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You’ve been asked to write an email recommending someone for a job, and you feel caught between a rock and a hard place.
It’s not that you don’t want to help a person in question, but you are unsure how to do it, so you want to ensure you do it right.
Furthermore, you don’t want to sabotage the person accidentally, and instead of helping them, you hamper their chance of getting a job.
Thus, writing a recommendation letter is a difficult task and requires careful thought.
But, if done correctly, it can be a powerful tool in helping the person you recommend get the job.
So today, we will show you what makes a good recommendation letter and how to write an email recommending someone for a job to get positive outcome.
Let’s dive in!
What is a Letter of Recommendation?
A letter of recommendation is a document that assesses the qualities, characteristics, and accomplishments of the person you are recommending.
Usually, you write a letter of recommendation for someone you know well: your colleague, student, friend, etc.
It makes writing the letter easier because you have first-hand knowledge of the skills and abilities needed for the job or position in question.
Now that we know what it is let’s find out what are basic requirements and necessary formatting of recommendation emails are.
How to Format an Email Recommending Someone For a Job?
When you write an email recommending someone for a job, you want to ensure that you format the email in a clear and professional way.
Therefore, there are a few things you should include to maximize the impact of your letter and make it as helpful as possible.
1. Subject Line
In the subject line, you should put the purpose of your email and the name of the person you recommend for the job:
"Recommendation for [Name]"
This will help the recipient know what the email is about.
2. Opening
In the opening, you should introduce yourself and explain your relationship to the person you recommend.
You might say something like:
"Dear [Name], I am [Your Name], and I have known [Person's Name] for [length of time]."
This will help create a more personal connection with the recipient and make them more likely to pay attention to what you have to say.
3. Body
In the body of the email, you should give a brief overview of why you are recommending this person and what qualifications they have that make them a good fit for the job.
You can write about accomplishments, awards, and activities showcasing their background and capabilities.
You might say something like:
"[Person's Name] would be a great fit for this job because they have [relevant experience/qualifications]."
Be specific in your praise and avoid generalities - focus on concrete examples of why this person would excel in the role they're seeking.
Furthermore, make sure to focus on the company’s needs so you can highlight your referee’s skills most suitable for the position in question.
This can increase the likelihood of the CV being given a thorough review by helping the recipient better understand why and if the recommended candidate is a good fit for the position.
4. Closing Lines
You should end the email by offering your contact information in case the recipient has any questions or needs additional assistance.
Here is an example:
"If you have any questions or would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact me at [your contact info]."
Your recommendation will carry more weight and be more credible if you include your contact information.
Apart from the format, there are additional yet essential details you should pay attention to when writing a letter of recommendation.
Polishing Your Letter of Recommendation
Before you hit the Send button, make sure your email is error-free, and has the right tone of voice.
The last thing you want is your email to come across as amateurish and inappropriate.
Therefore, pay attention to:
- Staying positive - highlight your person’s quality traits and skills, backed up by specific examples.
- Staying formal - maintain a formal tone, especially if you don’t know the recipient.
- Choosing the traditional font - Stick to traditional fonts, such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri. These fonts will emphasize the formal tone of your email.
- Proofreading - check your email for grammar and spelling mistakes.
- Sticking to the one page - keep your email to one page to avoid watering it down with redundant information.
Pro Tip: Write emails faster with AI
If you want to be sure you use the right tone, you could benefit from using AI writing tools like TextCortex add-on.
For example, the Tone feature offers over 10 tone options to choose from.
To use it, simply select your text and choose the desired option from the rewriting menu.
This way, you can play with different tones and edit your email accordingly.
Let’s see how the above steps and tips look in practice and check some samples to get you started.
Write Recommendation Emails Using These 3 Examples
The body of recommendation emails will vary depending on who you are referring for the job: your colleague, student, employee, etc. Let’s check the most common examples.
Example 1: Referring an Employee (Solution A)
Subject Line: Letter of Recommendation for [Name]
Basic Info:
[Your name]
[Your position and company]
[Your Company address]
[Date]
[Name of hiring manager]
[Hiring manager’s company]
[Company address]
Body:
Dear [Full name of hiring manager],
I am writing this letter to recommend [applicant name] for [position] at [company name]. For three years, [name] has worked for me and has been a valuable asset to our company.
[Name] is reliable, a team player, and always gives 100% effort every day. [His/her] proficiency in [subject] helped the entire team and helped us succeed. [Name] used this skill to accomplish [achievement].
The amount of work we receive can be very demanding, but [name] always submits his work ahead of schedule and can plan his work ahead of time. [He/she] has also been a great coworker and never had a problem with anyone else in the company.
For these reasons, I can confidently recommend you to accept [name] for the position of [job position]. [He/she] will instantly bring quality and dedication to your workplace thanks to [his/her] qualifications and experience.
