How To Write An Effective Letter Of Recommendation? 

Over the years, the world has experienced a major increase in the number of students going abroad for their education, as well as young professionals traveling to different countries for their job. The one thing that remains constant in these journeys is submitting a great Letter of Recommendation.  

Whether you are applying for a course, scholarship, internship or job, an LOR can be a game-changing document. The officials at the university you have applied to pay major attention to the Letter of Recommendation for students that they receive. This is because LOR provides a deep insight into the student, their skills, values, beliefs and maturity.  

Having a well-written Letter of Recommendation for a scholarship, employee or student can play a major role in acceptance of the individual to their dream role. However, not everyone knows how to write Letter of Recommendation. Therefore, in this article, you will find the complete guide to write an effective letter of recommendation. So, let’s begin. 

Understanding LORs from A to Z

Before we jump to writing a perfect LOR, let’s first understand how many LORs are required for certain programs, who should write them, and other such information. Given below is a table that highlights these points in crisp and covers topics such as letter of recommendation for top MBA programs. To know more, refer to the table given below.  

Importance of Letter of Recommendations

If you have always thought that a Letter of Recommendation is less powerful than a Statement of Purpose, then you are heavily mistaken. Both documents are important and play an equal role in the student’s acceptance. Given below are the different reasons why an LOR is essential when applying abroad for education, job or scholarship. 

• Third Person POV: A letter of recommendation for students provides the university officials with substantial proof of the student’s skills & qualifications. Since the LOR is written by an individual who has worked closely with the student and seen the skills the student possesses, it makes the letter more credible.  
• Proof of Skills & Qualifications: A Letter of Recommendation for Employee is usually written by manager, senior colleague, project manager and others. Since these people have closely worked with the student, they can express better the skills and qualifications that the student has. Other information, such as how the employee reacts under pressure, and more are also often mentioned in the LOR, giving a deeper insight of the employee. 
• Credibility: Receiving a LOR from a company, professor, manager, research guide or other reliable sources can increase your chances of getting that dream job or admission. This is because LOR acts as a credible source of your success all these years. From your personal, academic to professional traits, a LOR acts as evidence for all, making it credible. 

Format of Letter of Recommendation

Whether you are asking someone to write a Letter of Recommendation for you or for someone else, it is essential to know what the LOR should contain. You can always look for a Letter of recommendation sample on the internet, but you may come across some LORs that follow different formats, thereby making it confusing for you. Read the right format of writing a LOR below. 

• Introduce yourself: In the beginning of the LOR, introduce yourself, such as who you are, where do you work, your experience, and more. 
• Relationship: After a short introduction, explain your relationship with the student seeking the LOR. For example, whether you’re their professor, research guide, coach, etc. 
• Strength of the Applicant: In this section, write about your personal experience with the student. Mention the qualities the student possesses that you experienced. For example, hard-working, punctual, adjusts in new environment, works under pressure, and other such strengths of the student. 
• Relevance: In the following section, write about how the qualities that you have mentioned about the student can help the institute. In case you are writing a Letter of Recommendation for employee, you can write how the skills and qualifications of the employee will be relevant to the organization they are applying to. 
• Examples: One of the best ways to make your LOR real and credible is by providing some real-life examples of the strengths of the student/employee. Talk about the duration, specific instances and more where the student showed their skills, such as critical thinking, patience, creativity, and more.  
• Conclusion: Now, end the letter by expressing your belief in the student or employee’s strengths and skills. Lastly, make sure you add your contact details, in case the institute or organization wishes to contact you. 

Mistakes to avoid in LORs 

If there is one thing that a LOR sample cannot provide you, it is the top mistakes to avoid while writing one. Given below are some common mistakes that people often make when they write a LOR for someone. Read them thoroughly, and make sure you don’t make these mistakes. 

• Lack of Specificity: Instead of writing general statements such as “He is hardworking”, try to write about specific incidents and experiences that showed his hard work. You can talk about a certain project or task that the student completed, where his/her skills and abilities were shown. 
• Lack of Relevance: As mentioned above, it is very important to highlight the relevance to the recipient. Make sure you write about how the skills and qualifications of the student or employee will help the institute or organization where they are seeking admission or job. For example, you could write about how the Creative Thinking skills of the student can help in research papers and other projects. 
• Lack of Professionalism: Many people often make this mistake, as they write the LOR in a very carefree and informal manner. This can have a negative impact on the official reading the LOR, as the informal attitude can leave the official questioning the maturity and credibility of the person writing the LOR. 

Conclusion 

A well-written Letter of Recommendation can go a long way in your academic and professional journey. Whether you are applying to your dream university, for scholarship, or your dream job, a LOR is essential for all. Read the above given tips thoroughly, and also go through some Letter of Recommendation examples over the internet to get a better idea. All the best!