Get The Job You Want, Even When No One's Hiring: Take Charge of Your Career, Find a Job You Love, and Earn What You Deserve

Chapter 39. Letters of Recommendation Demonstrate Your Bottom-Line Value

Provide These General Tips to Your Letter Writers:

• Print the final letter on your company letterhead. If your employer does not permit you to write such letters on company letterhead, then please use your personal letterhead or create a simple letterhead (name, address, phone, e-mail at top of the sheet).

• Do not date the letter, do not include any salutation (there should be no "Dear_______"), and do not write "To Whom it May Concern" nor "Dear Sir/Madam."

• Keep the letter fairly brief, and never more than one page.

Letter Outline with Examples

Here is some additional direction you can give to the people who will be writing your letters of recommendation (adapt to your own situation and background):

The first paragraph should say something like:

I am writing to you on behalf of my former colleague, Sally M. Smith. I had the privilege of working with her from (use dates) when she was the (title) of (company XYZ)." Use your own words.

In the second paragraph, mention some specifics that you recall about me:

"As the (title/company), Sally directed the strategic planning process for our division and led the economic and market forecasting. Her forecasts were instrumental in several projects, including A, B, and C. She actively contributed to the composites industry by doing (D, E, and F). Sally consistently demonstrated (words such as leadership, problem solving, communication, follow-through, analysis, and organization ...