Using overly emotional or exaggerated language can come across as unprofessional and puts the reader off. The person’s skills and accomplishments should really sell themselves, with your letter of recommendation acting to solidify and confirm them. There’s a fine balance between complimenting and gushing.
This way you can customize your letter for maximum effectiveness. If you can honestly endorse the former employee and have clearance to do so, find out what kind of job they’re applying for. Personal: adaptability, ability to take constructive criticism, rapport with colleagues, determination, work ethic, builds consensus, good sense of humor.
Recommending an underperformer can damage your professional reputation, as endorsing a subpar employee to another manager can reflect poorly on your judgment. Proceed.īut if you have misgivings about them, writing a letter isn’t a smart idea, and you should decline. Evaluate the requestĬan you honestly recommend this person and endorse their skills to another employer in good faith? If the answer is yes, great. If your company doesn’t allow a work-related reference letter, ask whether you could provide a written character reference - a recommendation on a personal level. So, touch base with your human resources or legal department to make sure you’re not breaking any rules by endorsing a person in writing.
Check the rulesĭifferent organizations have different policies regarding writing recommendation letters for former employees. Here are six things to keep in mind if you’ve been asked to write one, along with a letter of recommendation template for you to customize.
You get to deepen a professional relationship, which is helpful in any career. Writing a solid recommendation letter is a benefit for the job seeker, of course, but it can help you, as well. Either way, the questions that arise are the same: What details and praise should you include? How should the recommendation letter be structured? Are there any pitfalls you should avoid? Or it might require more time and consideration.Īnd if this is new territory for you, you may be wondering whether you should even agree to write one. Depending on how well you worked with them - and the circumstances of their departure from your company - you might be able to write one quickly. It happens to many managers: A former employee reaches out to you asking for a letter of recommendation.