Don't Need to Look Elsewhere: 10 Letter of Recommendation Templates That Fit Every Occassion

Writing a letter of recommendation for educational or job candidates can be surprisingly difficult. You may be puzzled at what exactly to be included in the letter. The format is also a big trouble. Should it be written in a formal or friendly casual manner? How not to sound cliche while persuasive? Writing a nice letter of recommendation with completely nothing to begin with is tremendously challenging. However, there are a number of great templates that provide you with the perfect Letter of Recommendation templates for every occasion and requirement.

Using these letter of recommendation templates will help to make light work of writing your letter. You can simply follow the format on the templates and benefit from detailed information on what you need to include in the letter. With a letter of recommendation template you will be able to following a step by step process in order to create the finished letter.

You will find a wide range of templates that you can use for your letters of recommendation. Some of the great ones you will find online.

1. A template that is personalized and shows enthusiasm

This is a nice template for an existing or former employee and helps to make light work of the task.^[1]

Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms. [Last Name],
It’s my absolute pleasure to recommend [Name] for [position] with [Company].
[Name] and I [relationship] at [Company] for [length of time].
I thoroughly enjoyed my time working with [Name], and came to know [him/her] as a truly valuable asset to absolutely any team. [He/she] is honest, dependable and incredibly hard-working. Beyond that, [he/she] is an impressive [soft skill] who is always [result].
[His/her] knowledge of [specific subject] and expertise in [specific subject] was a huge advantage to our entire office. [He/she] put this skillset to work in order to [specific achievement].
Along with [his/her] undeniable talent, [Name] has always been an absolute joy to work with. [He/she] is a true team player, and always manages to foster positive discussions and bring the best out of other employees.
Without a doubt, I confidently recommend [Name] to join your team at [Company]. As a dedicated and knowledgeable employee and an all-around great person, I know that [he/she] will be a beneficial addition to your organization.
Please feel free to contact me at [your contact information] should you like to discuss [Name]’s qualifications and experience further. I’d be happy to expand on my recommendation.
Best wishes,
[Your Name]

2. A template that is simple and contains all the information required

The Balance: You will also find a simple template, ^[2] which provides details of the information you need to include and the format that you need to use. This means that you can create a professional and informative letter.

To Whom It May Concern:
I would like to recommend Sharon Doe as a candidate for a position with your organization. In her position as Staff Assistant, Sharon was employed in our office from 20XX-20XX. Sharon did an excellent job in this position and was an asset to our organization during her tenure with the office. She has excellent written and verbal communication skills, is extremely organized, can work independently, and is able to follow through to ensure that the job gets done.
During her tenure with our company, Sharon was responsible for supervising the department office assistants. These assistants, under Sharon’s management, were responsible for many of the office’s basic administrative and clerical functions.
Sharon effectively scheduled and managed several assistants to maintain efficient office operations.
She developed a training program for these assistants that led them to become well versed in office operations in half the time they used to.
Sharon was always willing to offer her assistance and had an excellent rapport with the many constituents served by our office including clients, employers, and other professional organizations. Her ability to effectively communicate with all these people via email, on the phone, and in person made her such an asset to our office.
She would add value to any company and I recommend her for any endeavor she chooses to pursue. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Yours truly,
Signature (hard copy letter)
Jane Smith

Best Job Interview: This website provides a letter of recommendation^[3] template that is ideal for someone trying to successfully secure a new job. The format is simple and easy to follow so you can create the letter without any hassle.

Date
To whom it may concern,
John Smith was employed by ABC Company as a Junior Accountant from May 2012 to December 2015. He reported directly to me during this period.
John was responsible for the preparation of monthly financial statements and monthly financial reports. He assisted with tax computations and returns and with budgets and forecasts. In addition he helped administer the payroll and coordinated the audit process.
John performed all these tasks competently and with commitment and enthusiasm. He has demonstrated the ability to work under pressure and to plan and organize successfully to meet tight deadlines. His close attention to detail has resulted in meticulous and accurate work. His strong interpersonal and communication skills have allowed him to develop good working relationships with both his colleagues and management.
John was a great asset to this company and I highly recommend him for employment. Should you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely
Mike Manager
Title
Company Name
Contact number
Email address

3. A template that is best for a student’s recommendation

OWL: When it comes to writing a letter of recommendation for a student^[4] , you will find loads of information, template, and format details at OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab. You can benefit from guided details on how to create the best letter.