If you have any further questions regarding [name]’s application, feel free to contact me at any time.
Kind Regards,
[Your name]
If you take a closer look at this email, you can see that it includes all the steps and the most important info about your referee.
Example 2: Referring an Employee (Solution B)
Subject Line: Letter of Recommendation for [Name]
Basic Info:
[Your name]
[Your position and company]
[Your Company address]
Body:
Dear [Full name of hiring manager],
With the highest of privilege, I recommend [applicant name] for [position] at [company name]. [Name] has worked with [your company name] since 2004, where he served as [position] for my department.
Over the past 16 years, [Name] prepared our department’s financial documents, kept detailed records, created financial forecasts, and developed accounting policies. I have worked with him directly on a project for developing a training program for our accounting staff. [He/she]has a positive attitude, an untouchable work ethic, and a keen eye for detail.
[Name] has proved time and time again to be an irreplaceable asset to our team. After his first year with [your company name], [he/she] identified several discrepancies in our books. [He/she] was able to correct those discrepancies and, as a result, saved our company thousands of dollars. Needless to say, [Name] is well-respected and highly regarded here at [your company name].
While I know it will be difficult to find another employee as detail-oriented, thorough, and serious about his work as [Name], I am excited to see him soar to new heights. [He/she] will make an exceptional addition to any team, and I would recommend him without a second thought.
For any questions, you may contact me at the email address provided. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your position]
[Your company name]
What makes the email above an excellent one is that it provides specific details and information that highlight the candidate’s skills and achievements.
Example 3: Referring a Colleague
Subject Line: Recommendation for [Name] for [Job Title]
Basic Info:
[Your name]
[Your position and company]
[Your Company address]
Body:
Dear [Hiring Manager's Name],
I am writing to wholeheartedly recommend [Name] for the [Job Title] position at [Company]. I have had the pleasure of working with [Name] for [X number of years/months] at [Your Company Name], and I can confidently say that [Name] would be an excellent addition to your team.
[Name] possesses a unique combination of [specific skills and qualifications] that make [Name] well-suited for the [Job Title] role. For example, in [Name's previous role], [Name] was responsible for [specific tasks and responsibilities], and [Name] excelled at [specific achievements]. I have no doubt that [Name] would bring the same level of dedication and excellence to the [Job Title] role at [Company Name].
In addition to [Name's] technical skills, [Name] is also a [positive personality traits]. [Name] is a team player, always willing to lend a helping hand, and goes above and beyond to ensure the success of the project. [Name] has excellent communication and leadership skills, which make [Name] an asset to any team.
I would be happy to provide any additional information or answer any questions you may have. Please feel free to contact me at [Your phone number] or [Your email address].
Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your job title and company name]
The above mail really emphasizes the colleague's skills and points out how those skills will be useful and beneficial to their future company.
Learn To Write an Email of Recommendation Using TextCortex
Our tips and advice should be enough to push you in the right direction and ease the process of writing an email of recommendation.
However, the task may still look less stressful and daunting for you.
Getting the tone, structure, and content right is key to having your message read and taken seriously.
The good thing is that with the TextCortex add-on, you can do all of that, speed up the writing process, and turn it into an effortless and smooth email.
How Can TextCortex Add-on Assist You?
TextCortex add-on is a robust AI-powered solution that can help you automate otherwise tedious tasks, polish your writing and generate more content faster without compromising quality.
Furthermore, you can quickly craft or repurpose original articles and blog posts, write emails, summarize documents, translate, and much more.
TextCortex has a lot of things in store for you, but let’s focus on the ones that will help you write compelling letters of recommendation.
The bullets to email feature - In addition to writing convincing emails from a few bullet points, you can only insert your ideas, and TextCortex will come up with a draft you can edit further.
What’s more, you can use the TextCortex add-on on more than 2000 online platforms.
As of lately, TextCortex has introduced Zeno Chat.
It is similar to ChatGPT, which means you can “have a conversation” with our AI tool and ask questions or give commands.
For example, you can ask Zeno to draft a letter of recommendation and get a fully-formatted sample in a matter of seconds.
Of course, if it needs further editing, TextCortex provides features to:
- Expand the text
- Summarize it
- Rewrite the whole paragraphs
- Autocomplete sentences or paragraphs
- Change the tone of voice
- Translate email to more than 10 languages,etc.
Moreover, there are more than 60 templates for different types of content, so it’s safe to say that TextCortex has you covered.
And the sign-up process is transparent - no need for credit card details, and there are no hidden costs or fees.
The freemium plan provides 10 daily creations, which are enough to explore all the features and see if the tool fits your needs.
Sounds interesting?
Download the Chrome extension now and start creating emails of recommendation that will give your friends the best chance of landing a new job or position.
Keep Learning:
How To Ask For A Raise By Email - Step-By-Step Guide
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