When applying for a job, or making your Linkedin profile, recommendation statements and letters are an important way to show your strengths and make you look more credible. This is especially true if you are a recent graduate with little work experience or few accomplishments.
The reference’s name, position and contact info can be added to the bottom of your Resume or even attached to your “about” section in your Linkedin Profile, or even directly through Linkedin.
So, how do you get one? There are three steps.
First, think about your previous employers or teachers. Were there any who
1. you had a good relationship with? and
2. can talk about your accomplishments or positive traits relevant to the job you are looking for?
If yes, then move to step two – ask them if they are willing to be your reference and give them some idea of what to comment on.
This is the kind of helping hand that can set you apart and give you an advantage when looking for a job.
Let’s look at Marcy who is asking a previous instructor for a recommendation.
Marcy studied at a business training institute and wants to ask one of her instructors, Manuel, for a recommendation. If she wants to do this through Linkedin, there is a template note that Linkedin can send Manuel. But it is always better to personalize this kind of a request. Marcy could use a note like the following.
Example 1. Customized request for recommendation
| “Dear Manuel, you were a wonderful mentor and coach, and one of the best instructors I have ever had. Your courses on sales and marketing and the role plays you conducted have really helped raise my confidence and preparation for a career in sales. I am currently applying to IT companies like Dell, Asus and Razer for a variety of sales positions. Could you please write me a recommendation that describes my sales and negotiation abilities as you witnessed in your role plays and class performance in general? I’d really appreciate your recommendation to validate my skills and experience. Best, Marcy.” |
I’m sure that Manuel will appreciate Marcy’s specific suggestion on commenting on her in-class performance for sales and negotiation.
The third step is to prepare a recommendation letter draft before you ask them.
Why should you prepare a draft? Because they will probably ask you to write one. They might do this for at least three reasons:
1. They are busy
2. They may not know – or remember – you well enough to write specific details, and
3. They know that you are clearer about what is most relevant for your job-seeking goals.
Now the difficult part. You need to write your own letter of reference that needs to
- Mention the relationship how the recommender knows the recommendee
- Be strong and convincing
- Contain specific details that the recommender knows/remembers and can comment on
- Relate to the job you are applying for.
If you attach a well-written and reasonable draft when you ask former instructors or employers for a letter of Recommendation, the chances that they will agree will increase considerably.
If we go back to Marcy. She could have thought more about what strengths she was able to show in Manuel’s class and wrote a short recommendation. She could add experiences in his class where she showed organization, communication and problem solving abilities as well as highlight personality traits relevant to the sales field she wants to enter.
After planning and writing a draft of her recommendation on a separate document, Marcy sends the following email or message to Manuel.
Example 2. Customized request for recommendation with a draft
| Dear Manuel, you were a wonderful mentor and coach, and one of the best instructors I have ever had. Your courses on sales and marketing and the role plays you conducted have really helped raise my confidence and preparation for a career in sales. I am currently applying to IT companies like Dell, Asus and Razer for a variety of sales positions. I was wondering if you could write me a recommendation that describes my sales and negotiation abilities as you witnessed in your class’s role plays and class performance in general. I know you are very busy, so I already wrote a first draft for you to consider. Please feel free to change anything and add your voice and tone. Best wishes, Marcy.Draft: Marcy is a quick thinking and empathetic problem solver with excellent communicator. As an instructor for business English, Sales and negotiation courses at the International Trade Institute, I had the opportunity to observe Marcy prepare and effectively conduct sales and negotiation role plays. She is diligent and was always thoroughly prepared for my classes. Marcy is able to talk with anyone and has the rare ability to identify prospects and diagnose their needs while building a personable relationship. From her interactions with her classmates, I noticed she is also a natural leader and very good at facilitating discussion and chairing meetings. She will undoubtedly be a valuable addition to any sales team. |
With this draft, Marcy has done most of the work for Manuel and made it easy for him to understand what his focus should be.
This brief recommendation is ideal for Marcy’s Linkedin profile, but if she needs a more formal letter of recommendation, she can use the following template.
