How to Write a Letter of Recommendation (With Examples)

A strong letter of recommendation can tip the scale in a job application, graduate school admission, or scholarship decision. A weak one can quietly sink a candidate’s chances without them ever knowing what went wrong.

If someone has asked you to write a recommendation, the request itself is a compliment — they trust you to represent them well. But writing an effective letter is harder than most people expect. Generic praise feels hollow to experienced readers. Vague statements like “hard worker” and “team player” appear in millions of letters and communicate nothing distinctive about the person you are recommending.

This guide breaks down how to write recommendation letters that actually influence decisions, covering employment, academic, character, and graduate school contexts. If you want to generate a structured letter quickly, our free Recommendation Letter Generator walks you through the process step by step.

The Anatomy of a Strong Recommendation Letter

Readers of recommendation letters — hiring managers, admissions committees, scholarship panels — process hundreds of these documents. They spend 60-90 seconds on each one. Your letter needs to communicate three things quickly: who you are, why your opinion matters, and why the candidate deserves the opportunity.

Opening: Establish Your Credibility

The first paragraph answers the reader’s immediate question: “Who is this person and why should I care what they think?”

I am writing to recommend Sarah Chen for the Senior Product
Manager position at your organization. As Director of Product
at TechCorp, I supervised Sarah directly for three years,
during which she consistently demonstrated the strategic
thinking and execution skills that define top-tier product leaders.

This opening does three things in three sentences: states the purpose, establishes the recommender’s authority, and previews the endorsement. The reader knows immediately that this is a direct supervisor with years of firsthand observation — a credible source.

Body: Show, Do Not Tell

The body of the letter is where most people go wrong. They list adjectives: “Sarah is creative, dedicated, and detail-oriented.” These words are so overused they have lost all meaning. What works instead is evidence.

Use the STAR framework:

• Situation: Set the scene
• Task: What was the candidate asked to do?
• Action: What did they actually do?
• Result: What happened because of their action?

When our flagship product was losing market share to a competitor's
cheaper alternative, Sarah proposed and led a tiered pricing
strategy that I initially had reservations about. She built the
business case with customer interview data from 40 accounts,
designed the rollout plan with our engineering and sales teams,
and presented the strategy to our board. Within six months of
launch, we recovered 15% of the lost market share and increased
annual recurring revenue by $2.3 million. That initiative changed
my mind about tiered pricing and changed our company's trajectory.

This paragraph is worth more than a full page of adjectives. It describes a real situation, shows judgment and initiative, and provides a quantified result. The reader can picture Sarah in action.

Closing: State Your Endorsement Clearly

Do not leave the reader guessing about the strength of your recommendation. Be explicit:

Highest recommendation: “I recommend Sarah without reservation. In twenty years of managing product teams, she ranks among the top three professionals I have had the privilege of working with.”

Strong recommendation: “I strongly recommend Sarah for this role. Her combination of strategic vision and hands-on execution would be an asset to any product organization.”

Good recommendation: “I recommend Sarah for this position. She is a reliable professional who consistently meets expectations.”

Notice how the language shifts across levels. An experienced reader can distinguish between these endorsements immediately. Be honest about where your recommendation falls — a lukewarm highest recommendation is worse than a genuine strong one.

Writing for Different Contexts

Employment Recommendations

Hiring managers want answers to two questions: Can this person do the job? Will they be a good colleague?

Focus on professional competencies that match the target role. If the candidate is applying for a management position, highlight leadership examples. If they are applying for a technical role, emphasize their technical skills and problem-solving ability. Ask the candidate for the job description so you can tailor your examples.

Include both hard skills (technical abilities, measurable achievements) and soft skills (communication, collaboration, adaptability). A candidate who delivers results but is difficult to work with is a risk. Address both sides.

Academic Recommendations

Admissions committees and scholarship panels evaluate intellectual potential, academic rigor, and scholarly engagement. The tone should reflect these priorities.

Focus on:

• Intellectual curiosity (Does the student ask thoughtful questions? Do they pursue topics beyond the syllabus?)
• Academic performance in context (Top 5% of students you have taught? How does their work compare to peers at the same level?)
• Research capability (Can they formulate a hypothesis, design a study, analyze data, and present findings?)
• Writing ability (Is their written work clear, well-argued, and well-organized?)

In my 15 years teaching advanced organic chemistry at State
University, Marcus stands out as one of the three most
intellectually engaged students I have mentored. His independent
research on catalytic asymmetric synthesis produced findings that
we co-published in the Journal of Organic Chemistry -- an unusual
achievement for an undergraduate researcher.

Character References

Character references speak to personal qualities rather than professional or academic performance. They are used for court proceedings, volunteer positions, adoption applications, housing applications, and citizenship processes.

Focus on:

• Integrity and honesty
• Reliability and dependability
• Community involvement
• How the person treats others
• Specific examples of character in action

I have known James for eight years through our neighborhood
association, where he has served as treasurer for the past four
years. During that time, he managed over $200,000 in community
funds with complete transparency, publishing quarterly financial
reports and making records available for review by any resident
who requested them. His handling of the reserve fund during the
2023 roof replacement project -- a contentious decision that
required balancing competing interests -- demonstrated both his
financial acumen and his ability to mediate between disagreeing
parties with fairness and patience.