Dear Admissions Officer Amy Adams:
It is with great pleasure that I am writing this letter of recommendation for Susie Student. In the past four years, I have taught Susie in a number of visual arts courses in all of which she has excelled. Based on my experience with Susie, I can say without the shadow of a doubt that she is one of the most naturally talented and hardworking art students with whom I have had the opportunity to work. She is exceptionally well prepared to move onto the collegiate level, and it is clear to me that she has a very bright future in the creative arts.
Susie is very mature for her age and she approaches her art with an astute sense of objectivity. She processes constructive criticism well and is always willing to go the extra mile in order to take her work to the highest level of formal and conceptual refinement. Susie has a very methodical creative process; she develops her concepts thoughtfully, creates interesting exploratory sketches, and builds meticulous scale models before she commits herself, with confidence, to the fabrication process. Once Susie begins fabrication, she works with precision and purpose. Her skills of craftsmanship are highly developed and she has an incredibly astute attention to detail. In addition, I have been impressed by Susie’s ability to couple her attention to detail with a broader stylistic focus that allows her to consider how effectively her compositions function as a whole. Therein, Susie creates sculptures that are cohesive in form and eloquent in their communication of sophisticated concepts. All in all, Susie is an incredibly well rounded art student who has found a way to balance all of the aspects of the creative process with apparent ease.
Aside from Susie’s natural artistic ability, it is important to touch on her work ethic and her presence in the classroom setting. Susie never settles for second best and she utilizes class time in a productive and determined manner. She arrives to class early and works late when the need arises. Due to this approach, Susie quickly became a role model for her peers in all of my classes. Students observed Susie’s commitment to the creative process and they strived to excel as she did. Though Susie is very talented, she is a humble young woman who never lets her abilities go to her head. She thrives off of the entire creative process both the successes and the challenges. Most importantly, Susie is always willing to help her classmates as they create. She offers both technical and conceptual support to her peers in a kind and caring manner that speaks to Susie’s patience and her understanding of the importance of collaborative learning.
In looking ahead to Susie’s college years, I am certain that she is ready to tackle the rigorous and challenging curriculum of the collegiate level. Susie will not take the path of least resistance, rather, she will push herself to continue to grow and develop as a creative thinker. She will immerse herself in her new community and she will share her energy, enthusiasm, commitment and talent with her peers and her professors. Susie Student is an exceptional candidate and it is with the utmost confidence that I recommend her to your college or university. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions.
Sincerely,
Timothy Teacher

Williamette University: Another letter of recommendation you may need to write is for a college scholarship^[5]. This site provides you with the ideal template along wi th valuable information to write your letter, which helps to make the task far quicker and easier.

