Why you are willing to write on the person s behalf.

Writing a good letter of recommendation.

Companies sometimes ask for reference letters for candidates under consideration. Remember that a neutral letter will not help your student. That s why recommendation letters from teachers especially those who know their students well carry a great deal of weight in applications. Reference your job title and the individual s job title at the time when you interacted as well as the nature of your relationship including whether you supervised the person you re recommending. Follow the greeting with 2 3 sentences of praise for the person you re recommending. The first paragraph of the reference letter explains your connection to the person you are recommending including how you know them how long you ve known them and why you are qualified to write a reference letter on their behalf.

An overview of the applicant s strengths as you ve experienced them and as they relate to the recipient. Modified for business correspondence this means you should explain. A letter that expresses a strong vote of support as well as highlights a student s impressive academic and personal strengths can have a powerful effect on that student s chances of admission. They might say it s my honor it s my pleasure or i m very pleased to provide this letter of recommendation for joe stating the obvious with a sentence like i m writing to recommend joe looks weak beside a more enthusiastic opener. All in all a good letter is highly positive and detailed. Be sure to include the name of the company job school or opportunity for which the person is applying.

A brief introduction that states who you are your relationship to the applicant and your personal experience or expertise. Your letter of recommendation should include five items. The strongest letters start out with an immediate statement of support. I am pleased to recommend him for the position of head accountant. Effective recommendation letters contain the who why where when what and how that you may be familiar with from journalism. For example i have been james smith s supervisor at xyz company for the past five years.

If the student really isn t a good fit for graduate study and you recommend him anyway the faculty at that school potentially could remember and in the future take your letters less seriously. Recommendation letter sample 1. The best way to write a letter of recommendation is to start out with a formal greeting or using to whom it may concern if you don t know the recipient. What to include in a recommendation letter. This article will explain how to write a recommendation letter for a job as well as provide five recommendation letter samples to guide you through the process. Reference letters can be required for many different reasons.

The first paragraph of your letter should explain how you know the person for whom you are writing. A well written recommendation letter endorses the candidate s qualifications for an internship job college graduate school or other employment experiential or educational experience. Then explain how you know the person and why you re qualified to recommend them. Who you are writing for.