A letter of recommendation can be of various types such as it can be the letter for employment or an academic letter or character reference letter or a personal reference letter. No matter whatever be its type writing a recommendation letter is certainly a matter of great honor.
This is because writing a letter of recommendation is a kind of very weighty task and it can either make or break one’s life. So, writing a recommendation letter is not a cup of everyone’s tea. You certainly need to know all the steps of writing an effective recommendation letter otherwise you will not be able to impress the recruiting person with your recommendation letter and all your effort will go in vain.
That is the reason why in this article we have come forward with some of the best tips for writing a recommendation letter that will surely impress the other party. However, some more samples are available in this site and you can have a look at those samples as well for better understanding.
Effective Tips for writing a recommendation letter
The following are some essential tips that you must follow while writing a recommendation letter:
- Using standard formal letter convention: Always remember that a recommendation letter is a formal letter and as such, it is very important to write the letter in a standard formal letter convention. You have to place your name and address on the top right corner of your letter and name and address of the recipient on the left side of the letter. Apart from that, it is also essential to use correct salutation in the letter.
- Praising the applicant: It is very essential to start the letter by praising the applicant a little bit. When you will make a positive note on the applicant the recipient can at least understand that you have faith in him. You must write that you have worked closely with the applicant and found him to be extremely talented and enthusiastic, also include the date, which is also an important part of a recommendation letter.
- Describing how you came to know the applicant: In the recommendation letter, you must specify how you came to know about the applicant and also for how long you know him.
- Specifying the success story: It is also very important to specify the success story of the applicant. You must write about some kind of innovative solution to any kind of problem which has ultimately provided some remarkable success to the company.
- Making a comparison: It is always better if you compare the applicant with the other while writing the recommendation letter. This will help the recipient to understand why you have recommended the applicant and how the applicant is better than other candidates.
- Specifying how the applicant wants to improve: In the recommendation letter, it is also important to specify how the applicant has the zeal to improve his weak areas. It is true that everybody has some sort of weakness. But a person should have a willingness to overcome his problem through his own effort. So, when you will specify the zeal of the applicant the recipient will surely be impressed with the spirit of the applicant.
- Making the letter action-oriented: It is also very essential to begin each paragraph of the letter with a punchy and active affirmation that clearly shows the qualities and characters of the applicant. For example, you can write that you have seen the applicant to grow his skill tremendously in the past one or two years.
- Specifying the reason to recommend the applicant: In the recommendation letter, it is also very important to specify why you think that applicant is the best fit for the organization if the recipient so that the recipient can understand your values well.
- Giving the recipient a chance to contact you: You must also provide your contact number to the recipient and also ask him to contact you in case they need any further follow-up questions.
- Concluding the letter affirmatively: It is very essential to conclude the letter affirmatively. For example, you can write that with the huge abilities, adaptability, and dedication that the applicant possesses you do not have any doubt that the recipient will be pleased to have the applicant in his team.
- Using proper closing terms and signature: Since a recommendation letter is a formal letter it is also very important to use a proper closing term such as ‘Sincerely’, ‘Best wishes’, ‘Thanking You’, etc.
