Letter #1
Vorontsova Ksenia Aleksandrovna graduated from Moscow State University in 2014 with a degree in International Journalism. Over the years of study, Ksenia Vorontsova has shown herself to be a responsible and purposeful student who strives not only to accumulate knowledge, but also to put it into practice.
Ksenia studied excellently and at the same time took an active part in the life of the university. From the third year she headed the student trade union of the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication, organized concerts, did charity work and blogged on the university website.
We also want to note the wide range of interests of Xenia. In addition to the main lectures, the student attended elective courses in Spanish and Polish, and achieved good results in their study.
Sincerely,
Alexander Viktorovich
Letter #2
Belousov Aleksey Sergeevich graduated from the Voronezh National University in 2014 and received a bachelor's degree in Urban Environment and Interior Design.
The teachers who gave lectures and conducted practical classes with Alexei note his determination and great creative potential. Alexey chose the right profession and, undoubtedly, he will achieve good results in it.
Aleksey was responsible for his studies, received good grades and was singled out among his classmates during practical classes.
Sincerely,
Alexander Viktorovich
Life situations are different, and you may someday need a sample letter of recommendation and how to fill it out.
In this article, we will reveal the question of why a letter of recommendation is needed at all, what information should be displayed in it, and how to write it correctly.
From a legal point of view and according to some lawyers, letters of recommendation are a relic of the past, they should not be required when applying for a job, and even more so considered a mandatory requirement for obtaining the desired position, but employment practice shows that employers still ask for references from the applicant from the previous place of work or study. What functions does a letter of recommendation (letter of recommendation, reference letter, letter of introduction) actually perform? In fact, the role of letters of recommendation is nothing more than an attachment to a resume, which significantly increases the chances of finding a job.
Let's turn to the concept of "Recommendation Letter" and figure out what it is. This is a characteristic, which is compiled in a free form, where the professional qualities of a person who is looking for a job are fully disclosed. A letter of recommendation is drawn up at the place of study of a person or his previous job. Its task is to reflect the qualities of the applicant, which are important when applying for a job, and either an educational institution or a former employer are ready to confirm this information. There is no standard sample for a letter of recommendation, although there are approximate forms of writing it, reflecting the personal and professional qualities of a person.
This document is recommended to be drawn up based on generally accepted rules for writing business letters, and such paper is for informational purposes only. Let's list a number of rules when writing a letter of recommendation:
- Use of business style;
- Compliance with the requirements when addressing a person: Partner, you, colleague, employee;
- The absence in the text of artistic phrases that are used to decorate the narrative and do not carry any semantic load;
- The document must be certified by the signature of the person who filled it out;
- The originator of the letter of recommendation must also be specified.
Recall the fact that a letter of recommendation is drawn up at the same place of work or study, and there is no standard sample when writing it. But if we consider the issue in general terms, then a sample letter of recommendation will have the following structure:
- We fill in the upper right corner: here the full name of the employer and the institution where we want to get the desired vacancy are indicated, or we write the phrase “for presentation at the place of demand” if the citizen is looking for work.
- In the middle at the top of the sheet (just below the right block) we write the name "Letter of Recommendation".
- The next block is the main text of the letter, and it may look something like this: “I, Ivan Petrovich Savelyev, from April 20, 2013 to March 15, 2015, was the direct supervisor of Oleg Ivanovich Pavkin. During this period, Pavkin O.I. was the chief accountant of the financial department. His job responsibilities included: payroll employees, preparation of annual financial statements. Occupying the specified position, Pavkin O.AND. repeatedly sent to advanced training courses, seminars to familiarize himself with the innovations in tax legislation. He coped with his studies "excellently", having mastered the skills necessary for work. During the period of work at LLC "Businessproject", he was repeatedly encouraged by diplomas and awards for high results of labor activity. He showed himself on the positive side, not conflict, sociable, friendly with colleagues. Has a number of achievements, such as: "The best accountant of the department".
- After the main part of the letter of recommendation, a place is given to indicate the reasons why the applicant left the previous job.
