Before you write a recommendation letter it is important to understand what it is and why it is used. A recommendation letter is a type of teller with which you can recommend one’s work or academic performance so that the person gets selected in the high school or college or any organization where the person has applied. In this ever-increasing competition, an effective and sincere recommendation letter can help a person to stand out among the competition. The teacher, counselors, family members, etc. mainly write the recommendation letter and writing a recommendation letter is not only a matter of tremendous honor but is also a very weighty task. That is the reason why it is essential to know how to write a great recommendation letter. You may get some best letter template on the Internet but we have come up with some exceptional tips of writing the best recommendation letter that you must go through before attempting to write a recommendation letter:
- Knowing the person well for whom you are writing the recommendation:
Before writing the recommendation letter it is important to know the person well for whom you are writing the recommendation letter. You should know about all his accomplishment and extra-curricular activities. You may need all these personal details to include in the recommendation letter. So, if you do not know the person well or do not have enough information about the achievement of the person then you should not write the letter.
- Open the letter with a proper salutation:
Use of proper salutation is very essential for any type of letter and the same is true for the recommendation letter as well. So, before you start a recommendation letter it is very important to use the salutation properly. The two most common and acceptable salutations that are used in recommendation letter are ‘To whom it may Concern’ and ‘Dear Admissions Recommendation’.
- Introduce the person in the first paragraph:
You should begin the recommendation letter by introducing the person in the first paragraph. Make sure that you have used the full name of the person for the first time and then you can use the first name of the person throughout the letter. Highlighting the strong characteristics of the person in the first paragraph is another very good idea to get the attraction of the reviewer.
- Highlight the achievement in the second and third paragraph:
In the second and third paragraph, you should concentrate more on the achievement of the person rather than highlighting too much on who the person is. It is necessary to demonstrate the various qualities and skills of the person. Generally, the representative of the college or institute wants to know whether the student will be suitable enough to fit into their environment or not. That is the reason why it is important to highlight as well as justify with example about how the person possesses the ability to overcome the obstacles and can tackle the challenges for reaching the goal.
- Conclude with direct recommendation:
Finally, you should conclude the recommendation letter with a sincere statement for the person and request the authority of the college or institute to select the person. It is also important to provide the contact information of the school or college from where the recommendation is being written. You should not forget to include the telephone number or email address at the end of the letter so that the representative of college or institute can contact in case of any necessity.
- Use proper business closing: You must be very professional and if you are sending the recommendation letter physically then you should take the print out of it and sign it by hand. If you are doing email the only your name will do. But put the terms like – sincerely, Best Regards, Thank You, etc.
- Proofread the letter: Before you submit the letter make sure that you have applied all the above-mentioned steps in the letter. Moreover, it is very essential to proof-read the letter and make sure that there is no silly spelling mistakes or grammatical errors in the letter.