How Do You Format a Letter of Recommendation? –

The task to create recommendation letters is one of the least favorite activities for many of us. The reason, as a rule, is that people do not know where to begin and how to make such a letter. In this article, we will discover what a recommendation letter is and how to create it successfully.

What is special about this type of letter?

A letter of recommendation is designed to give additional weight to an application for a job or admission to a university. They are usually written by a supervisor, colleague, teacher, or human resources officer. Before starting to talk about recommendation letter editing, let us see why one may need it:

• Students need such letters because the members of an admissions office want to better understand who they are and get information that cannot be obtained from grades and exam results.
• As for job applicants, they need to submit a CV and cover letter in the first place. However, some companies consider only those who can provide a recommendation letter along with the above-mentioned papers.

Altogether, these are two main situations when such a letter may be needed. Of course, following a proper structure and format is more than important in each case because the letter will influence the career and the future of the person who provides it.

How to write and format a letter of recommendation

Since a recommendation letter is an element of business writing, it must be drawn up in accordance with the common rules and include such parts:

• title
• text
• signature
• seal
• date

Tips on the structure and the format are the following:

1. In the first part of the text, it is worth noting how you are related to the candidate you are writing a recommendation for and how long you know this person. If this is your employee, you should indicate the length of employment in your organization and duties performed, list the projects in which the person took part, and assess the effectiveness of their activities and the results achieved. At the end of the paragraph, you can summarize everything said and express your opinion regarding the recommended specialist.
2. In the second paragraph, give more details about the candidate’s professional skills: the ability to perform certain tasks, the role in teamwork, and the person’s strong and weak points.
3. Next, you should write about their personal skills and behavioral patterns: the impression that the candidate makes when communicating and interacting with other team members, whether the person is responsible and loyal, etc.
4. At the end of the letter, the referral source’s contact details are usually indicated, such as a phone number or email address.

Note that such a letter does not have to be an entire song of praise. If you sincerely want to support someone, it would be wiser to tactfully point out the person’s shortcomings and thereby prevent possible misunderstandings. If you wish to learn more on this topic, read Tips On Writing a Letter of Recommendation, and there will be no problems in creating it.