October 4, 2XXX
James R. Murray
Secretary of the Rhodes Committee Selection for Montana
Gordon Murray Tilden LLP
1001 Fourth Avenue
Suite 4000
Seattle, Washington 98154-1007
Re: Letter of Appraisal for _________
Dear Mr. Murray:
I write on behalf of ________’s application for a Rhodes Scholarship. I believe _______ to be an exemplary student-scholar as well as a person of tremendous character with significant leadership skills.
I heard of _________ before I met her. A top student of mine and Truman finalist came into my office and announced that she had met the next Truman finalist—a first year woman who was full of energy for leading the Students for Choice organization. The young woman I encountered in my American Politics class that next semester was, in fact, quite enthusiastic for her studies and a solid, conscientious student. Full of questions, ________ regularly participated in class discussions and probed the materials with a zest for learning. In her first year, however, I was more struck by her openness to the world than her analytic ability.
What happened over the next two years was rather astounding from my perspective and a lesson to me not to underestimate any student. ________ still has a refreshing wide-eyed quality about her but she is now more fully self-possessed and has a command of analytic reasoning that places her in the top 1% of the students I have encountered here at Willamette. Her enthusiasm and energy have been matched over the years with a discipline that is remarkable in someone her age. This discipline is not about study habits, though I would note that she always seems to be ahead of schedule, turning in assignments early and working on projects weeks and months in advance. Her discipline is a commitment to learning.
As evidence of this discipline, I offer her engagement with me. While _________ did not receive the top grade in my American Politics class and generally felt that she did not perform terribly well, she continued to seek out my advice and feedback. Although she went on to stellar performances in other classes with other professors, she sought me out on policy questions, asked for summer reading recommendations and generally kept a running dialogue with me. In fact, as I have watched her progress over the last three years, I note with amazement her ability to handle criticism and to grow and learn from it. Where other students turn defensive, __________ wades in absorbing other perspectives and viewpoints, debating ideas, adjusting her conclusions as necessary. She is undaunted but properly reflective, a rare combination that speaks volumes, I believe, about her abilities as a scholar and a leader. This past summer _________ engaged me in an email discussion about poverty and welfare issues, reading extensively on her own and asking me for more—more to read and more to think about.
This semester ________ is enrolled in two of my courses. Topics in Public Policy examines a number of case studies including tax policy, environmental policies, education and housing and asks students to evaluate different theories about the policy process based upon those cases. This is a difficult course because it requires that students grasp complex specifics; they have to know why, for example, certain elements of the business community might push for accelerated depreciation schedules in tax policy and what is the cumulative effect of rule changes governing the amendment process. However, I also ask them to step back and to draw lessons from the specific case studies in order to say something about the nature of democratic decision-making. While many students tend to be good at one or the other, ________ excels at both. She is well on her way to graduate level thinking and evaluation.
The other course in which she is enrolled is co-taught with three professors. ________ of the Politics Department and _______ of the History Department and I conceived of a graduate style seminar where we are as much participants as instructors in an examination of Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America. This is a year-long course where we spend the first half reading and analyzing the text. The spring semester is devoted to bringing guest scholars in both history and political science, who are completing works on Tocqueville. These guests will serve as models of scholarship for our students and give our students more resources and expertise to pursue a final research project. We accepted applications for this course and only admitted fifteen of the best students from the two departments. Even with this formidable group of peers, ________’s work shines. In the first writing assignment, based upon the first 200 pages of the text, we asked the students to identify a central puzzle that animates Democracy in America. Most of the students wrote competent essays, but ________ really got to the heart of Tocqueville’s problem and concern for preserving liberty given the dangers of democracy and equality.
In sum, I highly recommend ________ for the Rhodes Scholarship. I believe her proposed course of study is suitable and builds on her many strengths. Her animating spirit and disciplined approach to learning make her particularly well suited to take advantage of this opportunity.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Assistant Professor

4. A template to nominate someone for an award

Letters.org: If you need to create a letter of recommendation for an award,^[6] head over to Letters.org. Here you will find details of writing a great letter along with tips to help produce the perfect end results.

From,
__________
__________
__________
__________
Date: _____ (Date on Which Letter is Written)
To,
__________
__________
__________
__________
Subject: Recommendation letter for award
Dear _____ (Sir or Madam),
I am familiar that the local council gives a __________ (name of the award) award annually to its residents who perform outstandingly well in that particular year.
This year I would like to recommend the name of Mr. __________ (name of the person) for this year’s award in recognition to his determined efforts in assisting the
community members for the last few months.
Although he is very old, he assisted the homeless and the displaced flood victims. His caring attitude deserves to be applauded.
Hence, I would recommend him for the __________ (name of the award) award for this year.
Thanking You
Yours truly,
________________
Name and Signature

5. A database which has everything you need

Reference-Letter.com: You can tailor-make the perfect template^[7] on this site, enabling you to create a solid recommendation letter with minimum hassle. There are samples, letter generators, and information that you can benefit from on this site making it a very useful resource.

