Say who you're recommending and for what, how you know them and for how long, and two or three specific things they did that show they're right for it. Close with your unqualified recommendation and an offer to answer questions. Concrete evidence matters far more than a list of adjectives.
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Letter of Recommendation Template
FREE TEMPLATE
Letter of Recommendation
This free letter of recommendation template gives you wording you can copy and adapt to vouch for someone you believe in. The strongest recommendations are specific and honest, naming concrete things the person did rather than piling on generic praise.
Recommendation letter and reference letter usually mean the same thing, so this template works whether the reader asked for either one.
By providing a recommendation for a student, friend, colleague or associate, you are giving them your personal seal of approval.
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Think carefully before recommending someone for a new job or promotion. Whenever you are being asked to write a letter of recommendation for someone, it's important that you are 100% confident in their ability to be successful and deliver quality results.
Your recommendation of another professional reflects on you. So before making a commitment ask yourself if it makes sense for you to be the person writing the recommendation letter? Should it be you or someone else who has more direct knowledge of the person making the recommendation? If so, then why wasn't that person been asked to write the letter instead of you?
If you are in a situation where you are not comfortable writing a letter of recommendation, you should be honest about your reasons for declining to provide a recommendation.
"Never provide a recommendation letter for someone you wouldn't hire. Your professional reputation is based in part on your recommendations."
Perhaps you don't have first-hand knowledge of skillset in a particular area. You may not have actually observed their work in action. You might lack direct knowledge of what the person is like to work with. These are all valid reasons for politely declining the request.
Consider how your professional credibility and personal character may be judged if you recommend this person and later he or she turns out to be bad employee. The potential risk to your good name is a solid reason why it may make sense to bow out gracefully.
If you decide to decline and the requester reacts negatively to your answer, then you know for certain that you've made the right choice. A real professional will understand when you are candid about any concerns or objections you have in writing a recommendation letter.
Assuming you are the appropriate person to write a letter of recommendation and you are fully comfortable in doing so, use our free letter of recommendation template and follow the tips provided below to create a professional letter you can be proud of.
Jump To: When to Use It | The Leadership Lens | Copy the Letter | Examples | Customize It | Recommendation Tips | FAQ | Get Updates Free | Download Templates
When to Use a Letter of Recommendation
Write a recommendation when someone asks you to support their application, and you can do so with conviction.
The same template covers two common situations:
- For a job or promotion: You're recommending a colleague or former employee to a prospective employer, leading with their work and results.
- For a program or scholarship: You're recommending a student or junior colleague to an admissions or selection committee, leading with their ability and potential.
To recommend a business or vendor rather than a person, you'd write a different letter, since in that instance, you're vouching for a company's work rather than an individual's character.
The Leadership Lens
A recommendation of another individual will reflect your credibility in the eyes of the recipient, so only write the ones you truly believe in. Your good name is on the line right next to the person you are recommending, and a glowing letter for someone who doesn't deliver costs you more than it ever helps them. If you can't write it with real conviction, it's fairer to everyone to decline and explain why.
When you do write a recommendation, be specific and honest. A letter full of generic praise reads as a form letter and persuades no one, so name concrete things the person did and what those things reveal about them. Specific evidence is what makes a recommendation believable.
Letter of Recommendation Template
Copy the letter below onto your letterhead, replace each blue field with your own details, and treat the italic blue notes as guidance rather than text to send. The email version follows.
A strong recommendation follows a simple shape:
- Opening: who you're recommending, for what, and how you know them
- Context: your relationship and how long you've worked together
- Evidence: concrete accomplishments, matched to the role or program
- Character: what the person is like to work with
- Close: your unqualified recommendation and an offer to discuss in further detail
Tip: a recommendation can run a little longer than other letters, but keep it to one page if possible. One strong page beats two padded ones.
Recommendation Email Version
This is the same recommendation, shortened for email, with the address block dropped.
Worked Examples
These recommendations show the template filled in two ways: first an employee recommended for a job, then a student recommended for a graduate program.
Employee for a Job Example
Student for a Program Example
Notice what both letters do: they name specific things the person accomplished, not just adjectives, and they close without reservation. That specificity is what makes a recommendation believable.
Take the version that fits, cite real examples, and only sign your name to a letter you mean.
"Make recommendations sparingly and protect your professional reputation."
- Joseph Hall
How to Customize This Template
The letter of recommendation template provides a solid starting point. A few quick changes make it specific to the person you're recommending so take the time to customize in your own voice.
- Say how you know them: Name your relationship and how long you've worked together.
- Match it to the goal: Emphasize the qualities that matter most for the job, program, or scholarship.
- Use real examples: Replace the general lines with concrete things the person did.
- Add a word on character: Say what they're like to work with, not just what they achieved.
- Offer to talk: Include your contact details and invite questions for a future discussion.
Letter of Recommendation Tips
Here are a few helpful tips when preparing a letter of recommendation:
- Describe how you know the applicant. Briefly explain your history with the applicant and in what capacity you are affiliated. Explain what your role or position is and why the applicant ranks highly among others on your team or other people you've worked with. If you are a relative of the applicant, reconsider whether you are the best person to write this letter. Relatives, in most cases, are not good choices for recommendation letters as there will be a concern over personal bias. Hiring managers will place a higher weight on letters from current or past employers and supervisors.
- Use concrete examples about the applicant's positive qualities and
how you believe this person will be a benefit to the new employer.
Share what leadership traits you've witnessed by the applicant.
- Discuss the applicant's work ethic; commitment to the job, and how he has added value to the team and organization, etc.
- Provide your contact information and invite the employer to call you if he or she wishes to further discuss or clarify the applicant's qualifications.
- Proofread for spelling and grammatical errors. Again, use our free letter of recommendation template to make the process quick and easy.
Before you send: Make sure you're the right person to write this. A recommendation carries more weight from a direct supervisor or someone who has seen the work firsthand than from a relative or a distant contact, so if someone closer would be more credible, point the request their way.
Keep it to one page, proofread it carefully, and get every detail right, from the person's name to the role or program and the specifics you cite. A careless error undercuts the very credibility your recommendation is meant to lend.
Frequently Asked Questions
Click on the (+) sign below to expand each question. Click the (-) sign to collapse it again.
What should a letter of recommendation include?
How long should a letter of recommendation be?
One page. A recommendation can run a little longer than other business letters, but one strong page beats two padded ones. Give enough specific evidence to be convincing, then stop.
What's the difference between a recommendation letter and a reference letter?
In most cases, none. The two terms are used interchangeably for a letter that vouches for a person. This template works whether the reader asked for a recommendation or a reference.
What if I can't write a strong recommendation?
Decline, politely and honestly. A recommendation spends your own credibility, and a lukewarm letter helps no one. It's fairer to everyone to say you're not the right person than to write something you don't believe.
Should I send it as a letter or an email?
Either works. Many applications and committees now accept email or an upload, while some still want a signed letter on letterhead. Follow whatever the reader or the application asks for, and keep the content the same.
Who should write a recommendation letter?
Someone who has seen the person's work firsthand, like a direct supervisor, professor, or senior colleague. A recommendation carries more weight from someone credible and close to the work than from a relative or a distant contact.
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