When applying for a new job, a letter of recommendation increases the chance of new employment tremendously. The letter gives a picture of what the previous boss or any of your senior thinks of their coworker. It’s always written in a positive way. Together with a curriculum vitae and other supporting documents, applicants submit this letter to your prospective employer. If a coworker asks you to write a letter of recommendation, you must know how to help them out.
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Letters Of Recommendation For Coworker
Defining a letter of recommendation for coworker
This is a letter that you write for a colleague to describe their capabilities and their character traits in relation to a potential role they’re applying to. Its main aim is to give a firsthand account and detailed explanations of how your coworker has supported their company and accomplished projects successfully.
Furthermore, a recommendation letter for colleague also describes how they can contribute to the position they’re applying for or how they can be an asset. The letter is usually reviewed by hiring managers and recruiters as part of the hiring process, together with resumes, portfolios, and interviews.
Ask yourself these questions first
Before writing a letter of recommendation for coworker, it’s important to ask a couple of questions to your colleague. Also, remember that when you do somebody a favor, you need to be completely comfortable with the idea. Otherwise, it’s better to refuse the request. But if you do agree, ask these questions first:
- Who will you address the letter to?
This is an important question to ask your coworker because addressing the letter to the right person leaves a good impression. - Can you ask for a copy of your friend’s resume?
This might sound strange but it is a wise request as you will get a clear idea about your coworker’s expertise, education, and skills, and as such, you can compose based on these, a better letter of recommendation. - Can you ask your colleague for a job description?
This helps you write the coworker reference letter from the perspective of the job description. - Does your colleague want you to highlight any specific achievements?
This is a legitimate question to ask because your coworker might want you to highlight some of their most significant achievements. - How can your coworker be an asset to the organization?
Knowing this allows you to mention in his/her favor the expertise and skills they possess that can solve the issues in the organization they’re applying to. - Is there anything that you shouldn’t mention?
There could be cases when your coworker is over-qualified for the position and as such, they would prefer if you didn’t mention certain educational attainments or professional experiences. It’s best to ask them about this to make sure that you know exactly what to write and what not to write.
Recommendation Letters For Colleague
How to write a letter of recommendation for a coworker?
To ensure that you include relevant information to help your coworker secure the desired position, follow these steps for writing your letter of recommendation for coworker:
- Gather the information you need
Make it a point to gather all of the necessary information from your coworker before starting to write. This serves as your guide in writing an effective letter. Verify these details:
What position they’re applying for
Who will you address the letter to
A list of their relevant experiences and achievements
The due date of the letter - Give a short introduction and an explanation of your professional relationship
You have to introduce yourself at the start of the letter and explain your professional relationship with your coworker. Including your job title makes the reader understand why you’re qualified to write the letter. You can also mention the number of years you have worked together on specific projects or in the same company. - Include some examples and make them as specific as possible
You can provide examples of your coworker’s achievements and work ethics in the next section of your recommendation letter for colleague. Cite specific instances that highlight their skills.
This may include specific abilities like problem-solving or critical thinking which proved very useful to the success of an event or project. You can further explain why the same skills can help them succeed in the future. - Explain how your coworker can be an asset to the company
Aside from gaining an understanding of your coworker’s work ethic and achievements, a hiring manager or recruiter would also want to know what your coworker can contribute to the company. Explain this in a couple of sentences – how you think your coworker can help in the business’ growth. - Include your contact details
Finally, provide your contact details in case the recipient of the letter wants to reach you for additional queries. Provide these details at the end of the letter or include them in the closing.
Coworker Reference Letters
Ensuring its effectiveness
A well-planned and written letter of recommendation for coworker will help set your coworker apart from the other candidates. To achieve this goal, your letter should contain the following:
- Accurate and specific information
Your letter should contain no lies, tall tales, and no cases of mistaken identity. This is the reason why you have to have a conversation with your coworker at the onset.
Any mismatched information, no matter how innocent, might make a recruiter think that you’re lying or that you really cannot remember your time with your coworker that well. - Measurable data
Focus on the specifics rather than the general concepts. For instance, if you can show specific instances where your coworker saved the company’s resources, this would be an excellent example to share. - It’s grammatically correct with perfect spelling
Whatever praises you shower on your coworker might mean less if your coworker reference letter contains too many mistakes.
Unfortunately, in most cases, we judge each other on the way we present things – and that includes this letter. Have someone else check your work before submitting it, as you would do the same with your own cover letter or resume. - An eye-catching subject line
This becomes much more important if you sent the letter by email. Pick a subject line for your letter that is both concise and simple. This ensures that your letter doesn’t get caught in the recipient’s spam folder or worse, get ignored.
