Writing Recommendation Letters
PROGRAM: “IN A WORD”
EPISODE: WRITING RECOMMENDATION LETTERS
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]
[FADE MUSIC]
I’m Candace Schaefer with “In a Word,” your weekly communication tip.
If you’ve been asked to write a letter of recommendation for a student, employee, or colleague, you may think the best way to proceed is to focus on the person you’re writing about. Not so. There’s another person you need to think about as you’re writing—namely, the person who will receive the letter and decide the fate of your subject. The recipient of your letter is your audience, so your letter should highlight what’s most important to that reader.
First, try to find out what your reader is interested in and values. For example, say an employee who worked for you several years ago has asked you to write a letter of recommendation for a new job.
Ask her what she knows about the company she’s applying to and the specific position she’s seeking in order to get an idea of what qualities and skills you should emphasize. Then fill your letter with specific examples of how your employee has displayed these characteristics. For instance, maybe your employee gave a great presentation at a conference. However, if the position she’s applying for is focused on developing company resources, you may want to discuss, instead, the great job she did updating your policy manual.
Remember: in many cases the person reading your letter has never met the subject personally. In order to give your reader a clear picture of the person you’re writing about, offer specifics. It’s not particularly helpful to say only, “she’s a very responsible and dedicated employee.” Instead, back up that general statement with examples.
And, whenever possible, quantify things, since people see numbers as tangible evidence. So you might say that a former employee, “demonstrated her responsibility by supervising five employees during the evening shift three nights a week for two years.” Likewise, instead of saying a former student is “extremely bright,” you might say, “She’s one of the top five students I’ve worked with in 15 years of teaching.”
You should also include information about how long you’ve known the subject and in what capacity.
For example, “I first met Marco four years ago when he was a student in my organic chemistry class.”
Finally, read over your letter, checking for errors but also asking yourself how you reader is likely to react to it. Would the information help convince him or her to select this person over other applicants?
By focusing on your audience and using specific examples, you’ll have no problem crafting a convincing letter of recommendation.
This has been “In a Word,” a program made possible by the Texas A&M University Writing Center and a production of KAMU FM on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station. For more writing and speaking tips, visit our website at writingcenter.tamu.edu. I’m Candace Schaefer, helping you make every word count.
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]
EPISODE: WRITING RECOMMENDATION LETTERS
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]
[FADE MUSIC]
I’m Candace Schaefer with “In a Word,” your weekly communication tip.
If you’ve been asked to write a letter of recommendation for a student, employee, or colleague, you may think the best way to proceed is to focus on the person you’re writing about. Not so. There’s another person you need to think about as you’re writing—namely, the person who will receive the letter and decide the fate of your subject. The recipient of your letter is your audience, so your letter should highlight what’s most important to that reader.
First, try to find out what your reader is interested in and values. For example, say an employee who worked for you several years ago has asked you to write a letter of recommendation for a new job.
Ask her what she knows about the company she’s applying to and the specific position she’s seeking in order to get an idea of what qualities and skills you should emphasize. Then fill your letter with specific examples of how your employee has displayed these characteristics. For instance, maybe your employee gave a great presentation at a conference. However, if the position she’s applying for is focused on developing company resources, you may want to discuss, instead, the great job she did updating your policy manual.
Remember: in many cases the person reading your letter has never met the subject personally. In order to give your reader a clear picture of the person you’re writing about, offer specifics. It’s not particularly helpful to say only, “she’s a very responsible and dedicated employee.” Instead, back up that general statement with examples.
And, whenever possible, quantify things, since people see numbers as tangible evidence. So you might say that a former employee, “demonstrated her responsibility by supervising five employees during the evening shift three nights a week for two years.” Likewise, instead of saying a former student is “extremely bright,” you might say, “She’s one of the top five students I’ve worked with in 15 years of teaching.”
You should also include information about how long you’ve known the subject and in what capacity.
For example, “I first met Marco four years ago when he was a student in my organic chemistry class.”
Finally, read over your letter, checking for errors but also asking yourself how you reader is likely to react to it. Would the information help convince him or her to select this person over other applicants?
By focusing on your audience and using specific examples, you’ll have no problem crafting a convincing letter of recommendation.
This has been “In a Word,” a program made possible by the Texas A&M University Writing Center and a production of KAMU FM on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station. For more writing and speaking tips, visit our website at writingcenter.tamu.edu. I’m Candace Schaefer, helping you make every word count.
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]