential part of being a leader. Follow our full guide here on how to write a letter of recommendation, and you’ll have a sincere and convincing letter whipped up in no time.

What Is A Letter Of Recommendation?

A letter of recommendation is a document that attests to a person’s skills and fitness for a position, written by someone who knows the applicant personally. Letters of recommendation go a long way in helping a person to get hired or accepted, as they provide people-validated claims for why an applicant should be chosen.

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Who Needs Letters Of Recommendations? Why Do They Need Them?

There are generally two types of people who need letters of recommendations: students and job applicants.

Students may need letters of recommendations for certain colleges, study programs, internships, and research programs.

Job applicants may need letters of recommendation to make their application stand out, or because they have been asked by their hiring manager.

Who To Ask

The best people to write the letter of recommendation are those who have worked closely with you. Either professors you got to know personally, or direct supervisors that you worked with. It may seem like it’s a good idea to include someone with an impressive title, but if that person doesn’t really know you, they may write a very general recommendation, which is ultimately not as convincing as someone with a less impressive title that knows you better.

How To Use Letter Samples

A letter sample can be a great starting point for writing a letter of recommendation. Just make sure to personalize it, and spruce up the sample so that it is not boring or generic.

How To Write A Personal Letter Of Recommendation

1. Write A Targeted Recommendation Letter

One of the best tips we can offer is to make the letter of recommendation as specific as possible. There’s nothing worse than a generic letter of rec that doesn’t say much about the applicant, or is irrelevant to the position. If you care about the applicant and want them to succeed, spend time making the recommendation letter personalized.

2. Ask The Applicant For Information / Collect Information

More likely than not, the applicant knows much more about this job or program than you do, and knows what they need to show to make them stand out. Ask them for more information on what to include in the letter. If you’re pressed for time, but still want to help out, ask the applicant to do all the research for you, send you the bullet points, and you can write the letter from there.

3. Conduct Research

If you do have the time, do some quick research on the company, school, or program to see what they may be looking for in an applicant. This will help you tailor your letter of recommendation to give the applicant the best chances.

4. Think Of Your Audience

Find out who you are addressing your letter to, and make sure it makes sense for that person. You may be addressing a manager, a recruiter, an admissions counselor, or professor. Make sure the style and tone of the letter is appropriate for who will be reading it.

5. Make It Strong

Writing a letter of recommendation that is strong and convincing isn’t too hard. Just make it personable by having the right tone, credible by providing evidence, supportive and positive, specific to the applicant and relevant to the position.

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Tips On Writing A Letter Of Recommendation

1. Think Before Saying “Yes”

Ask yourself a few questions before agreeing. For example, have you worked directly with this person? Do you know them well enough to write the letter of recommendation? It’s okay to say no if you don’t feel like you can accurately or positively recommend this person.

2. Follow The Correct Format

Make sure to use a professional, business letter format. Use 1-inch margins, a 12-point legible font, left alignment, and keep it under one page.

3. Use The Job Description

Ask the applicant to send you the job description, or the program information so you have an idea of what characteristics make them a good candidate for the position or program.

4. Explain How You Know The Person

You should also explain how closely you worked with or observed this person.

5. Focus On Two Or Three Qualities

Choose a few traits or characteristics that you feel makes them a great applicant, and that you have personally observed, and stick with those as a theme to your letter. Here are some traits and skills that might help you write your letter: Business management skills, research skills, business administration skills, college skills, data analyst skills, leadership skills.

6. Stay Positive

If there were any negative experiences between you and the applicant, leave them out. It’s better to either write a positive letter of recommendation, or politely decline the request if you can’t be positive.

7. Check Guidelines

See if there are any guidelines for this letter of recommendation, which may be common for schools and programs. Double check that you met those guidelines.

8. Provide Contact Information

Always provide a way for them to contact you, either by email or phone.

What To Include In The Letter Of Recommendation

1. Letterhead And Heading

At the top, make sure to have a letterhead. This can include your name and your contact information. If you do not have a letterhead, include your address in paragraph form as you would a formal letter. Next, add the date, followed by the addressee’s contact information. Here is an example for contact information on a letter of recommendation with no letterhead:

123 Main Street
City, State, Zip
emailaddress@email.com

January 1, 2020

Their Name
Their Job Title
Their Company Name
Their Company Address Line 1
Their Company Address Line 2

Dear [their name],

2. Salutation

If you do not have a name you are writing to, include the company or school address, and either address it to, “Hiring Manager” for jobs, “Admissions Committee” for school or programs, or “To Whom It May Concern” for a general letter.

3. Introduction

Your introduction paragraph does not need to be long, but should include an introduction about who you are, how you know the applicant, how long you have known the applicant, and in what capacity you worked together. Finish with your statement of recommendation.

4. Body Paragraph 1

The first body paragraph of your letter of recommendation should include specific reasons why you recommend this person. These are usually 3-4 strong characteristics or traits that you believe this person possesses and makes them an excellent applicant for this position they are applying for.

5. Body Paragraph 2

This is where you give specific examples and evidence of the hard and soft skills you mentioned before. You can give a personal anecdote of when you witnessed these skills in action, or you can cite data that this person contributed to.

6. Body Paragraph 3

If the above examples need to be split up into multiple paragraphs, go ahead and do so to create an orderly, easy to read letter.

7. Conclusion And Summary

Restate your recommendation here by once again reminding the reader of the reasons you believe this applicant is a great candidate. Here, you also should include one sentence inviting them to contact you if they have any questions.

8. Signature

Sign the letter with “Sincerely” and type out your full name. You can add an italicized font as a stand in for your signature, scan in a photo of your signature, or you can print the document and sign it yourself.

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How Long Should A Letter Of Recommendation Be?

Your letter of recommendation needs to fit on one page. An application packet, no matter if it’s for school or a job, has several components. The deciding person may not have time to read everything, so make sure your letter of recommendation is succinct and to the point, fitting between 3-6 paragraphs on one page.

After Sending The Reference

After you have sent your letter of recommendation, confirm with the applicant that you have done so. Don’t forget to follow up in several weeks’ time to see how the application process is going.

Once you have a good template, and a good idea of how to write a letter of recommendation, the next ones will be a breeze. Just remember our tips, and you’ll be able to write a well thought out, convincing letter of rec. Good luck!