Referral Letter

There are many scenarios where you may need to write a referral letter; to recommend a former colleague for a job, to refer a student for further education, or even to recommend a friend who is an applicant in an adoption process. Whatever be the necessity, it is important that you know how to draft reference letters properly and correctly. A well-written recommendation letter will always put across an objective analysis of the person being recommended without letting any personal opinion prejudice the letter writing process. The three most important features on any good letter are conciseness, clarity and correctness and this is true for this letter as well.

While writing referral letters it important to focus on two things; firstly those attributes of a person that make him suitable for the task at hand, and secondly how you are in the perfect position to judge the person being recommended. If you and the subject of the letter have had a long association, then it lends a certain credibility to the letter. In this article we give the template for three types of letters; for employment, for education, and a referral letter for a friend. While it is also possible to look up samples, templates may serve your purpose better.

Business Recommendation Letter for Employment

Your Name Your Designation Your Address Date: Sub: Salutation/Greetings Dear Ms./Mr. (addressee), or To whom it may concern The introductory paragraph of the letter serves as an introduction to the person writing the letter. It is also important that in this paragraph the writer makes it evident that he or she knows the person being recommended in a purely professional setting and therefore, believes that he or she would be a good judge of the capabilities of the person being referred in the letter. It is also important to mention where the person writing the letter and the subject of the letter worked together and in what capacity. This is important in order to make the letter more authoritative in its tone. The second paragraph would be a detailed analysis of all the qualities that according to the writer of the letter makes the subject a perfect candidate for the job at hand. Ensure that while writing the letter a formal tone is maintained and that none of the praise sounds sycophantic or exaggerated. This is very important as the letter may otherwise seem fake. The third paragraph of the letter generally serves as the summary for the letter and should ideally start with the phrase, I highly recommend ABC. Thank the addressee for the time that he has taken out to read the letter and include your contact details for further communication. Valediction/Goodbye Yours sincerely, (Your name)

Recommendation Letter for Educational Purposes

Your Name Your Designation Your Address Date: Sub: Salutation/Greetings Dear Ms./Mr. (addressee), or To whom it may concern As with the format given above the first paragraph of the letter of recommendation for education will also start with an introduction. Other important details that need to be mentioned are details about the educational institute you work at, in what capacity, the name of the student you are recommending and the time period for which you have known this student. For further education, obviously the most important detail that needs to be focused upon is the academic record of the student in question. Expand on how good a student he or she has been. Also mention details of the co-curricular that he or she has been an active member of. All these details go a long way in creating a good impression on the admission board. Try to keep the tone formal and without any hint of partiality in it. Always end the letter by thanking the addressee for considering the student for the program in question and providing your contact details for further communication. Valediction/Goodbye Yours sincerely, (Your name)

Personal Recommendation Letter

Your Name Your Address Date: Name of Addressee Name of Organization Address Salutations/Greetings Dear Mr./Ms All letters of recommendation always start with an introduction. The difference is that a personal letter of recommendation is generally written by a close friend or a family member who knows you well. Despite this it is important that a personal letter of reference be written as objectively as possible. The second paragraph will always be a detailed analysis of the qualities and attributes of the person you are recommending. Generally a letter of recommendation from a friend is written for things like an adoption process. In such a case you will need to highlight those qualities of the person that will make him or her a good parent according to you. Always end the letter on a positive note hoping that the letter helps the person in achieving what he or she has set out to do. Provide the addressee with your contact details for further communication. Valediction Yours sincerely, (Signature) Your Name

While you could always refer to examples of recommendation letters for further elucidation, it is always better to draft your letters with the help of template as this will ensure that your letter seems genuine and not copied from an online resource. Writing a letter of recommendation is extremely simple once you are clear about the correct way of drafting such a letter.