Job Recommendation Letter 101
A job recommendation letter is created by a supervisor or a manager to recommend a candidate who is applying for a job, internship, volunteer opportunity, etc.
Since you will be writing this letter, you should have had a close working relationship with the candidate in order to validate his/her work ethic and performance in a positive and detailed manner.
This letter is crucial to help your candidate fulfil his/her career goals. To convince the receiving person/organisation to employ your candidate, you will have to research and provide good examples of why your candidate is their ideal talent.
Need help writing a job recommendation letter for your subordinate? Keep reading to know more about our easy-to-follow tips.
Best Job Recommendation Letter Tips
1. Understand the Recipient
Actually, it’s not as complicated as you think. There are a few basic information you need to know before writing a job recommendation letter:
- Who are you writing the letter to?
- What is the recipient’s contact information?
- What format should the letter be in (email, written letter, etc.)
Aside from these basic details, you’ll need to know the recipient’s designation (job position or title) and how it relates to the job vacancy that your candidate is applying for.
With all this information in hand, let’s take a look at the basic format of a job recommendation letter.
2. Job Recommendation Letter Format
A job recommendation letter is not complicated to prepare. Typically, the letter will consist of 4-5 paragraphs on average and should fit into a single page – no more than that.
a. Introduction – How did you know your candidate? How long have you worked with him/her? Also, provide a short summary of the candidate’s best traits.
b. Paragraphs 1 to 2/3 – Start with mentioning the candidate’s current/previous job description and how it is relevant to the applied position. While you are doing so, don’t forget to mention his/her strengths and how they contributed to the organisation’s success.
Aside from focusing on the technical aspects, it is also worth highlighting the candidate’s hard and soft skills using examples such as personal encounters or past feedback from the team. Remember that the content must be relevant to the applied job.
c. Closing – The final paragraph should sum up the top reasons why your candidate deserves a chance in the applied company. In other words, mention the value proposition to the company and end the content on a positive note.
Finally, don’t forget to include your signature, job designation your basic contact information. Keep reading to know ways to enhance your job recommendation letter even further.
3. Customisation is Key
It is crucial to research the recipient, the job advertisement, as well as the organisation itself to ensure that your content is highly relevant in addressing their needs – in other words, show the strong link and suitability of your candidate with the vacancy.
Once you have done your research, think about how your candidate can provide the most relevant value to their organisation. For example, if the company is expanding its operations in the SEA region, mention your candidate’s expertise in managing similar tasks.
From skills to work ethics, you need to match your content according to the organisation’s needs to keep the reader engaged. Customise the job recommendation letter accordingly and your candidate will thank you later.
4. Achievements & Metrics
When you are recommending someone to an organisation, it is important that this job recommendation letter allows your candidate to stand out from hundreds of other applicants.
The best way is to highlight your candidate’s achievements and metrics – show examples and numbers such as “Increased sales by 20% through strategic marketing” and “Best Marketer of the year”.
In summary, demonstrate how GOOD the candidate is in terms of work performance and how it provided VALUE to your organisation. State how these qualities will be important to the reader’s organisation – doing this will definitely capture the hiring managers’ attention.
Closing Remarks
The goal of writing this letter would be to ensure that your candidate lands his/her dream job in Malaysia. If you have promised to write this letter (we hope willingly), keep the tone positive and avoid including any negative items that may jeopardise his/her chances.
Finally, you should always proofread your job recommendation letter – especially since you are a supervisor/manager, grammatical and spelling errors are not really forgivable. This is also crucial to land a good first impression of you and ultimately your candidate.
We hope this guide is useful for you in writing a job recommendation letter. If you need more HR guidance and Career Insights, welcome to Job Majestic’s channel.