Example 3. Professor/Instructor Recommendation Template
| Dear [Name of Employer or Graduate School Committee], I am very pleased / It is my great pleasure to write a letter of recommendation for [full name of student]. I highly recommend [student name] to your organization, especially for a position related to [field, eg sales]. I have known [student name] for the past [number of months, semesters, years] as [s/he] has taken the following courses that I teach: [list courses, give brief description of content of course] [list courses, give brief description of content of course][list courses, give brief description of content of course]. As [his/her] professor, I have had an opportunity to observe [his/her] participation and interaction in class and to evaluate [name of student]’s knowledge of the subject. [S/he] is an outstanding student in every way. [Student name] has demonstrated not only her work ethic, follow-through, and teamwork, but also that she can accomplish tasks in a courteous and timely manner. [Give one or two specific examples of the student’s performance. It is also a good idea to mention relationships with other students and activities outside of class. It would be useful to highlight any areas in which s/he improved and developed certain abilities.] I am confident that [Student name] has the ability to successfully deal with any challenge that [s/he] meets. [His/her] [three above-mentioned key traits (eg patience, teaching ability, strong computer programming still)], prepare [him/her] to make a valuable contribution to [company / organization / school / program]. I have no hesitation endorsing [student name] to become a member of your team at [company name/school/program]. Sincerely, [Your Name Phone number Email Address] |
For a longer and more formal letter of recommendation, Marcy would write something like this.
Example 4. Professor/Instructor Recommendation Sample
| Dear Hiring Manager or Sales Manager, It is my great pleasure to write a letter of recommendation for Marcy Lin. I highly recommend Marcy to your organization, especially for a position related to sales and marketing. I have known Marcy for over 1 year as she has taken the following courses that I teach here at the International Trade Institute: Sales SkillsNegotiation Strategies Business English. As her instructor, I have had an opportunity to observe her participation and interaction in class and to evaluate Marcy’s knowledge of the above subjects. She is an outstanding student in every way. Marcy has demonstrated not only that she has impressive work ethic, follow-through, and teamwork, but also that she can accomplish tasks in a courteous and timely manner. I was especially impressed with her ability to empathetically and carefully identify a prospects needs in our sales role plays, which she then used as the basis for her persuasive sales presentations. This is something I teach and get all students to practice, but Marcy picked up on this very quickly, almost naturally. She is quick-thinking and has a very good ability to interact and socialize with people. I remember that she organized a few outside of class social activities and her classmates all seemed to genuinely like her. Her confidence and presentation skills noticeably improved in my courses, as her presentations became more clearly structured and more fluent. I am confident that Marcy has the ability to successfully deal with any challenge that she meets. In particular, her empathy for others, fast-learning ability, and strong communication skills prepare her to make a valuable contribution to any sales and marketing team. I have no hesitation endorsing Marcy to become a member of your team at your company. Sincerely, Manuel Hernandez, PhDInternational Trade Institutemhernandez@iti.org |
If Marcy approached a previous employer, her recommendation letter template would look like this.
Example 5. Employer Recommendation Template
| Addressee name and address if known Date To whom it may concern / Dear Sir or Madam / Dear [title surname], Confirm dates, job title(s), capacity, and salary and benefits details if required/appropriate. Confirm that the person’s performance and attitude was (at all times) satisfactory or exceeded expectations or standards. Optional: Brief details of the person’s responsibilities Optional: Brief details of their qualifications (education, skills, experiences) and characteristics (personality) Optional (but reassuring for reader): State that you would willingly re-employ the person if the opportunity arose Optional: Offer to provide more information if required Yours sincerely, |
Example 6. Employer Recommendation Sample
| October 5, 2021 To whom it may concern, I confirm that Marcy Lin was employed as a Sales executive with this company from July 23, 2018 to August 4, 2021, and was paid an annual salary of US$31 000 plus commission and quarterly quota bonuses. Her job as Sales Executive carries the following responsibilities meeting with clients virtually or during sales visitsdemonstrating and presenting productsdeveloping new businessmaintaining accurate recordsattending trade exhibitions, conferences and meetingsreviewing sales performancenegotiating contracts and packages. Marcy is skilled in meeting clients, building a rapport with them and delivering professional and customized product presentations. She is very reliable, likeable, quick-thinking and able to speak 4 languages. I was saddened when Marcy left our company, but she was able to get a promotion opportunity elsewhere that would have taken her a few more years to get at our company. I was happy for her about this opportunity, but I would happily re-employ Marcy if she came back. I consider her to be a valuable member of our sales team who consistently achieved good results and surpassed expectations. Please feel free to let me know if I can be of any further assistance. Yours sincerely, |
To recap, ask for recommendations. This will give you and your resume much more credibility.
However, personalize your recommendation request and offer a draft to make it easier for the person who will write your resume. You can use the above message and recommendation letter templates to write effective letters of recommendations.
You now have no excuse. When both you and your prof or previous employer work together on your letter of recommendation, it has the biggest chance of success to really target the job you are looking for.
