Knowing how to write a letter of recommendation is important for anyone who's been asked to compose one. Letters of recommendation can make or break people's lives, so the process shouldn't be taken lightly. Knowing the basics of how to write a good letter of recommendation can go a long way toward helping someone who trusts you.
Employment Or Academic?
The bulk of recommendation letters are written for someone who is applying for a job or trying to get into a school. Employment recommendation letters must explicitly state the professional context in which you worked with the person, and the positions he held. Discuss the person's strengths and abilities, along with his integrity and initiative. For academic letters, it can also be worth mentioning the person's integrity and initiative, but keep the focus on his academic achievements or potential for academic success. Discuss the person's honors, awards or other symbols of his outstanding performance.
Format And Tone
In general, letters of recommendation should follow a structural format similar to other letters and documents. The first paragraph should contain a statement of purpose and introduction, while the third and fourth paragraphs should house the bulk of information about the person's strengths, skills and experience. In the fourth paragraph, wrap things up nice and snug. Tone is important. The tone should be formal and sincere, and as personal as possible. An emotionally detached letter about passing impressions of a candidate won't be trusted.
Should You Write A Letter Of Recommendation?
When a person asks you to write him a letter of recommendation, he's asking you to write a letter stating what a good employee or student he is. If you can't do that for a person, the best thing you can do is tell him so. There's no reason to ruin someone's life because of a need to flex your integrity, or embarrassment about turning down someone's request.
It's also worth noting that writing a letter of recommendation takes time. It might be worth kindly refusing a request if you honestly feel you won't have 20 free minutes within the next 2 months. However, before you say no, recognize the potential importance of a letter you could write and how much it could mean to a potential employee or student.
 | A high school letter of recommendation can be just as important as a job letter of rec. You'll need to go into detail about what a student can offer a school. |
 | Writing letters of recommendation for a job might seem easy, but you won't help the person who has asked you for a letter of rec unless you are willing to go into detail. |
An Eagle Scout letter of recommendation should describe a young man's high moral character and abilities since the status of Eagle Scout is the highest honor a Boy Scout can obtain. |
These sample personal letters of recommendation can help you get over your writer's block and create a letter that will help your former employee land a job. |
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