Graduate School Recommendations

Graduate programs want evidence that the candidate can handle independent research, advanced coursework, and the intellectual demands of a master’s or doctoral program.

Highlight:

• Analytical and critical thinking skills
• Research experience and methodology
• Ability to work independently
• Intellectual maturity and self-direction
• Resilience when facing complex problems
• Writing and communication skills

Compare the candidate to others at a similar career stage: “Among the research assistants I have supervised over the past decade, Maria ranks in the top 10% for her ability to independently design and execute research protocols.”

What to Include and What to Avoid

Include

• Your relationship to the candidate: Title, organization, duration, and nature of the relationship
• Specific examples: With quantified results whenever possible
• Comparative context: “Top 5% of analysts I have managed” gives the reader a benchmark
• Relevant skills: Matched to the opportunity the candidate is pursuing
• A clear endorsement: Explicit and calibrated to your honest assessment

Avoid

• Generic praise: “Team player,” “self-starter,” and “thinks outside the box” signal a lazy letter
• Unsubstantiated superlatives: “The best I have ever seen” without evidence sounds like inflation
• Irrelevant personal details: The candidate’s hobbies, family situation, or appearance have no place in most recommendation letters
• Backhanded compliments: “Considering her lack of formal training, she performed well” plants doubt rather than building confidence
• Too much information about yourself: The letter is about the candidate. Your credentials belong in the opening paragraph only.

Practical Tips for Writing Better Letters

Ask the Candidate for Materials

Before you start writing, request:

1. Their updated resume or CV
2. The job description, program details, or scholarship criteria
3. A list of specific achievements or projects they want you to highlight
4. The name and address of the recipient (if the letter is for a specific opportunity)

These materials allow you to write a targeted letter instead of a generic one. Reviewing the candidate’s resume also refreshes your memory about their contributions.

Write in Your Own Voice

Recommendation letters should sound like you, not like a template. If you normally speak in direct, no-nonsense sentences, write that way. If your style is more expansive, that is fine too. Authenticity registers with experienced readers.

Keep the Length Right

One full page (400-500 words) is the standard for most contexts. Graduate school and senior executive recommendations may extend to one and a half pages. Anything shorter feels dismissive. Anything longer than two pages suggests you can’t communicate concisely.

Proofread the Names

Misspelling the candidate’s name or the recipient organization’s name is one of the most damaging errors you can make. It signals carelessness and undermines the entire letter. Triple-check proper nouns.

When to Decline the Request

Saying no is sometimes the right answer. Decline gracefully if:

• You don’t know the candidate well enough to provide specific examples
• Your honest assessment would be lukewarm or negative
• There is a conflict of interest (recommending a family member for a position at your own company)
• You don’t have the time to write a thoughtful letter before the deadline

A polite decline protects both your integrity and the candidate’s prospects. Suggest someone better positioned to advocate for them: “I think [other person], who worked with you daily on the product launch, would be able to provide more detailed and compelling examples of your work.”

Frequently Asked Questions

How far in advance should the candidate ask for a recommendation?

Give your recommender at least two to three weeks notice, ideally a month. Writing a quality letter takes time, and your recommender likely has other commitments. Last-minute requests result in rushed, generic letters. If you are the recommender and receive a request with less than a week’s notice, be honest about whether you can deliver something substantive in that timeframe.

Should the candidate see the letter before it’s submitted?

For employment recommendations, sharing the letter is common and allows the candidate to verify factual accuracy. For academic contexts, many institutions prefer confidential letters because candid assessments are considered more credible. Some application portals ask candidates to waive their right to view letters. Follow the specific requirements of the application.

Can a peer write a recommendation letter, or does it need to be a supervisor?

Peer recommendations are acceptable in some contexts, particularly for character references and certain academic applications. However, letters from direct supervisors, professors, or other authority figures carry more weight because these individuals have formally evaluated the candidate’s performance. If a peer writes the letter, they should clearly state the nature of the relationship and focus on firsthand observations.

Is it acceptable to reuse a recommendation letter for multiple opportunities?

A general reference letter (“To Whom It May Concern”) can be used across applications, but it’s always less effective than a letter tailored to a specific opportunity. When possible, customize the letter to reference the specific role, program, or organization the candidate is applying to. Tailored letters demonstrate effort and specificity that generic letters can’t match.

What if the candidate asks me to exaggerate their accomplishments?

Maintain your integrity. Your reputation as a recommender depends on your credibility. If a past letter is found to contain false claims, it damages both you and the candidate. Stick to truthful statements and present the candidate’s genuine strengths in the best possible light. You can be enthusiastic without being dishonest.

Create Your Letter Now

Our free Recommendation Letter Generator supports employment, academic, character, and graduate school letter types. Enter the candidate’s strengths and achievements, choose your endorsement level, and download a polished PDF. The tool structures the letter with proper formatting and calibrated language so you can focus on the content. No account needed, and nothing is stored on our servers.