A letter of recommendation is a document written by a person who knows an individual well and can attest to their skills, qualifications, and character. These letters are commonly used in job applications, college admissions, scholarship applications, and other opportunities where a person’s skills and qualifications need to be evaluated.
A good letter of recommendation should be specific and highlight the person’s strengths and accomplishments. It should also provide examples of how the person has demonstrated their skills and character. The letter should be written in a professional tone and should be tailored to the specific opportunity the person is applying for.
If you need to request a letter of recommendation from someone, it’s important to give them enough time to write it and provide them with any necessary information, such as the specific opportunity the letter is for and any relevant details about the person’s qualifications.
When writing a letter of recommendation, it’s important to be honest and accurate in your assessment of the person. Don’t exaggerate or make false claims, as this could harm the person’s chances of success in the opportunity they are applying for.
Just so you know, a well-written letter of recommendation can greatly improve a person’s chances of success in their career or academic pursuits.
For the purpose of this article, I will be tailoring the letters of recommendation for graduates. A graduate school recommendation letter is a written endorsement of a candidate for graduate school that is submitted along with the application. Recommendations are usually written by professional or academic contacts that have a good understanding of the applicant and can provide a credible opinion about him or her. When possible, the letter should be brief and positive.
Recommended: Differences between a Reference and Recommendation Letter
General format for writing a letter of recommendation:
- Begin with a formal greeting: Address the letter to the recipient by name, if possible.
- Introduce yourself: Start by introducing yourself and explaining how you know the person you are recommending.
- Describe the person’s qualifications: In the body of the letter, describe the person’s qualifications and abilities. Provide specific examples of their work or accomplishments.
- Explain why you recommend them: Discuss why you think the person would be a good fit for the position or opportunity they are applying for.
- Close with a positive statement: End the letter with a positive statement about the person and your recommendation.
- Offer to provide further information: Include your contact information and offer to provide further information or answer any questions.
Tips for writing a letter of recommendation:
- Be specific: Provide specific examples of the person’s work or accomplishments to support your recommendation.
- Be positive: Use positive language and focus on the person’s strengths and qualifications.
- Be honest: Don’t exaggerate or overstate the person’s abilities or qualifications.
- Be concise: Keep the letter short and to the point, but make sure to include all necessary information.
- Proofread: Make sure to proofread the letter for spelling and grammar errors before sending it.
Remember, a letter of recommendation can have a significant impact on a person’s career or academic opportunities, so take the time to write a thoughtful and well-written letter.
Letter of Recommendation Template Guide
Here is a general format you can follow when writing a letter of recommendation:
- Start with a formal salutation and introduction: Address the letter to the recipient by name, if possible. Introduce yourself and your relationship to the person you are recommending.
- Describe the person’s qualifications: In the body of the letter, describe the person’s qualifications, skills, and accomplishments. Use specific examples to support your statements.
- Discuss the person’s character and work ethic: Explain why you think the person is a good fit for the opportunity they are applying for. Discuss their character, work ethic, and any other relevant personal qualities.
- Offer a recommendation: State that you highly recommend the person and why you believe they would be successful in the opportunity they are seeking.
- Provide your contact information: Include your contact information in case the recipient has any questions or needs further information.
- Close with a positive statement: End the letter with a positive statement about the person and your recommendation.
Remember to tailor your letter of recommendation to the specific opportunity the person is seeking. Use strong and positive language to help the person stand out and highlight their qualifications and strengths.
So, if you are an applicant who needs to write a recommendation letter, here are some ideas that can be used as samples or templates, the choice is yours.
1) LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION FOR SAMSON DAVIES BY HIS EMPLOYER
I recommend Samson Davies for admission to the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Graduate program. For the past two years, I have enjoyed knowing and working with Samson. He worked as a graphic designer for me at Datawit, a leading data provider for my development organization.
Samson joined the Datawit team when the company needed an artistic mind capable of creating self-communicating and visual narratives of insights derived from data analyzed using rigorous statistical techniques. Samson was able to put his ability to create visualizations that convey stories about the insights discovered in the data to good use within two months of joining the organization, helping to increase the readership of the data insights produced by my organization.
Samson Davies is an expert at resolving issues. He always combined his visual sensitivity with his skill and knowledge in communications, technology, and business at Datawits to produce outputs that represented my organization’s goal, outperformed the competition, and reached the target audience.
He brings commitment, ingenuity, collaboration, and professionalism to all of his activities. This helped him fit in well with my company, which was only a few months old when he joined us and required a strong team spirit to succeed. He was always willing to share his knowledge and expertise with members of our organization, especially as the leader of the graphics design and visualization unit. He was also eager to learn new skills, which, combined with his excellent subject knowledge, bodes well for his future as a researcher.
