How to Make an Effective Recommendation Letter

You might have been asked by somebody, a colleague from your previous work or a student in the college class that you handled, to create a recommendation letter that would help them get the job that they are eyeing. If you were in their shoes, wouldn’t you want a letter that so effectively vouches for the person that it can be the reason for your getting hired? Here are some tips that can help you write the best recommendation letter.

1. It should be short yet packed with information.
You do not have to be all flowery and flattering with your words. You are not a salesman, but an executive who is vetting on somebody with your name. As a benchmark, the letter should not exceed a page, with three or four paragraphs that effectively separates the thoughts and ideas.
What to include:

• How are you related with the person? Include the length of time you spent with them, and describe the nature of your relationship.
• A couple of qualities that the person possesses, and that will prove to be helpful to the company that they want to work in.
• An explanation about how the person is the perfect fit for the company.

2. Have the person provide you with all the information needed.
All the information that you will write in the recommendation letter should come from the person asking you for it. You should be given a copy of their resume, and of the list of any skills or competency that they might want to highlight.

Also ask them of the points that they wish to be emphasized in the letter. The qualifications needed to be emphasized for applying for a finance job are different fro those required for banking jobs. Their input will definitely set the direction for the letter that you will create. In a sense, it will come out as collaboration between the two of you.

3. Include your contact details in the letter.
This way, the company can easily get in touch with you in case they want to verify your identity. Who knows, you might even be able to strengthen your network just by writing someone else’s recommendation letter.

4. Be as specific as possible.
General sounding letters can easily tossed to the trash bin, along with the resume of the person who asked for you to do it. For instance, instead of simply saying “Pat is very hardworking,” you can say something like “Pat was the most efficient among all the employees in my team.”