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At some point in your life, you may need to write a letter of recommendation to a novice employee, colleague, student, or someone you know very well. Fulfilling a request of this nature for another person imposes a very serious responsibility and should have the most serious approach.
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 kindly 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 a study program from the last place of study or work, and a letter of recommendation to people applying for a job may also be required. For example, those who apply for training in business and management schools need two or three letters of recommendation explaining why this person is the best candidate for this place. A letter of recommendation for admission may explain why the student has the potential of a leader or what previous academic or business successes he had. Such letters are often requested from teachers, teachers, deans.
Some scholarship programs of study or research require applicants to confirm a letter of recommendation to a student in order to accept their application form.
Applicants also sometimes require recommendations that answer the question of why the applicant is the best candidate for a particular place or company. These letters mainly focus on the professional qualities and skills of the candidate. Very often, a letter of recommendation may be requested a few days or weeks later, after they have confirmed the application, the candidate’s resume.
Before you start writing
Before agreeing to this, specify the purpose of the letter: who will receive and who will read. When determining 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 emphasizing the qualities of the leader of a given 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 the qualities of work ethics, and you write a letter about the skills of working in a candidate’s team, then the letter will not make sense.
If you do not have time or not enough information to write a letter, you can offer the candidate to sign a letter prepared in advance by him. This practice is applied very often and is useful for both parties. But before signing something written by another person, make sure that the letter honestly expresses your opinion and skills of the candidate. And be sure to keep a copy of the letter for the archive.
Components of a letter of recommendation
Each letter of recommendation should include three key components.
A paragraph or sentence describing how you know this person and how long you met.
Assessment of a person and his qualities. If possible, offer specific examples specific to this person, which will reflect the positive aspects. Examples should be concise but precise. The result of why you recommend this person, and to what extent.
What can be included
The content of the letter of recommendation depends on what the candidate needs, but there are also general topics that are usually disclosed in letters of recommendation for applicants and students:
- potential (e.g. leadership);
- qualities / skills;
- endurance;
- motivation;
- character;
- contribution (to an institution or society);
- progress.
Copy
Never copy text from another letter of recommendation; the letter written by you must be new and original. A sample example of a letter of recommendation can help you understand and focus on the topic and determine the type of recommendation letter you need, and more.
Why write a letter of recommendation if you are not getting a job or a scholarship?
If you need to write a letter of recommendation from the company to the employee, then having fulfilled the request, you will thank him for all his contribution to the company and reward him for his efforts. This is a very good professional skill and a pleasant 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 letterhead to make the letter look more formal. Write the date of writing the letter in the first line, then write the name of the recipient, his position and work address.
Example:
"June 22, 2018
Name and patronymic
Head of Human Resources, Company Name LLC
The address"
Since this is a formal letter, it must begin with the appeal "Dear", and continue with the name, patronymic. In some areas, recruiters are very strict about professional etiquette, so avoid informal greetings such as “Hello.”
Write the correct introduction. Writing the first paragraph is very simple, as you emphasize the main details of your working relationship with the person you recommend.
Include:
- your position in the company;
- name of the person you recommend;
- his position;
- Your relationship: boss or colleague;
- duration of cooperation.
An example of a letter of recommendation for writing an introduction:
"As the project coordinator for Company Name, I was the supervisor (name of recommended) from 2015 to 2018. We worked closely together on several startups, and I enjoyed working in a team with such an outstanding business analyst."
Write quality text. The bulk of the text includes details of the skills, knowledge, and achievements of the person you recommend.
To keep the bulk of the letter concise, start with the area in which the recommended person is an expert, describe situations that showed the qualities that are manifested in solving problems at work. After that, you can choose two or three traits that will represent the valuable candidate as a potential employee.
Write your opinion about the qualities of the candidate in the last paragraph of the letter. Employers hire candidates based not only on their technical skills, but also focus on qualities such as independence, initiative, honesty, etc. If you think these descriptions are not suitable for your case, try choosing from the following list:
- Good quality communication.
- Leadership.
- Creativity.
- Analytical thinking.
- Teamwork.
Below is an example of a letter of recommendation for a nanny, which can be used in the main body of the letter:
“The knowledge (name) about baby food and child psychology gives her advantages over other candidates for a nanny position. She not only watches 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 trusted person who can be safely left alone with the 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;
- fair.
Example:
“(Name) has excellent knowledge not only in accounting, but also in the legal field, which helps reduce time in resolving disputes during the project, which is excellent quality. (Name) is also a very loyal person, resolves all issues within his competence without reservation. ”
If you were asked for a letter of recommendation to the bank, you can focus on the example below.
“(Name) is very well versed in banking transactions and accounting, and we entrusted him with the cash desk of our bank. 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 made investments in bank projects. ”
In the final paragraph, you can write why you would hire this person again, but only if you really did. If not, you can simply write the final paragraph on a positive note, noting how valuable the employee’s contribution to the development of the company was. Invite the recipient to contact you for additional recommendations or questions.
For instance:
“Based on all the above reasons, I give (name) the best recommendation for the position of head of information technology department. Please feel free to contact if you have any questions. ”
“(Name) is one of those workers whom I would re-employ without hesitation. I am sure that she is an excellent graphic designer and will be an excellent member of your team. Please contact me if you have any questions. ”
Complete with your own signature
Write more than “Sincerely yours” preceding your name. Add your position, office mailing address, work phone number to provide the recipient with options for contacting you.
We hope that the article was able to answer all your questions and clarified the topic completely. Use the examples for the letter of recommendation from the article by adding your words.
