Letter of Recommendation

How do I write a letter of recommendation?

Start with how you know the person, in what role and for how long. Then give two or three strengths that suit the job or program, each with a specific example. Compare them with others if you can do so honestly, and close by restating your support and offering to answer questions. Help me write it builds each part.

1. Pick what the letter is for.
2. Say how you know the person and for how long.
3. Add two or three strengths, each with an example.
4. Type your school or company at the top of the letter, and your name under the signature; your title and contact go in the settings.
5. Sign and download the PDF or Word file.

How long should a recommendation letter be?

About one page. MIT says a letter should usually have three or four paragraphs and not run over one page, and the University of Chicago calls one page a good target unless the employer asks for something else. The page count beside Download PDF shows when the letter runs onto a second sheet.

What makes a recommendation letter strong?

Specific examples. MIT says vivid detail makes a recommendation much more effective, and the University of Chicago suggests one or two anecdotes for each strength. A sentence such as reconciled three bank accounts every month without an error tells the reader more than calling someone detail oriented. Use real facts only.

Here is how the maker opens a job reference: "I am pleased to recommend Maria Lopez for the Junior Accountant position. I have known Maria as her manager at Lakeview Dental for two years, and in that time Maria has earned my full confidence." It follows with "Maria is exact with numbers. She reconciled three bank accounts every month without a single error."

Should I agree to write a recommendation?

Only if you can be honestly positive. MIT's guide says that if you cannot portray someone positively, you should decline to write the letter. A short, sincere letter from someone who knows the person's work well helps more than a long, vague one from someone senior who barely knows them.