Letters of recommendation have the purpose of endorsing the academic, professional, and personal characteristics of an individual. Therefore, it is essential advocates learn to write representative and powerful letters of recommendation that speak on the professional qualities of an individual. In this article, you will learn how to write a letter of recommendation, how to set boundaries with the individual requesting, and how to collect and organize the necessary information. The advice was gathered via interviews with Dr. Yang Ai, Dr. Kelly Dries, and Tom Roy. Together these individuals provide a spectrum of what letters of recommendation should entail from their experience as a professor, an executive director, and high school teacher respectively.
Decide If You’ll Write It
First, set boundaries with the person requesting the letter. Do you feel comfortable writing this person a letter of recommendation? If not, don’t write it. Dr. Dries shared it is OK to say no, especially if you don’t think you can write a good one or if your credibility as a recommender is at risk. But share your reason and take the time to help the person brainstorm who else they may ask.
Gather Your Information
Dr. Ai shared that if you agree to write the letter, create a plan of action, a timeline, a form of ongoing communication, and collect all the resources you will need to start. Many writers ask for the job description, a copy of the job application, resume, cover letter, brag sheet, and personal statement. But most importantly, many writers ask what the person wants in their letter of recommendation.
Get to Writing
After you collect the necessary information, begin writing the letter of recommendation. Start by identifying three selling points matching the person to the job requirements. Next, give examples of times the person demonstrates these skills. You may also choose to describe the person’s personality and temperament. Mention the individual’s work ethic as well as their strengths and if applicable, their goals. When writing, be wary of the language you use as you want to remain equitable and professional. Individuals often use different vocabularies when describing women and minorities. For example, women are often described as compassionate and caring, whereas men are labeled as focused and driven. Lastly, we want you to think of your audience and the opportunity the person is applying for. Roy states most readers want a fun uplifting story so to refrain from sob stories, instead tell a story of resilience and growth. At the end of the day, they’re looking for a successful individual to join the team and that’s how you’re going to sell this person!
Let’s Recap
By following these procedures with care and effort, we implore letter writers to represent their subjects as hard workers and help them with their professional development via the letter of recommendation process. We also hope that recommenders will now be able to set clear boundaries with requesters and feel confident in their ability to advocate for the person they’re endorsing.