- The last block is intended for the employer from the previous place of work to give a subjective assessment of the professional qualities of the former employee. Here an opinion is expressed on how the applicant worked, what qualities he showed and other useful information is provided. The end of the letter is drawn up according to the following principle: “Based on the above facts, and personally assessing the professional qualities of O. Pavkin, we note his readiness to perform similar duties at a new place of work due to his full compliance with his previous position. We wish Pavkin O.I. success and career advancement, improvement in the chosen direction and professional growth.
- The entire text of the letter of recommendation must be certified by the signature of the official who compiled it. The date of its writing is also put.
The letter of recommendation must be certified by the immediate supervisor of the employee. This may be the head of a structural unit, department, branch. To date, such powers are gradually transferred to personnel departments, due to the expansion of their powers, in particular to HR managers.
If the job seeker is a student, then the letter of recommendation must be signed by the dean, the head of the department and, in extreme cases, the rector, which is rare. In the case when a student was trained in advanced training courses or attended preparatory courses, then it is the head of the courses who is assigned the role of the compiler of the letter of recommendation, he also puts his signature on paper.
Irina Petrova was hired as a journalist for the PapaJurist.ru online publication in December 2014. Already in February 2015, she was transferred to the position of editor-in-chief of the news section, Irina Petrova worked in this position until June 2015.
Over the entire period of work in the online edition, the site Irina Petrova has shown herself to be a professional journalist and editor, demonstrating the best qualities: efficiency of work, an inquisitive mind, analytical skills, instant switching from task to task, the ability to captivate readers with published materials, a broad outlook and individual style letters.
As a journalist, Petrova performed the following functions: filling the site with news, monitoring the work of correspondents and freelance correspondents. As an editor, Irina Petrova performed the following functions: stylistic and literary editing of materials, search for topics for future publications, selection of illustrations, coordination of texts with experts, moderation of comments.
Irina coped with her official duties flawlessly, as her immediate supervisor, I can safely recommend her for work in such positions.
Signature
Ivan Fomichev, editor-in-chief of the PapaJurist.ru online publication
Zabelina Natalya Nikolaevna worked at Advanced Technologies LLC under my direct supervision as an accountant from December 15, 2005 to June 2015.
Zabelina N. N. was responsible for maintaining accounting and tax records in the company, for working with primary accounting documentation, controlled mutual settlements with suppliers and buyers, prepared and submitted reports to the tax service.
Zabelina N. N. has a high level of diligence, is an absolutely non-conflict person, constantly improves her professional level, she is characterized by responsibility and attentiveness, mathematical and analytical abilities are well developed.
The personal qualities and professional skills of Zabelina N. N. make it possible to recommend her for work in the positions of an accountant, assistant chief accountant, chief accountant.
Signature
Chief Accountant of Advanced Technologies LLC
Gromova Antonina Sergeevna
Contacts: postal address, phones, e-mail
Seal. The date.
Erokhin Sergey Fedorovich worked at ZAO "Vkusny Mir" under my leadership as a forwarding driver from September 4, 2008 to May 20, 2015.
The duties of Erokhin S. F. included: control of loading / unloading, timely delivery of food to retail outlets, catering establishments, as well as vehicle maintenance. During his work at CJSC "Vkusny Mir", Erokhin S. F. fully coped with his official duties. The cars entrusted to him were constantly kept in good technical condition and clean. He showed himself to be a responsible, accurate, reliable and non-conflict person, gained respect and authority among colleagues. Erokhin S. F. knows the technical base of cars well, is well oriented on the highways of Moscow, did not allow accidents during his work.
Erokhin S. F.'s personal qualities and professional skills make it possible to recommend him for work in the following positions: driver, freight forwarder, forwarding driver.
Signature
Director of CJSC "Vkusny Mir"
Contacts: postal address, phones, e-mail
Seal. The date.
Nikitin Yury Dmitrievich worked in the Textile City company as a sales manager from January 2005 to July 2015 inclusive.
As a sales manager Yu. D. Nikitin was engaged in large-scale wholesale sales of textile products throughout the Russian Federation. In the process of work, he demonstrated the ability to navigate the textile market well, conducted an analysis of competitors and their range, and over ten years of work, he collected an impressive client base.
