Throughout our lives, we encounter situations that require us to request the aid of another person in order to obtain a grant, a permission, a position, or anything that one is applying for. The most helpful form of aid that a person can lend to another person who is applying for something is the recommendation letter. A recommendation letter is an excellent method in ensuring that one’s application gets accepted.
Whether you are a previous employer, a previous professor, or anyone at all who is bestowed the responsibility of writing a recommendation letter in behalf of someone, it would help your cause immensely if you peruse all available resources that can help guide you through your letter-writing. For your convenience, we are providing you with a variety of Sample Recommendation Letters that you may use as your guides. Another plus in downloading our templates is the fact that these are easy to use since these are available in both PDF and Word formats. If you wish, you can also opt to use our templates as the base for your letter by simply editing its contents according to your preferences and recommendation specifics. What are you waiting for? Scroll down below to view our templates!
Employment Recommendation Letter
Employment Verification and Recommendation Letter
Sorority Recommendation Letter
Sorority Legacy Recommendation Letter
Personal Recommendation Letter
Personal Character Recommendation Letter
Personal Trainer Recommendation Letter
Scholarship Recommendation Letter
Scholarship Recommendation Letter for Student
Scholarship Recommendation Letter Format
Academic Recommendation Letter
Academic Advisor Recommendation Letter
Academic Position Recommendation Letter
What Are Recommendation Letters?
A recommendation letter is a letter that aims to help someone get an approval for his/her application. This letter contains a plethora of information about the applicant whom the letter-writer is recommending. Its contents may have an enumeration of all the positive attributes of the applicant that are relevant to the position or grant that he/she is applying for.
As long as a recommendation letter is written in a manner that directly addresses the salient requirements of the application, it can hold a lot of weight during the decision-making process for the application. That is why, there really is a need to be well-informed as to the proper format, layout, and content of the specific type of recommendation letter that one is writing. Otherwise, a recommendation letter written without careful thought or consideration may reasonably lead to the disparagement of the applicant’s prospects instead of helping it.
If you are seeking for ways to ensure the complete effectiveness of your recommendation letter, download our templates on this page and use them as your guides.
When Are Recommendation Letters Needed?
The following are circumstances when recommendation letters may prove useful:
- It is useful when someone wants to apply for a specific undergraduate course in a university.
- It is useful when someone wants to apply for a graduate program in a university.
- It is useful when a job applicant is aiming to get a particular job position in a company.
- It is useful when someone seeks to get a job promotion.
- It is useful when someone wants to join a sports team.
- It is useful when a freelance trainer (gym, voice, music, etc.) wants to use his/her expertise in his/her field in coaching prospective trainees who are looking for the kind of mentoring that he/she is capable of providing.
- It is useful when someone wants to apply for a scholarship.
- It is useful when someone wants to obtain a slot in a business degree program.
- It is useful when a graduating student wants to intern at a specific company or organization.
- It is useful when someone wants to join a nonprofit organization or any type of organization.
- It is useful when someone wants to apply for volunteer work.
- It is useful when someone wants to rent a particular building, land, or commercial space.
- It is useful when a professional artist (e.g. photographer, painter, musician, etc.) wants to offer his/her services to a company or an individual.
Who Writes Recommendation Letters?
The following are the individuals who are commonly asked to write recommendation letters:
- a previous employer
- a previous manager
- a previous supervisor
- a previous team leader
- a previous professor
- a previous internship adviser
- a previous or current coworker
- a previous classmate or schoolmate
- a previous landlord
If you want to have an in-depth understanding of the basics of recommendation letters and how to write it, you can check out our collection of Formal Letter of Recommendation. These templates are helpful when you are recommending someone for a formal matter such as a job application or a job promotion.You can access these templates by clicking on the link provided.
Graduate School Recommendation Letter
Nursing Graduate School Recommendation Letter
Graduate School Admission Recommendation Letter
Nursing Recommendation Letter
Professional Nursing Recommendation Letter
Nursing Student Recommendation Letter
Business Recommendation Letter
Business School Recommendation Letter
Business Analyst Recommendation Letter
Recommendation Letter for Friend
Rental Recommendation Letter for Friend
Character Recommendation Letter for Friend
Various Types of Recommendation Letters
Since there are numerous reasons for writing a recommendation letter, it can thus have various content. On this page, we have templates specifically aimed at providing the varying types of recommendations. Feel free to browse this page and download the templates that can cater to your needs!
Academic Admissions Recommendation Letter
An academic admissions recommendation letter is a type of reference letter that aims to help a prospective student obtain a slot in the degree program that he/she is applying for. Academic admissions recommendation letters are sent to prestigious educational institutions. Top-notch universities are often picky with the kind of students they want to study in their institutions. It is for this reason that academic recommendation letters should
- concentrate on the intellect and reasoning abilities of the prospective student and
- state a commendation to the one referred his/her concentration ability on dissecting academic topics and subjects.
When you are writing this letter, make sure that you don’t forget how to
- research first regarding the specific academic program that the prospective student is applying for,
- know more about the prospective student’s character by interviewing him/her or by researching,
- obtain the full names of the academic officers who hold the power to reject or accept the academic application that you are writing a recommendation for,
- observe the formal rules on professional letter-writing, and
- avoid exaggeration and making false claims regarding the intellectual or academic capabilities of the prospective student.
