A recommendation letter provides an opportunity to show appreciation for a former student or employee’s effort and hard work. It is a chance to let the individual know that you recognized their abilities and effort. A recommendation letter has a powerful impact on the individual’s ability to obtain a job or get admission into a college.
It is thus essential to invest time and effort while writing the recommendation letter. You may check My PA Resource to understand the art of writing a recommendation letter.
Valuable tips for writing a letter of recommendation
- Creating new letters for each recommendation: It is important to customize each message with specific details highlighting the individual’s qualifications. Sketching a general outline before writing the letter will be beneficial. Try to include critical points regarding the individual’s qualifications.
- Review: before writing the letter, review the student’s or candidate’s resume to get a good overview of their experiences. A proper understanding of their background may help you write a decent letter that addresses their specific goals and strengths.
- Bullet points: For economizing on time and ensuring that you touch on each issue that reveals essential aspects of the individual, try to use bullet points or smaller paragraphs for reference. The candidate can provide you with a draft of the letter, which you may edit in your way.
- Preparing the list: After reviewing the resume and the job description, try to compile the list of accomplishments and qualities that you believe highlight the individual’s qualifications. You may ask the candidate to share their most marketable assets, which may help them get hold of the position they desire.
- Introduction: the letter should include a brief introduction of yourself in the first couple of lines. Give a quick overview of your position and your relation with the candidate. There is no need to go deep. The introduction will help give context to the letter and explain why you recommend the person.
- Use job description: to review what the employer expects, an accurate job description is required. A detailed review of the job description is necessary to address the specific requirement for the position.
- Focus on a few qualities: from the pool of several attributes, try to pick one or at the most two qualities which you may feel make the individual fit for the job. Try to support the qualities with specific evidence. Do focus your letter on the individual’s achievements and the positions that they have held in the past.
- Provide contact information: If the administrator or employer requires further information, they should have an avenue for the same. Mention your contact information by way of email address, phone number, and postal address so that they can get in touch with you.
As a recommender, it is your job to glorify the strengths of the candidate. You aim to help them stand out from the other candidates in the pursuit of the job. Try to express your confidence in this regard.
Also, proofreading is essential to avoid any grammatical errors and typing errors. The structure of the letter should be simple and to the point. The language should be lucid enough. The format should include salutation, introduction, details, summary, conclusion, and signature.