During all the years of work in the company, Y. Nikitin demonstrated a desire for self-education, regularly attended courses on the ability to build a dialogue with clients, work with objections, and make presentations. Yu. D. Nikitin showed himself as an employee with a high level of self-organization, loyalty to the company, and a focus on results. Yu. D. Nikitin has a high level of communication skills, easily finds a common language with clients and employees, and is non-conflict.
Signature
Director of the Sales Department of the company "Textile City"
Contacts: postal address, phones, e-mail
Seal. The date.
Egorova Kristina Albertovna worked at JSC BusinessConsulting under my direct supervision as a secretary from October 1, 2010 to March 1, December 2015.
Egorova K.A.'s job responsibilities included: planning the work schedule of the head, maintaining electronic document management, business correspondence, receiving and sending materials to regional offices, preparing analytical reports.
The dismissal from OJSC "BusinessConsulting" took place at the initiative of Egorova K.A. in connection with her moving to another city to a new place of residence.
I believe that Egorova Kristina Albertovna has the necessary professional skills and qualities necessary to fulfill the duties of a secretary / assistant manager in another company.
Signature.
General Director of JSC "BusinessConsulting" Evgeniy Nikiforov
Contacts: postal address, phones, e-mail
Seal. The date.
world universities and business schools. Key tips for writing a letter of recommendation:
1. Selection of referents (those on whose behalf the letter of recommendation will be written)
Behind the scenes, the higher status at the referent, the more solid the letter of recommendation will look. The admission committee of any university or scholarship fund will definitely pay attention to this.
However, the most important criterion is that how well the referent really knows you and can assess your potential. If you choose between the dean of the faculty, who did not teach a single course for you, and the teacher who taught you a number of disciplines during all the years of study, choose the second one! Such a letter of recommendation in the eyes of the selection committee looks much more solid.
And of course, try to choose a teacher in one of your key subjects or in the specialty for which you are going to enter.
And if you manage to combine all 3 conditions, then the letter of recommendation will be the most advantageous.
2.1 How to prepare text easier
If the teacher told you to prepare the text yourself, then it will be easiest for you to do this, gathering opinions from. Even your classmates, friends, colleagues can help you with this - those who know you and can appreciate your potential and your personal qualities. Ask what, in their opinion, are your strengths, what would they emphasize when characterizing you? If it is inconvenient to ask this question directly “on the forehead”, then make a small online survey (i Questionnaire, SurveyMonkey, etc.) and simply send it to your friends, explaining why you need it. When you collect a few opinions, you will already have a base for your letters of recommendation.
Otherwise, if you rely only on your perception, then it will be difficult for you to prepare both your motivation letter and two recommendations at once. Even if it succeeds, it is almost always possible to understand that all documents were written by one person.
Make a plan, in which you outline what details you will include in each of the letters: in a motivational essay, in both letters of recommendation. Of course, some information will overlap in all documents, but since it is assumed that all 3 letters were prepared by different persons, the angles should differ accordingly. Having an overall plan in place will make it easier for you to understand what to include in your own essay and what to leave for each of the recommendations.
- Specific examples
A very common mistake in recommendations is to list all possible laudatory characteristics, separated by commas, without giving any examples (I see a lot in letters: “the student proved to be capable, talented, hardworking, thinking, with high potential and leadership qualities”). This is a dead weight letter that has almost no effect on the commission.
To revive these characteristics, it is necessary to give specific examples. If it is written that the student is purposeful, this must be explained; if the teacher believes that the student has leadership qualities, it must be proved; if he recommends continuing his studies in a master's program, you need to clarify why. Examples make the characteristics really reliable.
- Information about successes, achievements relevant to the chosen program
The volume of a letter of recommendation is usually 1 page of text, so there is simply no place to list all the merits, successes and characteristics. That is why the text of the letter should be tailored to the requirements of the program.