Graduate School Recommendation Letter
A graduate school recommendation letter is a type of recommendation letter that is written in behalf of someone who aims to study a post-graduate course or program. Taking up post-graduate degrees can be a grueling and intellectually challenging task. It is even made more difficult by the fact that most post-graduate students are already adults who are most likely working full-time jobs. That is why post-graduate studies are not for the many but only for the few who possess the following qualities or characteristics:
- the ability to observe and intuit the inherent rules of things, events, and occurrences
- capable of grasping abstract/theoretical concepts
- knowledgeable of the basic rules on writing a thesis
- capable of persevering in pursuing his/her academic goals despite hardships and obstacles
- capable of communicating effectively with fellow graduate students, research subjects, research consultants, research partners, and most importantly, professors
- has a working knowledge of effective study methods
- capable of implementing effective time-management strategies
Scholarship Application Letter
Oftentimes, a prospective student would have a need for financial assistance in order to push through his/her academic endeavors. It is in such cases when a student must seek the financial help of any of the following persons:
- a wealthy individual who is known for his/her charitable character
- a company or corporation that is willing to grant scholarships to students with the condition that such student would work for the company for a specific number of years after his/her graduation
- a nonprofit organization that aims to aid students who are in destitute or those who simply lack funds for their education
- a charitable institution
- an educational government agency that grants scholarships to worthy applicants
Speaking of academic recommendation letters, check out our collection of Academic Recommendation Letters that can provide you with various methods in approaching your letter-writing. Simply click on the link provided.
Army Recommendation Letter
Army Officer Recommendation Letter
Recommendation Letter for Teacher
Recommendation Letter for Substitute Teacher
Formal Recommendation Letter
Formal Business Recommendation Letter
Formal Job Recommendation Letter
Job Recommendation Letter
Job Application Recommendation Letter
Professional Job Application Recommendation Letter
A professional job application recommendation letter aims to enlighten the hiring manager regarding the positive attributes of a job applicant. The aim of this recommendation letter is to increase the applicant’s chances of getting hired in the job that he/she wants.
How to Write a Stellar Job Application Recommendation Letter
To help guide you through your letter-writing, here are some guidelines that you need to observe:
Research first.
Before you start enumerating the applicant’s positive qualities, you need to make sure that you know the specific qualities that the hiring manager is looking for. In order to do this, you need to read the job description of the position that the applicant is aiming for. This way, you can scrutinize which areas of the applicant’s qualities you need to emphasize in order to suit the specific skills and requirements that the job entails.
Introduce yourself.
This part is necessary in order to establish your authority as an objective and impartial commenter of a job applicant’s characteristics. You can state in this part your position in the previous company, the specific period when the applicant has been under your supervision in the company, and your initial observations regarding the applicant’s motivation to work.
Enumerate the applicant’s positive traits.
Be sure to state only those that are true. Don’t resolve to lies just so an applicant may get the job. Doing so is unethical and might be detrimental to your credibility as an employer or as an individual. Highlight the characteristics that fits the ones required in the job description.
Narrate specific instances to support your claims.
In order to avoid sounding like you are giving out vacuous statements, you need to make sure your claims regarding the applicant’s positive traits are credible and believable. You can do this by narrating in detail the specific instances in the past when the applicant displayed a particular skill. For example, you may describe how at one point he/she was faced with a problem at work (describe the problem) then expound how the applicant attacked such a problem and how they arrived at a solution.
Close your letter professionally.
Polite closing remarks indicate your level of professionalism.
Speaking of job application recommendation letters, you might also want to check out our Recommendation Letters for Co-Workers that are valuable templates if you are writing a recommendation letter for a dear colleague. Access these templates by clicking on the link provided.
MBA Recommendation Letter
MBA Program Recommendation Letter
MBA College Recommendation Letter
Student Recommendation Letter
Student Teacher Recommendation Letter
Nursing Student Recommendation Letter
Thank You Letter for Recommendation
Thank You for College Recommendation Letter
Volunteer Recommendation Letter
Volunteer Work Recommendation Letter
Volunteer Award Recommendation Letter
Professional Job Promotion Recommendation Letter
A professional job promotion recommendation letter is a letter that is sent in favor of someone who wants to get a job promotion. A job promotion is a serious matter. That is why, most employers and chief executive officers employ stringent methods in screening the employees who are candidates for a job promotion. It is due to this that a job promotion recommendation letter would greatly help an employee get the job promotion that he/she is seeking. While a job promotion recommendation letter may not be a surefire way of getting promoted, it is, however, an effective method in convincing a manager or employer that a job promotion candidate is ready to take up larger responsibilities and tasks.
Since a job promotion is usually done in the professional and corporate arena, it is vital that the person writing the recommendation letter possesses sufficient authority to make such a recommendation. The following are aspects that can be examined to assess whether or not one deserves to write a job recommendation letter:
- The person must be in a job position that is of higher authority than the person who is being recommended. He/she could be a manager, a professor, a dean of a college, or even a team leader.
- The person must have stellar employment credentials.
- The person must have procured noteworthy academic degrees and/or achievements.
- The person must have exemplary written and oral communication skills, with the added skill of effective persuasion.
- The person must have previously engaged in or have been connected to the employee recommended in either in the work setting or in the academic setting.
Now that you know the basics of recommendation letters, you might also be interested in widening your understanding of how to write job promotion recommendation letters. If so, check out our collection of Promotion Recommendation Letters, which contains a wide array of easily downloadable templates. To access said templates, simply click on the link provided.
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