To Whom It May Concern:
It is with great pleasure that I recommend Evan Grayrock for employment at your company. From January through April 2014, Evan was an intern at our corporation, Moneypenny Real Estate. I have been his direct supervisor during this time.
Evan primarily assisted us in two projects:
In one project, we were faced with a strained liquidity situation of a partnering business. We conducted a cash forecast and assessed the other parties properties for a potential partial asset takeover.
In another project, we prepared the sale of one of our regional real estate portfolios. Evan was of great help when it come to preparing sales documents, presentations and object description. The project was closed successfully shortly after the end of Evan’s internship.
Evan showed good knowledge of financial terms and cash flow analyses and was eager and quick to learn when he came across obstacles. His very diligent and sedulous work ethic was much appreciated especially when project deadlines came close. Evan was also a very likeable and loyal colleague. He integrated quickly into our team and gained everyone’s trust and respect by constantly delivering quality results.
Based on his performance at Moneypenny Real Estate, I have no hesitations in recommending him for employment at your company. Feel free to contact me with any further questions about Evan.
Daisy Trumpet
Head of Commercial Real Estate
Moneypenny Real Estate, Inc.

Write Express: You will find some great letter of recommendation templates at Write Express,^[8] so you can choose the one that best suits your requirements and then use that to help you along.

I am very pleased to write this letter of recommendation for John Doe. I have worked with many teachers and teacher interns over my thirty-year teaching career, and he stands out among them. John was a sixth grade substitute Social Studies teacher during February and March of 2006, and I had the pleasure of working with him on our team. I found him easy to work with and a personable individual.
I was impressed that John took full responsibility as a permanent teacher, not as a temporary substitute. He put in time and effort above what was expected of a substitute, staying until 8:00 pm, if necessary. He participated in all conferences and meetings held during his interim.
It is never easy to replace a teacher. This sixth grade team can be a difficult group with many needs. John made the transition easy by developing a good rapport with both students and parents. Students respected John Doe, and responded to his caring manner and firm control of the class.
John is a very personable man. Attractive and professional-looking, he has good interpersonal skills and is easily understood by students and parents alike. He carries out every responsibility well and in a timely manner.
In closing, I would like to say that when John Doe leaves Imaginary Middle School, its loss will be another school’s gain. I believe he would be a tremendous asset to any school. He is a colleague with whom I am proud to teach.
You may reach me vial E-mail at me@doe.com or by phone at 555.5555. I will be happy to provide additional information or answer any questions, if needed.

Microsoft: You can quickly download a great template^[9] that you can use from Microsoft. This is ideal for creating a letter relating to a co-worker or employee. It is also very simple to download and use.

[Your Name]
[Telephone] | [Email address] | [Street Address, City, ST ZIP Code]
[Date]
[Recipient Name]
[Title]
[Company]
[Address]
[City, ST ZIP Code]
Dear [Recipient]:
I am writing this reference at the request of [Name], who is applying for a position at [Company Name]. [Name] has worked with me [number of years] at [Company Name] in [roles].
[Name] has a number of strengths I’d like to share. He has exceptional technical skills. For example, [add a specific example]. [Name] is also a very fast learner. [Add additional strengths.]
In conclusion, I would highly recommend [Name]. If his performance in my [work group] is any indication of how he’d perform in the available position, [Name] will be an extremely positive addition to your organization. If you need any additional information, feel free to contact me at [telephone] or by email at [email address] anytime.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Title]

With the various resources, templates, and guidelines that are offered by these websites, writing a letter of recommendation for any purpose should be a breeze. You can write your letter with total confidence in the knowledge that it will come across as professional and well thought out.

Featured photo credit: Flaticon via flaticon.com

Reference

[1]	^	Forbes: Here’s A Template To Write A Perfect (And Personalized) Letter Of Recommendation
[2]	^	TheMuse: Here’s a Template to Write a Perfect (and Personalized!) Letter of Recommendation
[3]	^	BestJobInterview: Sample Reference Letter
[4]	^	OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab: Annotated Sample Letter of Recommendation
[5]	^	Williamette University: Sample Letters of Recommendation for the Rhodes Scholarship
[6]	^	Letters.org: Letter of Recommendation for Award
[7]	^	Reference-letter: Sample Letters of Recommendation
[8]	^	WriteExpress: Write a Recommendation or a Reference Letter
[9]	^	Microsoft: Recommendation Letter