If, for example, you are applying to finance, then special emphasis should be placed on analytical skills, the ability to work with numbers and analyze a large amount of information. Usually, the websites of the programs themselves indicate which qualities are primarily important for applicants.
- Characteristics for professional and personal qualities
The fact that you have well-developed analytical skills, you can absorb a huge amount of professional material, and are brilliant in research methods, etc. - this is what interests the selection committee in the first place. But, having received this information, the members of the commission want to know what kind of person comes to them. This is a potential future representative and face of our university - how does it suit our culture, the image of our university? Therefore, in letters of recommendation it is very important to indicate personal qualities - how well you can work in a team or individually, how well your communication skills are developed ... This information should logically complement your profile, and of course, should correlate with what you wrote in your motivation letter.
3.1 Allow more time for preparing recommendations than you expect
(very often you will need to additionally either coordinate the text with a teacher who may be away, or wait for a signature and seal in the dean’s office for a whole week),
3.2 Check in advance in what form it is required to provide letters of recommendation to all universities where you are applying:
- in a free format or in a special form of your chosen university,
- is it enough to scan the recommendations online or do you need to send the originals by mail,
- is it possible to download letters on your own or only a teacher can do this through his official university email.
It is better to find out all this in advance in order to immediately understand how many sets of documents to prepare and in what format.
3.3 After you have fully prepared all the basic documents (motivation letter, CV and references), check how all the information is logically connected whether there are disagreements or excessive repetition. This is such a 'reality check' before sending a set of documents.
The structure of the letter of recommendation should look like this:
Context
- In what capacity and for how long has the referrer known the candidate.
Candidate Achievements
- An overall assessment of the candidate's abilities that played an important role in the learning process, assignments, projects, research or job duties.
- Characteristics of the activities and achievements of the candidate during the mentioned period of study or work (here you can list awards, honors, certificates, etc.).
- Characteristics of the candidate's strengths, especially in comparison with other students or work colleagues with a similar background.
Personal qualities of the candidate
- Evaluation of the candidate's motivation and maturity (especially when it comes to entering a master's or doctoral program).
- Characteristics of leadership and communication qualities, the ability to work in a team or individually.
Conclusion
- Finally, the recommender must justify why he believes that the recommended candidate should be accepted into the specified program of study or awarded a grant.
- This is followed by a phrase stating that additional information about the candidate can be provided upon request.
- At the very end, the surname and initials of the recommender, his position and contacts (email address, phone number) are indicated.
The document must be signed by the recommender. If possible, the recommendation can be printed on the official letterhead of the institution where the recommender works. However, this is not always possible, so you can do without it.
Is your student going to continue studying abroad and has asked for a Letter of Recommendation? This task should be treated with all possible attention, because your reputation as a teacher is at stake!
Before agreeing, decide: can you write a letter of recommendation in a positive way? If you have a low opinion of a person or simply don’t know him well, it’s better to refuse right away - this is in your general interest.
To begin, have the student provide (preferably in writing):
- a story about what he is interested in, what he does outside of school hours and what he has achieved in this (for example, he is the captain of a football team);
- a text about why he wants to enter this university, why he thinks he is ready for this;
- some universities develop their own form, which indicates which items must be included in a letter of recommendation;
- an envelope with a stamp and the address of the recipient (if you have to send the text yourself).
It would be a good idea to talk to the student, discuss their academic and career goals, choice of university, any extracurricular activities that can be mentioned in the text. Find out why he turned to you.
The letterhead of your educational institution will add solidity to the text. In general, follow the standard rules of business correspondence (we discussed some of the features of written business language earlier). You must accurately name the addressee. As a last resort, "To Whom It May Concern" ("To All Interested Persons") is suitable.
