Home » Free Resources » Recommendation Letter Examples

Recommendation Letter Examples

Below are examples of recommendation letters covering various situations. Download the templates as a .docx or copy and paste the example.

Recommendation letter for a job

Recommendation Letter For a Job

A concise letter of recommendation that strongly supports an employee, emphasizing their strengths and positive contributions.

Available for:
Word docx | Copy and Paste

Recommendation letter for scholarship

Recommendation Letter For a Scholarship

Example recommendation letter highlighting outstanding academic performance and dedication, underscoring suitability for scholarship. This student embodies qualities sought after by scholarship committees.

Available for:
Word docx | Copy and Paste

College recommendation letter

Recommendation Letter For a Student Applying to College

This letter recommends the student for college admission due to their outstanding academic achievements and personal character. The student has shown an impressive commitment to growth and excellence through both academics and extracurricular activities.

Available for:
Word docx | Copy and Paste

Letter of recommendation for a student

Recommendation Letter For a Student Applying For a Job

This recommendation letter emphasizes the exceptional skills, work ethic, and personal qualities that make the student an ideal candidate for the job. Their demonstrated ability to excel in various tasks and their commitment to professional growth and development make them a valuable asset to any team or organization.

Available for:
Word docx | Copy and Paste

Recommendation letter for employee

Recommendation For an Employee

This example is a concise recommendation letter that balances the endorsement of an employee with constructive feedback on areas for improvement. Despite the identified weakness, the letter maintains an overall positive tone, emphasizing the employee’s positive traits and potential for growth.

Available for:
Word docx | Copy and Paste

Letter of Recommendation For a Job

This example is a succinct recommendation letter that emphatically endorses an employee, highlighting their strengths and positive contributions. It maintains brevity while providing specific examples of the employee’s skills, leadership qualities, and adaptability.

Available for:
Word docx | Copy and Paste

Supporting Success

A recommendation letter, also known as a letter of reference, is a formal document written to recommend a particular person for a specific position, role, or opportunity. It’s written by someone who knows the person well and can vouch for their skills, such as a supervisor, teacher, or friend.

Recommendation letters typically include the following components:

  1. Introduction: This includes an explanation of the recommender’s relationship with the candidate and the length of time they’ve known each other.
  2. Details about the candidate: This section includes specific information about the individual’s skills, qualifications, achievements, and why they’re fit for the role in question.
  3. Appraisal: It’s a subjective assessment of the candidate’s capabilities and potential. Can include experiences where the candidate excelled, showing their abilities.
  4. Endorsement and contact information: Here the recommender states their endorsement for the candidate and provides their contact information in case further conversation is required.

The Purpose

Generally, the purpose of a recommendation letter is to provide an external and objective perspective on the candidate for the person or institution considering their application. This could be in an academic setting (like college/university applications), employment, or other professional circumstances. Employers or admission offices use this to help evaluate the suitability of the applicant.

It’s important for the person writing the letter to provide truthful, balanced, and relevant information, stressing on the candidate’s strengths without ignoring weaknesses, if any. Additionally, for students and job-seekers, it’s good practice to request these letters well before they’re needed to give the recommender sufficient time to compile a thoughtful and comprehensive endorsement.

More about recommendation letters:

Interesting Facts

According to an article by IvyWise, most selective colleges and universities require one to three recommendation letters with your application, typically from your guidance counselor and at least one teacher. This suggests that in highly competitive academic settings, recommendation letters play a crucial role.

Facts about U.S. college recommendation letters:

  • Recommendation letters have a substantial impact in addition to academic performance.
  • Admission officials do read recommendation letters.
  • It’s better to get a recommendation letter from someone who knows you well than from a high-profile person with no real connection to you.

Recommendation letters play an important role in the job application process. Here are key takeaways based on several sources:

  • A recommendation letter is valuable for character assessment in employment situations.
  • It’s advisable to provide the recommender with an outline of particulars you’d like them to highlight in their recommendation letter.
  • While recommendation letters are usually requested before a potential employer meets you, references are often requested after an interview.
  • A recommendation letter is a message to a potential employer about why you’d be a good fit for the job.
  • The best letters of recommendation are often written by former bosses and supervisors.
  • Employers ask for recommendation letters to verify the claims made by applicants in their job applications.
  • Recommendation letters help in the hiring process by providing evidence of your skills and character based on observed behaviors.