Your friend has been looking for a job and the best way to help him or her is by recommending their good work to prospective companies. This is a point in life that most people go through. In the letter, you get to evaluate their characters, capabilities and qualities about the individual’s specific task. The document forwarded to a hiring manager or the officer in charge of admission to assess it and give your friend feedback.


Letters of Recommendation For A Friend












What is a letter of recommendation for a friend?

This is a letter written to a hiring manager stating your friend’s qualities and character attributes that best suit the vacant job. It strengthens the letter of a job application that your friend writes to the hiring manager.

A person’s former or current employers, business acquaintances, customers, clients and professors write professional reference letters. This is different from personal reference letters written by one who knows the job candidate in a personal capacity. The professional letters offer information on talents, skills and work habits.

What should a personal letter of recommendation include?

The contents of a personal reference letter are crucial and handling them with uttermost concern is important. You aim to get your friend hired by ensuring you give essential and specific details to the hiring manager for them to see the best in your friend. Here are some few things to include in the letter:

  • Your identity
    Providing information such as your name, qualification, and workplace enables the hiring manager gets wind of who you are. They’ll take your document seriously once this is clearly stated and in an orderly manner.
  • Your relation with the person you are recommending
    State how you two are associated and in this case, you can clearly say he or she is your acquaintance. They probably picked you because of the close and good relationship you have with them.
  • What makes them qualified
    State their unique talent that the employer will find it suitable to meet their application requirements. State their training experiences and the vast knowledge they have to meet the employers working standards.
  • Specific skills of your friend
    Based on how well you’ve known your friend, you can state what they are good at. Stating their expertise in particular fields ensures they are on the priority list when it comes to being shortlisted for the job.

How do I write a letter of recommendation for a friend?

The format in which you write this type of letter is the same as the documentation of a normal letter or piece of writing. It takes the outlook of a formal letter since it’s geared to a working environment. Apply these steps while writing the letter and be sure that it’ll be read quickly and easily.

  • A brief introduction
    Start by writing the date in which you wrote the letter followed by a clear salutation such as, To Whom It May Concern, sir, Mr., Mrs. or Ms Only state a single title if you are sure that the person who’ll be reading it will be who you think they are.
  • The body
    Talk about your aim of writing the letter and state the name of your friend as the referred person. List down reasons why you are recommending your friend and state the capacity that you know them. Finally, finish by stating their most applicable qualities.
  • Closing remarks
    Conclude by confidently recommending them for the work offered. To ensure that you write a successful conclusion, ensure you are sure of what you listed on the body. This is in case they get to contact you for confirmation. Finish off by sincerely stating your name and signature.

You best know your acquaintance’s work and you’re positive enough that they are suited for the particular job. Taking time to write an impressive letter to the hiring manager referring them, greatly helps them get shortlisted for the job.

Personal Letters Of Recommendation











How long should the letter of reference be?

A good letter of recommendation should be short but clear. Write a letter that has three or four paragraphs explaining how well you know your friend and how best their character traits will benefit their working needs. Ensure they have short and distinct sentences and that the whole work sums to a single page.

A letter with only two paragraphs will only show how less you know your friend. On the other hand, the employing manager will consider one with more than a page of writing as too wordy. One that lacks paragraphs shows lack of order and presumed as a narrative.

Which font to use in the letter of reference?

The key to a good presentation is the use of the right font that is easy to read. Most forms of writing use traditional fonts such as Arial, Calibri and The New Times Roman. These are highly preferred by employers due to their modest form that is making them go through the letter with ease.

You won’t impress an employer with fancy writings, especially when it’s about personal preference. Use color black for your texts, which is a neutral color that is used in the professional industry. Use font sizes between 10 and 12 points for easy visibility.

Do I have to sign the recommendation letter?

Signing is a tradition when writing this type of formal letter for formality purposes. It’s not limited to writing done online. In this case, you can use applications such as Adobe Document Signing. Online signing proves that you have access to your friend’s signature. It also indicates your approval to the letter making the employer contented before reading it.

Personal Reference Letters











Should I have to have a qualified professional to write a reference letter for my friend?

This isn’t crucial since you are only informing their hiring manager about their characters and not working experiences. This will only be essential when writing a professional reference letter to someone you relate to professionally. Having a job is still okay but it doesn’t count to your opinion when referring an acquaintance to a job opportunity.