Part 1. Introduction
| I am pleased to recommend___ | I am happy to recommend ___ |
| I am writing in enthusiastic support of ___ | I am writing to enthusiastically support ___ |
| It is with great pleasure that I am writing this letter of recommendation for___ | It is with great pleasure that I write this letter of recommendation for ___ |
| Based on my experience with ___, I can say... | Based on my experience with ___, I can say... |
| He has been my student during the past five years. | He has been studying with me for the last five years. |
| I got to know him very well during this time. | I got to know him well during this time. |
| I've learned a lot about him and his abilities. | I learned a lot about him and his abilities. |
| The candidate and the opportunity are a perfect fit. | The candidate and the position he is applying for are simply made for each other. |
| He is well prepared to move onto the collegiate level. | He is well prepared for the transition to the university level. |
Depending on which university the letter of recommendation will be sent to, it is written in American or British English. We discussed some differences in one of the previous articles, and you can check the nuances with the teacher in regular or distance English courses.
Part 2. Characteristics of the activity
It's not just about education. Perhaps the student worked for you as a laboratory assistant, lectured, helped classmates in some subjects. The more details and specifics, the better, but outright exaggerations should be avoided - the selection committee will not take them at face value.
| Among his accomplishments... | Among his accomplishments... |
| Over the years, I have had the pleasure of watching... | During these years, I have had the pleasure of watching... |
| His talents and motivations are not limited strictly to the lab. | His abilities and aspirations are not limited to the laboratory alone. |
| was unrivaled in my course | had no equal in my subject |
| a challenge that he met with great success | a difficulty he overcame with great success |
| balances his time | allocate your time in a balanced way |
| consistently gets excellent marks on his homework and tests | consistently gets excellent marks on homework and tests |
| excellent oral communication skills/ written communication skills | excellent speaking/writing skills |
| computing technology skills | computer skills |
Part 3. Personal qualities
Although the conversation is about intangible things, the specifics are still welcome. Appropriate comparisons.
It is not enough to say: “Mary is a patient mentor to her peers” (“Mary patiently taught her classmates”), you need to give an example. You should also avoid ambiguous expressions.
Part 4. Summary
Highlight the most significant characteristics and formulate a conclusion:
| His abilities and determination will continue to grow. | His abilities and motivation will only grow. |
| He will continue to grow as a leader / creative thinker. | He will continue to develop his leadership qualities / ability to think creatively. |
| He will make a great student at ... | He would be an excellent student in... |
| Without hesitation, I recommend him for ... | I recommend it without hesitation for... |
| He is an exceptional candidate / would be an excellent candidate for ... | He is an excellent candidate / could be an excellent candidate for... |
| I warmly recommend him for... | I highly recommend it for... |
| I am sure you will find him equally impressive. | I'm sure it will make the same strong impression on you. |
| It is with the utmost confidence that I recommend him to your university. | I can absolutely recommend him for admission to your university. |
| Please do contact me if you have any further questions. | Please contact me if you have any questions. |
A letter of recommendation will be useful to a student for admission to a master's program, for employment or transfer to another educational institution. A paper with recommendations can be written by his teacher, a supervisor who is able to correctly characterize the student and write useful recommendations for him.
A letter of recommendation is very important for a student after graduation. The graduate has no experience, therefore, the teacher of the educational institution can evaluate his knowledge, skills and character. When looking for a new job, written references are a useful addition to a resume, in addition to a high school diploma. Therefore, it is recommended that after graduation from the university, contact the teacher with a request to write such a paper.
Another popular reason for issuing such a document is admission to a magistracy. Often, along with other documents, it is required to provide a letter of recommendation from the teacher.
- title part - date, place of execution, information about the addressee, title of the document;
- the main part - basic information about the author of the letter and the student, his characteristics and recommendations for him;
- author's signature.
The addressee should be indicated if it is known in advance to whom the letter of recommendation is intended. If there is no such information, then this attribute is omitted.
In the main part, you need to indicate from whom the recommendations are written and for whom (name of the author of the recommendation letter, his position, attitude towards the student, his name). It should be indicated at which faculty the recommended one studied, the period of study, what specialty he received.
The first part of the text characterizes the knowledge and skills of the student, describes the experience gained in practice, the success of the assimilation of knowledge, academic performance. Next, an assessment of the personality is given - how he interacts with other people, the degree of conflict, the main features are described. All this information will allow you to get the most complete picture of the student, to identify his strengths and weaknesses.
The signed form is given to the student or directly to the destination.