Samson’s ability to combine scientific and artistic skills in data demonstrates his analytical mind and potential, which is necessary for exploratory or hypothetical data analysis and is a quality of a good researcher.
Davies was a valued member of our organization until he departed from Datawits, and the team appreciated that we can count on him no matter how difficult the task at hand or how novel the challenge is. His intelligence, dedication, perseverance, creativity, and compassionate nature will undoubtedly make him an asset to any academic program.
I am confident that he possesses the academic preparation, self-motivation, and perseverance necessary to succeed in the program for which he has applied.
I strongly recommend him for admission and any available scholarships to your prestigious university, and I do not doubt that he will produce outstanding work during his time there.
Sincerely,
Sign
Adams Smith
2) LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION FOR MS GRACE BENT BY HER EMPLOYER
It is my pleasure to write this letter of recommendation for Grace Bent, who is applying for a master’s admission into your prestigious University.
I have known Ms Grace Bent for one year as her colleague at Sacs. During her working days at Sacs, she maintained a consistent and brilliant record in delivering any task assigned to her.
She is physically, mentally and emotionally stable and of good moral character. She has a sound and exceptional enthusiasm for policy analysis and transnational policymaking. This is evident in the context of most of her published research articles for Dataphyte. She is good at using data analysis to drive impact narratives that stimulate practice and policies. I have been working closely with her and found her very resourceful in working alone and in teams.
Grace Bent is very hardworking, honest, humble, dependable, resourceful, trustworthy, innovative, kind and has excellent leadership qualities. She has a natural aptitude for problem-solving. She is very capable of undertaking independent graduate research studies. I am confident that she has the scholarly preparation, self-motivation, and perseverance to succeed in a Master’s program. She is resilient, has excellent time management skills and possesses a genuine passion for learning. She has very good communication skills.
I strongly recommend her for admission and any scholarship into your prestigious University and I do not doubt that she would carry out a remarkable master’s work within his period of study.
3) LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION FOR PHILIP SMART BY GRADUATE SUPERVISOR
It is my pleasure to write this letter of recommendation for Mr. Philip Smart, who is applying for a Graduate Program admission into your prestigious University. I have known Mr. Philip Smart for (6) years as his graduate lecturer and supervisor. During his master’s studies in the department, he maintained a consistent and brilliant academic record in his course work and dissertation. His Cumulative Grade Point Average was 4.90 on a 5-point scale.
Philip is hardworking, humble, and honest. He is physically, mentally, and emotionally stable and of good moral character. His background in History and Philosophy is sound and exceptional. He is fluent in the English Language, both in written and speaking. I have been working closely with him and found him very resourceful in working alone and in teams. I strongly recommend him for admission and any scholarship into your prestigious university and I do not doubt that he would carry out remarkable research work within his period of study.
4) LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION ON BEHALF OF MISS RAYNA HAJU BY IT SUPERVISOR
I have known Miss Rayna Haju as her Industrial Trainee (IT) supervisor at Edex Development Institute, and as her lecturer in graduate studies in the Department of Economics, the University of Sussex, as well for ten (10) years. Miss Rayna Haju is an intelligent student. While an Industrial Trainee at Edex Development Institute, she displayed a consistent level of practical excellence in macroeconomic analysis for six months. She also had an excellent academic record from his master’s degree and graduated with distinction.
Rayna Haju is very hardworking, dependable, resourceful, trustworthy, innovative, kind and has excellent leadership qualities. He is sound in his judgments and has a natural aptitude for problem-solving. He is an entrepreneur. He is very capable of undertaking independent graduate research studies as well as working in a team. I am confident that he has the scholarly preparation, self-motivation, and perseverance to succeed in your postgraduate program. She is resilient, has excellent time management skills and possesses a genuine passion for learning. She has good communication skills and I do not doubt that she would carry out remarkable research at your university if granted admission and assisted with a scholarship. Hence, I strongly recommend her for admission into your high esteemed University.
5) LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION FOR MS MARY HANKS BY HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER
I am delighted to write this letter of recommendation for Ms. Mary Hanks, who is applying to your esteemed College for admission. Mary was a high school student of mine during her time at St Victoria Academy Senior Secondary School, and I have known her for over 6 years.
During her secondary school days, Mary was always a role model for her classmates and peers. Her admission to your esteemed college would undoubtedly be a positive addition, as she consistently works hard to achieve success and good grades.
She has a challenging nature and used to help her peers solve complex mathematical problems.
