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Learn how to craft impactful letters of recommendation that highlight achievements and qualifications effectively.

How to Write a Strong Letter of Recommendation


AuthorSerra Serdiyol
Date2025-03-19
Reading Time6 Minutes

Writing a letter of recommendation is a huge responsibility. The LOR will showcase the qualifications and capabilities of the applicant. Thus, you need to research and format everything before you start writing. So, the process is quite troublesome.

The letter of recommendation will influence the professional or academic career of the applicant. Even a single mistake can cause huge trouble. This article will highlight how to write a letter of recommendation quickly. We will also discuss why and how you should use Eskritor to write a professional letter of recommendation.

Understanding the Purpose of a Letter of Recommendation

Before writing recommendation letters, you should know the purpose. For example, you may need to write a letter for a working professional. Or, someone can ask you to write a LOR showcasing their academic background. Understanding the purpose will ensure you are writing a relevant LOR.

What Is a Letter of Recommendation?

The letter of recommendation is a professional document that showcases the applicant's expertise and qualifications. When you write it, you recommend that the person have the mentioned skills and experience.

Sometimes, LORs are also called career advancement letters. A study by Statista revealed that more than 604.5 million people visited Indeed to search for jobs. A well-written LOR will help the candidate progress in their professional and academic careers. You can visit Indeed to learn recommendation letter examples for students and professionals.

Types of Recommendation Letters

As mentioned, writing a strong letter of recommendation is not easy. These professional documents have to be unique. Knowing the different types of recommendation letters and their differences will help you write a relevant one.

  1. Professional Recommendation Letters: Usually, managers or colleagues write such letters. This type of letter focuses on the skills and experience of the candidate. This letter will help them in their professional career.
  2. Academic Recommendation Letters: Usually, teachers and professors write academic recommendation letters. These letters are invaluable for college or graduate school applications.
  3. Character Recommendation Letters: These letters are also known as personal references. People can use them in situations requiring a testament to the individual's character.

Sometimes, you can get confused even after following all the guidelines. Despite knowing different types of LORs, you can confuse the wordings or sentences. In such cases, you can use tools like Grammarly. Select the tone and settings, and you will get proper editing suggestions.

Overhead view of a laptop, clipboard with blank paper, and writing materials on a dark desk
Professional workspace setup for drafting recommendation letters, featuring essential writing tools and a clean, organized layout

Key Components of a Letter of Recommendation

Many people have yet to know how to write a letter of recommendation. Thus, they start writing anything they want, affecting the overall LOR. You need to avoid such mistakes. A letter of recommendation has a couple of key components. These are crucial to ensure the letter is relevant and helpful. Here are the key elements of a LOR that you should know.

  1. Introduction: The introduction is crucial for showcasing professionalism and capturing the attention of employers and professors.
  2. Body Paragraphs: The paragraph section highlights the achievements and experiences of the candidates.
  3. Conclusion: Conclude with a positive statement reaffirming the suitability of the candidates.

Introduction

One of the best practices for recommendation letters is to focus on the introduction part. The employers and professors pay close attention to this part. This will help them gauge the professionalism of the candidate. Thus, the introduction part has to be top-notch and informative.

Body Paragraphs

In this part, you need to write the skills and achievements of the candidate. You can also write how many years the candidates have worked or studied. Use specific examples to showcase their strengths and problem-solving capabilities. For example, you can write about a project they led or a challenge they overcame.

Conclusion

When you conclude the letter, make sure you ensure the suitability of the candidates. You need to provide a positive and concise closing statement. If possible, you can attack your contact information. This way, the recipient can contact you for further clarification.

Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Letter of Recommendation

Remember that a strong recommendation letter is not all about the strengths of candidates. You need to structure it so that the readers find it appealing. A boring LOR will cause them more harm than good. Here are some steps on how to write a strong letter of recommendation.

