What is a Letter of Recommendation (LOR)? An official letter which is an associated document along with a job application letter is called a recommendation letter. It is usually written along with a job application letter or college application letter or carrying out projects/ internships or research activities. Recommendation letters are normally written to HRs/ Managers or Heads of Companies, school or college principals, or any higher authority person. It is usually written by teachers/ professors/ employers/ friends/ relatives/ acquaintances etc.
Letter of Recommendation Contents
Since a recommendation letter is usually written to highlight the candidate’s skills and performance, it should contain a professionally adapted format. Some of the merits that must be explicitly highlighted in recommendation letters are given below:
- Academic qualifications and outstanding achievements in academics.
- Merits earned in one’s career life and remarkable highlights of one’s career.
- Notable peaks in one’s career that are worth mentioning in recommendation letters.
- Applicant’s character, integrity and moral discipline with respect to the job.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills required for the job.
Types of Recommendation Letters
There are various types of recommendation letters based on the subject of recommendation:
- Recommendation Letter for applying to a job.
- Letter of Recommendation for school/ college/ university for obtaining a seat in the institution.
- Recommendation Letter for Character references
How to Write a Letter of Recommendation?
Some of the guidelines to be followed by writing recommendation letters are:
- All protocols associated with formal recommendation letters should be incorporated.
- The tone should be official and professional. Avoid jargon’s, slangs and SMS languages.
- Subject line should be clear and unambiguous.
- The letter should be clear, concise, and the matter should be written without any spelling errors and grammatical mistakes.
- Any breaks or gaps in school/ career should be clearly explained.
- Supporting documents, along with the letter, should be attached to avoid ambiguity.
- Any medical documentation should be explicitly furnished.
- Proofread the letter, ensure all attachments are made and address the whole bunch of documentation to the appropriate person.
Letter of Recommendation Format & Template
Commonly used templates for writing letters of recommendation are given below:
Letter of Recommendation Format From, To, Dear Sir/ Ma’am, Subject: Recommendation Letter In the first paragraph of the body of the letter, kindly introduce yourself briefly. After that, start with how the person being recommended is known to you, his academic and career aspects. State his achievements and professional growth. Talk about his personal traits and why you would recommend that person to the organisation. Attach a call-to-action line at the end of the letter and highlight in the conclusion part that you truly recommend the person for the vacant position. Yours Sincerely, |
Letter of Recommendation Sample
After going through the format above, let’s now take a look at a sample letter of recommendation drafted below. This draft is about a letter of recommendation from a teacher in favour of her student.
Letter of Recommendation Sample 20-03-2021 From, To, Dear Mrs. Lobo, Subject: Recommendation Letter for the 3-week Science Education program. I’m Mrs. Vani Srihari, serving as coordinator of Lower Primary Wing, Little Angels Public School, Bangalore. We recently received the three-week intensive science education program for lower primary students and extended our interest in participating in the event. In this regard, one of our students from class 2 by name, Monita Daksh, is exceptionally talented in scientific knowledge grasping. We would like to recommend her willingly participate in the educational program and learn valuable insights from science and technology. Monita has the highest recommendation for the internship program from our institution. I truly endorse her learning skills and knowledge in the subject and believe she is the best participant from our school in this regard. Kindly accept her participation and provide her with a chance to learn and innovate new ideas and scientific thinking. Please feel free to call back on our official school number for any doubts that may arise. Yours Sincerely, |
FAQ’s on Letter of Recommendation
1. Explain the contents of a recommendation letter?
A recommendation letter is a professionally written letter. It usually speaks in favour of one person and recommends him/her for a position/ opportunity that will mutually benefit both the parties in some or the other way. Some of the important contents of a recommendation letter are:
- Name of the person being recommended
- Skills and achievements of the person being recommended.
- Academic performance of the person being recommended.
- Recommending a person’s details.
- A formal statement explaining why the candidate is being recommended.
- Explanation citing why the person being recommended is a good choice for the opportunity or job vacancy.
2. How do I draft a recommendation letter?
A person can recommend one person to another by formally explaining his traits and achievements in detail to the organisation or institution looking for suitable candidates. The most important factors in the letter are why the person is recommending the candidate and why he would be a suitable choice for the recommending entity.
3. What are the types of recommendation letters?
There are many types of recommendation letters based on the subject of the recommendation. Some of them are:
- Recommendation letter for job vacancies.
- Recommendation letter for admission in educational institutions.
- Recommendation letter based on characters or traits of a person.
Recommendation letters should be written with care as the person recommending a candidate takes up the responsibility of favouring him for a particular opportunity. If the company finds the candidate inappropriate after selecting them based on the recommending person’s words, it leaves a bad remark on him.