I have no reservations in recommending Mary Hanks for admission to your college, and I am confident that she will be the best student in your class. If you have any questions or require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me at (add contact details here).
6) PhD RECOMMENDATION LETTER FOR JAMES SHARK BY MASTER SUPERVISOR
I am delighted to write a letter of recommendation for James Shark in order for him to be considered for admission to your prestigious institution. I am recommending him for the Energy Option in the Department of Electronic Engineering, and I am confident he would be an excellent fit for the opening. For the past 5 years, I have observed his dedication, stability, and ingenuity while supervising his Master’s thesis.
James is an inquisitive researcher who is always on the lookout for the next big thing in his field. He has a keen eye for detail and can fill in research gaps. The quality of his research outputs reflects this. I am confident that he will demonstrate his abilities during his PhD studies at your institution.
I strongly advise James to pursue his PhD in Energy Options, and I am confident that he will produce cutting-edge, results-oriented research. Please feel free to contact me at…… If you require any additional information about James, please contact us.
I recommend James to pursue his PhD studies in Energy Options and I and confident he produces innovative and result-oriented research. Feel free to contact me on ……. If you need any further details regarding James.
7) LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION FOR STELLA ISAAC BY COURSE ADVISER
Stella Isaac is a candidate for graduate school that I strongly recommend. In my role as a Course Adviser at Excel College, I have worked with Emily.
Stella maintained a 4.21 GPA while at Excel, despite taking a full load of honours classes and seminars. She was the top student in two of the mandatory courses I teach, and her other instructors in our department also praise her work in their classes.
Stella worked as a laboratory assistant for fourth-grade classes and a graduate student assistant for second-grade classes in addition to her studies.
She took on all of these responsibilities with zeal and a positive attitude. Stella has a friendly demeanour and a teaching style that captivates trainees and audiences.
Her ability to connect with her students and her talent for teaching both basic and advanced concepts are truly exceptional. She is extremely organized, dependable, and computer literate, and she has excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Stella would be a fantastic addition to your program, and I wholeheartedly recommend her to you. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions about her background or qualifications.
8) LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION FOR DICK LARRY BY EMPLOYER
Dick has been a full-time intern at Agor, Inc. for almost two years and has quickly established himself as a valuable member of our team. I accepted without hesitation when he asked me to write a recommendation letter to help him get into Rhodes University’s Master of Engineering program. Dick has my full support in his postgraduate endeavors as his mentor. He has the ability to inspire those around him, and his upbeat attitude should serve as a lesson to us all.
Dick has always stood out in terms of tasks and delivery since I’ve known him. During the interview process for full-time interns, I first noticed his exceptional personality.
Dick has been a full-time intern here at Agor, Inc. for almost two years and has become a major asset to our team. When approached to write a recommendation letter to strengthen his application for the Master of Engineering program at Rhodes University, I accepted without hesitation. As his mentor, Dick has my full support in his postgraduate endeavours. He has the power to inspire those around him and his positive outlook on life should be a lesson to us all.
Since I have known Dick he has always stood out in tasks and delivery. I first noticed his outstanding nature during the interview process to recruit full-time interns. Despite the fact that there were several other first-class graduates among the applicants, his seamless combination of theory and practicals made him the ideal candidate.
He was a top student and trainee in most of the courses he took at Agor, and his portfolio included many impressive projects and innovative designs that we saw him come up with.
There has been a revolving door of interns at Agor during my time there. Dick, on the other hand, has been without a doubt one of the most outstanding interns we’ve ever had. Starting an internship can be nerve-wracking, but Dick handled the transition admirably. He brings a tenacity to the company that seems to ignite a fire in each of us. His ideas are always well-considered, and he communicates with the rest of the team perfectly.
He has an unusually creative mind and a talent for design. It’s been a pleasure working with Dick, and anyone who is fortunate enough to do so will feel the same way.
Dick has a vast knowledge of optimization methods and techniques. When they learn that he is only a year out of college, our clients are taken aback. He communicates his ideas and works in a manner akin to that of a seasoned engineer. As an Engineer, he still has a lot to learn, but he is a phenomenal learner who is constantly eager to broaden his horizons.
Dick’s performance and seemingly limitless enthusiasm continue to astound me. He possesses exceptional analytical and critical evaluation skills. I strongly advise you to consider Dick for your Master of Engineering program. I believe he will go on to achieve great Engineering feats that will put his name and that of Rhodes in the Engineering hall of fame.
Almost all graduate school applications still require at least two recommendation letters from individuals who can speak coherently about your abilities, competencies, and personal character and recommend you for admission. Because many referees are too busy to write these letters themselves, it will be necessary for you to improve your recommendation writing skills using examples like this.