  1. Gather Relevant Information: Gather all the information about the goals of the candidate.
  2. Use a Professional Format: Make sure you write in a professional tone.
  3. Provide Specific Examples: Use specific examples to showcase the capabilities of the candidate.
  4. Tailor the Letter to the Position or Program: Create a letter focusing on the specific job position or academic program.
  5. Proofread and Edit Thoroughly: Proofread the letter to make necessary changes.

Step 1: Gather Relevant Information

Before writing a strong letter of recommendation, you need to gather information. You need to understand the goals of the candidates. Having information about the position will help you personalize the LOR even more. This way, you can highlight the most relevant skills and experiences.

Step 2: Use a Professional Format

You need to write the recommendation letter formally and with proper headings. You can use various recommendation letter templates for this purpose. Make sure you include the date and name of the recipient. You must also use Grammarly to ensure the tone is formal and professional.

Step 3: Provide Specific Examples

Write real-life examples that showcase the achievements of the candidates. The examples will also help the recipient understand the strengths and responsibilities of the applicant. For instance, mention which projects led successfully.

Step 4: Tailor the Letter to the Position or Program

Customize the content to align with the specific requirements. Highlight experiences and skills that match the job description or academic criteria. Doing these will make the letter more relevant.

Step 5: Proofread and Edit Thoroughly

Before the final submission, you need to review and edit the letter. Proofread the letter twice to ensure grammatical accuracy. You also need to cross-check the information to prevent any misguidance. Forbes revealed that 95% of employers conduct a background check first.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Recommendation Letters

When writing a letter of recommendation, mistakes can happen. However, these mistakes will make bad examples for students and professionals. Understanding and avoiding common mistakes will help you write a genuine letter.

  1. Being Vague or Generic: Avoid using generic terms when writing a recommendation letter.
  2. Including Irrelevant Information: Make sure the information is relevant and factual.
  3. Exceeding the Recommended Length: Do not make the recommendation letter too long.

Being Vague or Generic

Never use language that does not highlight the unique qualifications of the candidates. If you use words like "hard-working" or "team player," you need to include proper examples. Otherwise, the letter will feel generic and less impactful. Instead, you can include detailed descriptions.

Including Irrelevant Information

Focus on the primary details that seem relevant to the opportunity at hand. Avoid including personal stories or achievements, as these will seem irrelevant. Moreover, these will distract the recipient from the main message and create confusion.

You are writing a recommendation letter, not an essay. So, you must keep the letter short, typically within a page. A lengthy letter can overwhelm the reader and dilute the key points. Highlight the most relevant skills and experiences to maintain clarity and impact.

Eskritor AI content writer landing page showing features and language options
User-friendly AI content writing platform showcasing multilingual capabilities and various writing templates for professional documents

How Eskritor Enhances Recommendation Letter Writing

Eskritor is undoubtedly one of the best AI tools for writing letters of recommendation. This AI content writing platform runs on modern artificial intelligence algorithms. With 100,000+ customers worldwide, Eskritor is the solution to your needs.

This platform can help you write different types of recommendation letters. From professional to academic letters, just command what you want, and you will receive the best output. If you are wondering how to write a letter of recommendation, here is how Eskritor can help you.

  1. AI-Powered Content Generation: Eskritor uses AI to generate personalized letters of recommendation.
  2. Grammar and Style Enhancement: Eskritor offers built-in grammar checking and real-time suggestions.
  3. Customizable Templates for Various Applications: Eskritor offers templates for professional and academic scenarios.
  4. Multilingual Support for Global Applicants: Eskritor supports 100+ languages for audiences worldwide.

Professional recommendation letter interface displaying a detailed endorsement for a technical position
Comprehensive recommendation letter template highlighting candidate achievements, leadership skills, and quantifiable impacts

AI-Powered Content Generation

Eskritor comes with an AI content-writing feature. It will take your input and generate personalized letters of recommendation. It will also ensure the letters are appropriate per your unique writing style. This way, the recommendation letters will not sound robotic.

