2+ Sample Recommendation Letter Template to Make the Applicant Stands Out

Is your student or employee asking your recommendation letter? Now, you can take a look at our sample recommendation letter template. We also want to share tips related to a recommendation letter.

Contents

The format of recommendation letter

There is a certain format you need to write when it comes to a strong recommendation letter. We would like to give you some important elements you shouldn’t miss when you write one.

Letterhead and contact information

There are some elements need to be in a letterhead. They are including your complete name, contact information, and address. You place a letterhead in the top of the letter.

Salutation

Same as many other letters, a recommendation letter starts with a salutation in the very first line. You should address the letter to the body of people or the person you are writing to by his or her title and name. Try to avoid boring salutation like “To Whom It May Concern”. You can use that salutation if you have no idea about the information of the person you are writing to.

Introduction

In this part, you can start by telling your applicant’s recommendation. You should explain about who you are and how long you have known the applicant. It is also necessary to write the information in the letter about the relationship between you and the applicant.

The applicant’s professional, personal, and academic achievements

Move to the second paragraph when you should write about the professional strength and relevant academic of the applicant. It includes several detailed and specific examples which demonstrate that the applicant really has it.

Applicant’s characteristics

In the third paragraph, you write about the applicant’s traits and characteristics. It includes the specific positive characteristics possessed by the applicant. You can give the example of what your applicant did to make his or her personality show.

Conclusion

Emphasis again your sincere recommendation to help your applicant’s dream comes true. Your writing should encourage the reader to believe what you write even though the reader doesn’t know the applicant yet. Attach your personal information to make them contact you easily.

The purpose of a recommendation letter

A recommendation letter is necessary for these following activities:

  1. Help a student to get through to his or her dream university
  2. Help a student to get a scholarship
  3. Help an employee who needs a strong reference like a supervisor

How to write a recommendation letter

There are three easy steps to start writing a recommendation letter. They are including:

Ask the applicant’s resume, essay, and cover letter

You need to dig deeper information about the applicant’s background personal information. Read all of them carefully and write a strong supportive letter based on that information. Don’t repeat information that your application already wrote unless it is important and strength to boost his or her character.

Research

Doing some researches a little bit won’t take too much time.  You should know about the background of the university or a company that is your applicant’s targeting.

Type of the letter

Now, it is time to think about the type of the letter that you are going to write. Make sure that you know the content and the tone you want to express in the letter.

The guidelines of a recommendation letter

We would share a few guidelines to make your recommendation letter looks professional. First, you need to keep in mind that an ideal recommendation letter is usually only on a page. A recommendation letter that contains more than one page is extremely too much. It’s okay to add an extra paragraph if the content can make your applicant stands out. Second, use the standard size font which is 12. Last but not least, stick to the basic font styles like Arial or Times New Roman.

We hope these tips and the sample recommendation letter template can help you. Good luck!

Download Template

File Description File size Downloads
Sample Recommendation Letter Template 2 MB 272

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