How To Write Letter Of Recommendation And Samples
Very often we receive requests from a relative, friend, colleague or former coworker, junior team members, students or even bosses to write a letter of recommendation.
Why’s that? Why would people who don’t even know you believe a
recommendation letter from another unknown person?
Because a recommendation letter is not merely what it says.
While it does serve as a sort of ‘guarantee’ that a jobseeker or candidate has
good character or certain qualities and skills an
employer is looking for, it has several more uses too.
Uses of
Letter of Recommendation
Ever heard about Employee Background Screening (EBS) or
Pre-Employment Verification (PEV) or similar sounding processes? I’ll explain briefly.
EBS, PEV, and other such processes are actually checked that an
employer conducts on your background. That means, they’ll verify most details
you write on your resume.
And that includes your educational certificates and references.
There’re various companies that provide this service.
Now an EBS service provider will contact everyone- from
university to ex-bosses, former colleagues and supervisors. And they’ll contact
the persons that’ve given that recommendation letter too.
In other cases, the organization might directly contact the
person that has given this letter.
Additionally, this letter also indirectly reveals the
professional, social and sometimes political connections of the individual that
presents one.
And here’s something you should remember: a recommendation
letter also involves legal risks in some countries.
Legal
Risks of Letter of Recommendation
Yes. Giving this letter also involves legal risk. Potent legal
risks. This means the person or company issuing this letter is legally responsible
for its content.
In certain countries, a person or organization issuing this
letter can face penalties. That’s if the individual holding this letter
violates a company law, is found inefficient or other such reasons.
Therefore, you need to be extra cautious while writing and
signing a recommendation letter. You might not land in legal problems.
However, issuing this letter for a person you don’t really know
can ruin your superb reputation in the society or profession.
However, that doesn’t mean you turn away everyone and anyone
that requests a recommendation letter. If you find the person is indeed worthy
or merits a letter or recognition, by all means, go ahead and issue one.
In fact, this letter can help change someone’s life for the
better.
Therefore, here are some simple tips to follow to write a letter
of recommendation.
How to
Write a Letter of Recommendation
Using these simple tips can help you write an excellent letter
of recommendation and save yourself any hassles. Keep your language simple and
easy to understand.
This means, never use complex words that forces the other person
to reach for a dictionary.
Find Purpose of the
Letter of Recommendation
People of all sorts need a recommendation letter for various
purposes. Therefore, find out what is a letter of recommendation and the
specific purpose of why this letter is necessary.
When you know the purpose, it becomes very simple to write a
short recommendation letter. In fact, short letters are much better than long
winding ones. Because the longer your letter, the deeper its implications.
Know the Person
Knowing the person for you’re writing this letter is essential.
Unfortunately, managers at large corporations with dozens or more staff often
neglect this simple tip.
When you know the person, you’ll have some knowledge about their
character and capabilities. This makes it easier to write one.
What if a person you don’t know but works at your organization
asks for this letter? In such situations, ask their colleagues and immediate
seniors for details such as attitude at work, productivity, and
other essentials.
Or better still, call the person and speak for a few minutes to
know them a bit. However, calling a person might not be possible if they’re
working at some distant location for your organization.
Provide Neutral Views
Remember, you’re responsible directly for what goes into a
recommendation letter. Therefore, be neutral. Mention all their positive traits
of character both as person and worker on your letter.
If the person has some undesirable qualities, you can mention
those in a different way. For example, you can use words such as ‘satisfactory
performance’ if an employee hasn’t met the standards of your organization.
And if the person is lazy, use words like “good performer when
motivated well.”
Keep it Conditional
This means, you’re indirectly recommending the person for a job
or position. How’s that possible? Include words such as “I would
recommend…provided they meet your standards.”
This means, you’re absolving yourself of any legal liabilities
that may arise from your recommendation letter.
When you use words like “provided they meet your standards,” the
ball is in the other party’s court.
Hence, the new employer needs to verify if the jobseeker meets
their standards. And if they hire the person without such verification, they’re
squarely to blame.
Conclude with
Disclaimer
Always conclude your letter with a disclaimer. To do so, include
a sentence such as: “This recommendation letter is given upon request to…for
whatever purposes it may serve. This organization is not liable in any way for
the contents of this letter.”
Understandably, this may sound rude or objectionable. A person
who gets the recommendation letter might even object to this clause.
Here, it’s important to note that you’re talking about the
liabilities of your organization. Therefore, it has nothing to do with the person
to whom you’re issuing the recommendation letter.
And of course, this letter is always given upon request. Hence,
you’re merely stating the truth.
Letter of
Appreciation v/s Letter of Recommendation
There’s a vast difference between a letter of appreciation and a
recommendation letter. If you’re writing this letter for someone that you know
well and genuinely merits one, issue a letter of appreciation.
In such cases, you can appreciate the person for their work. If
you find they have a pleasant personality, add a couple of lines on that too.
Also, speak about the project or work for which you’re
appreciating the person.
Conclude such a letter by expressing gratitude to the person for
their excellent work. And add a line as recommendation such as: “We’re hopeful
they can meet your standards,” or something similar.
Using: “We’re hopeful…” instead of “We’re confident…” gives you
that vital ambiguity. It means you’re being honest and fair to everyone: the
person that gets the letter and the person who reads it to give a job or work.
Letter of
Recommendation for Student
If you’re writing this letter for a student, do so without any
reservations. However, focus more on the academic qualities of a student rather
than personal traits. Especially if the student is a teenager.
That’s because teenagers are prone to personality changes and
mood swings during those years. It’s not their fault. A docile and
mild-mannered teenager can develop into an aggressive bully a couple of years
later.
Therefore, restrict your recommendation letter to the academic
abilities of your student. If the recommendation letter is for a job, speak
about the skills they have, so it will help them in their career.
That way, you’re helping the student without being judgmental
about their personality.
Letter of
Recommendation for LinkedIn/ Online Uses
While writing a recommendation letter for LinkedIn or for online
uses you need to be extra cautious. If you know the person, fine. Go ahead and write
an excellent letter of recommendation on the above lines.
But if it’s some freelancer who has done some superb work, issue
a letter of appreciation with a few words of recommendation as I mention above.
In fact, you can refer to my templates I’m providing alongside
this article. They will give you some ideas on how to write an excellent letter
of recommendation.
Other
Letters of Recommendation
In some instances, a bank or financial organization might ask
for this letter to provide a loan or finance some purchase.
This isn’t common practice in India, though it’s done in some
foreign countries. Be careful before you recommend anyone for a loan or credit:
you could end up owning their liabilities if they default.
Also in some countries, people applying for senior managerial or
supervisory posts have to get this letter from their juniors.
That’s done to ensure the person has total control over the
power an organization invests in them. This prevents the abuse of powers.
However, these are fairly uncommon in India, though the trend
may appear here anytime, given the penchant for Indians to copy foreign
systems. Therefore, it’s better to be aware of these trends.
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