Moreover, the platform can adapt to your various needs. The user interface is super minimalistic and navigational. Just sign up, choose a topic, and see the magic of Eskritor. A Salesforce study revealed that over 76% of people use AI for content generation.

Split-screen view of recommendation letter draft and editing panel
Dual-pane editing interface allowing seamless review and refinement of recommendation letter content

Grammar and Style Enhancement

Thanks to Eskritor, you do not have to use other grammar-checking tools. This platform has excellent grammar-checking features that will refine your letters even more. The best part is that you do not have to pay anything extra to use this feature.

Eskritor will provide real-time grammatical suggestions to make the output flawless. Moreover, it will also give tips on improving sentence readability and flow. Thus, you can ensure your letter of recommendation remains polished and mistake-free.

Customizable Templates for Various Applications

Eskritor understands the importance of versatility. That said, you will find numerous templates for professional and academic scenarios. Visit the template library and choose anything you want. The options are extensive to support users with different needs.

These templates will ease the writing process. You do not have to write a letter of recommendation from scratch. Just choose a template and then include relevant information. This way, you can prevent any creativity block.

German language recommendation letter template with professional formatting
Multilingual recommendation letter template showcasing international format capabilities with German text

Multilingual Support for Global Applicants

Eskritor is available worldwide. It supports 40+ languages, which is one of its core selling points. You can create and edit letters of recommendation in any language you want. Moreover, the platform can also help you in translating the LORs. So, you can create unique recommendation letters in your language. Then, you can translate that into the local language. The AI will also ensure the translation is top-notch.

Practical Tips for Using Eskritor Effectively

Eskritor has a user-friendly interface. You will still find it easy to use even with minimal technical knowledge. Nevertheless, here are some tips for using Eskritor to write recommendation letters.

  1. Input Clear and Specific Information: Ensure the prompts are clear and concise.
  2. Review and Personalize the Generated Content: Review the AI-generated content once for more refinement.
  3. Utilize Eskritor's Editing Features: Proofread the content and edit to remove any grammatical mistakes.

Topic selection interface with example scenarios and situation input field
Interactive topic selection screen for recommendation letters with customizable prompts and real-world examples

Input Clear and Specific Information

Make sure you always write clear and specific information. The input you give will heavily impact the output. The more detailed prompts you provide, the better LOR Eskritor can create. You can also mention the word count or the type of recommendation letter you want.

Review and Personalize the Generated Content

Eskritor can generate highly accurate recommendation letters without any mistakes. But sometimes, you might have to include some additional information. This is why you should review the AI-generated content once or twice. This way, you can tweak it to match your unique voice and writing style.

Utilize Eskritor's Editing Features

Make sure you use Eskritor's editing features. It can check if you have any grammatical inaccuracies within the recommendation letter. The platform will ensure the letter is grammar-proof so you can create a good impression.

Conclusion

A well-written letter of recommendation always supports the authenticity of the candidates. It showcases their skills and helps them stand apart from the crowd. With the right approach, these letters can help them achieve success. If you want to know how to write a letter of recommendation, Eskritor can help you. It can enhance the overall writing process. So, make sure you use Eskritor and create an appealing letter of recommendation.

Frequently Asked Questions

The best opening sentence of a letter of recommendation introduces the relationship of the candidate with the applicant and establishes credibility. Eskritor will ensure the opening sentence is capable of capturing attention.

To end a recommendation letter, express strong support for the applicant and offer your contact information for follow-up. Eskritor will consistently end a recommendation without any loophole.

The proper format for a letter of recommendation includes a header, salutation, introduction, body, conclusion, and closing. If you have problems maintaining all these, Eskritor can help.

The best word to end a letter is "Sincerely." It is professional, polite, and widely accepted in formal and informal contexts. You can use Eskritor, and the platform will handle your letters.