For example, rather than simply stating that a candidate is a strong writer, mention that they wrote a prize-winning essay.
If someone has achieved awards or special recognition for their accomplishments, mention it. When writing a specific letter referring a candidate for a particular job opening, the recommendation letter should include information on how the candidate's skills match the position they are applying for. Ask for a copy of the job posting and a copy of the person's resume, so you can target your recommendation letter accordingly.
Try to use keywords from the job listing in your recommendation. The letter should include your contact information for follow-up. Finally, be prepared to answer questions about your endorsement of the candidate. This recommendation letter template shows the format of a typical letter of recommendation , with details on what to include in each paragraph of your letter. Salutation If you are writing a personal recommendation letter , include a salutation Dear Dr.
Williams, Dear Ms. Miller, etc. If you are writing a general letter, say " To Whom it May Concern " or simply don't include a salutation. Paragraph 1 — Introduction The first paragraph of the recommendation letter explains the purpose of the letter, as well as your connection to the person you are recommending, including how you know them, and for how long.
Paragraph 2 — Details The second paragraph of the recommendation letter contains specific information on the person you are writing about, including why they are qualified, and what they can contribute. If necessary, use more than one paragraph to provide details. Paragraph 3 — Summary This section of the recommendation letter contains a brief summary of why you are recommending the person.
State that you "highly recommend" the person or that you "recommend without reservation" or something similar. Paragraph 4 — Conclusion The concluding paragraph of the recommendation letter contains an offer to provide more information.
You can include a phone number within this paragraph. Another option is to include a phone number and email address in the return address section or signature of the letter. Leadership skills, dedication, ability to focus, and ability to learn quickly are all skills that are good to highlight in a recommendation letter. A great letter of recommendation balances describing both work that someone has done in the past and how it relates to their suitability for the position. Who should you ask to write you a letter of recommendation?
The answer depends on what you need the letter for. Teachers, school counselors, extracurricular activity coaches or sponsors, and principals can write a recommendation letter if you are applying to an undergraduate program, If you are applying to a graduate program, you should ask your college professors, internship supervisors, or work superiors or colleagues to vouch for you.
Recommendations from job supervisors or managers strengthen applications for MBA programs. Before you ask anyone to write you a recommendation letter, you should make sure that they feel comfortable and confident in recommending you.
They should know you and how you work reasonably well. Remember, friends, family members, or juniors are all examples of who you should never ask to write you a recommendation letter. Like this way, you can avoid the appearance of bias. It backs up descriptions of your qualifications with examples. You want your letters of recommendation to demonstrate that you not only possess good qualities but also apply them.
Let us compare the following two examples:. In this way, the reader does not have to keep a lot of complex or nuanced ideas in mind and can easily refer to key points that are highlighted.
For instance, for candidates going for academic positions, I normally highlight their experiences in grant writing. Writing recommendation letters is great fun — it allows me to reflect on my interactions with pupils, remember the creative times together and promote them in their future careers.
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Advanced search. Do you want your biology teacher to focus on your curiosity about the natural world? Let your recommender know what matters most to you. It will help her write her letter, and it will help you get a great reference to send to your colleges. Let's look at a few excerpts from strong recommendation letters that speak both to their students' intellectual capacity and personal strengths.
This example is from an English teacher:. From the first day of class, Mary impressed me with her ability to be articulate about difficult concepts and texts, her sensitivity to the nuances within literature, and her passion for reading, writing, and creative expression- both in and out of the classroom.
She co-founded our school's literary club, where she publishes her poetry, something she hopes to continue in college and beyond. Mary's open and friendly nature has shone through in class, where she supports her peers and respects opinions even when they differ from her own. This letter begins to talk about Mary's intellectual insight, creativity, leadership, and respect for others. This next one is from a school counselor. Your school counselor may be in an especially good position to comment on what you bring to the school community and how you've grown over your time in high school definitely a transformative four years.
If there was a significant turning point, revelation, or challenge that affected you in the past few years, you should share it with your school counselor. When they talk about your capacity for growth, it also helps communicate to admissions officers a vision of what you'll accomplish in college and beyond. After exploring various electives in his first year of high school, Alvan discovered his great passion for photography. His work has been featured in school and community shows, and he volunteers at a local community organization teaching the basics of photography to children.
While he started out high school a bit unsure of himself, Alvan has blossomed into a confident and self-directed individual with a strong voice that he expresses most powerfully through his art.
Colleges want a student who will contribute to their community and achieve great things. That's why a strong letter will speak to your past achievement and how it predicts your future success.
Some skills and qualities that especially impress admissions officer include strength of character, demonstrated leadership, and creativity. Your recommenders might talk about your honesty, integrity, courage, humor, thoughtfulness, maturity, cultural awareness, insight, or compassion for others.
Your teachers may especially be able to discuss your skills of problem solving, analysis, foreign language, communication, or collaboration. This example focuses on Leila's maturity and cultural awareness.
It's also made stronger by the fact that her recommender knows she's applying to study international relations. Leila has a maturity beyond her years, likely a consequence of her travels around the world.
Her friendly nature, cultural awareness, and openness to other people and ways of life will serve her well in this exciting next chapter of her life. I'm looking forward to seeing all that she'll learn, contribute, and accomplish in her international relations program next year. Your letter is strongest if it comes from someone who knows you well and highlights your personal strengths. A letter that only lists out out grades, activities, and other facts and figures could be written by anyone with a copy of your resume.
A personal letter shows that you've established good relationships with your teachers and will do the same on a college campus. Your recommendation letter should help admissions officers get to know you as a multi-dimensional person, even though they've never met you. It should speak to your personal qualities, as well as your academic ability.
To get a personal recommendation letter, you should do two things. First, ask people who know you well. Second, tell your recommender what you'd like her to include in your letter and what values, goals, and experiences are most important to you. Just as you have to support your SAT or ACT essay with examples, your recommendation letter should give specific examples. Your recommender should describe an observation or interaction she had with you that illustrates something essential about your character.
Let's take a look at what I mean when I say your recommendation letter can "show" and not just "tell. Another reason it's a good idea to ask a recommender who knows you well is that she'll be able to give specific anecdotes and examples.
If your letter is full of abstract statements, then it doesn't do much to paint a picture of you in the reader's mind. Your recommender should illustrate your strong points with meaningful stories. Jen cares a great deal about other people. She's kind and a compassionate person. She's also a talented artist. Jen's caring nature and artistic talent are what make Jen special.
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