Letter of recommendation template
Reviewed Oct 23, 2026 FERPA rule on recommendation letters cited to the eCFR How we verify
Not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. General information, not legal advice. Terms of use
A letter of recommendation is a signed one-page letter in which you vouch for a candidate with concrete examples of their work. Fill it in, then download a .docx or .pdf. Free, no sign-up.
Fill in the letter of recommendation
Your files end with one small line under the notice: “Prepared with the free InterObservers Employer Desk · interobservers.com/desk/templates/letter-of-recommendation/”. Tick the box to leave it out. Nothing else is added to your document.
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Each file carries this notice in its footer: “Template for general information only, not legal advice. Not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Write only what you know first-hand to be true, and check your employer’s reference policy before you send it.” For names with non-Latin characters, use .docx.
Your letter of recommendation is ready
Read it once more out loud, sign it, and send it the way the requester asked: upload, email or sealed envelope. Keep a copy, so the next request takes minutes.
Also on this page: the student letter.
About this template
A letter for a manager recommending an employee, plus a teacher's version for a student: how you know the candidate, two or three strengths with real examples, and a clear recommendation.
A strong letter of recommendation is specific: it shows each strength with a date, a task and a result instead of a list of adjectives. The generator asks for exactly that.
Use the employee letter if you are the candidate's manager and the student letter if you are a teacher, professor, counselor or coach. Below are versions for a coworker, a character reference, a short email reference and graduate school, plus two sample letters. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
The full letter of recommendation text
This is the whole template as it downloads, with the fields in [brackets].
[Greeting]
I am writing to recommend [Candidate's full name] for [What they are applying for]. I have known [Candidate's first name] for [How long you have known them] as [In what capacity you know them] at [Company name], where [Candidate's first name] has worked as [Their job at your company].
[What the job involved]
[Strength 1, with one concrete example]
[Strength 2, with one concrete example]
[Strength 3, with one concrete example]
[How they compare with others in the same role]
[Candidate's first name] has my [How strongly you recommend them] for [What they are applying for].
I would gladly work with [Candidate's first name] again.
If you would like more detail, I am glad to talk. You can reach me at [Email or phone for follow-up questions].
This letter gives my personal view of [Candidate's first name]'s work and is not a statement on behalf of [Company name].
Sincerely,
______________________ Date: __________
[Your name], [Your job title], [Company name]
How to write a letter of recommendation
- Say yes only if you can be positive and specific. If you hardly saw the person's work, or you would have to hold back, say so kindly and suggest someone who knows it better. A lukewarm letter can hurt more than no letter.
- Ask the candidate for a short brag sheet: the job post or program description, a resume, the deadline and how to send the letter, the two or three strengths that matter most for this application, and two or three projects or results you saw, with dates.
- Open with who you are and how you know the candidate: your role relative to theirs, where, and for how long. That one sentence tells the reader how much weight to give the rest.
- Pick two or three strengths that match what the reader is looking for, and give each one a concrete example: what the candidate did, when, and what came of it.
- Compare the candidate with others only if you can do it honestly, for example with others you have supervised or taught in the same role. Leave the comparison out rather than inflate it.
- Close with a clear recommendation for the specific job, school or award, and give an email or phone number in case the reader wants to follow up.
- Keep it to one page: an opening, two or three short paragraphs of evidence and a closing.
- Before you use company letterhead or your job title, check your employer's reference policy; many send reference requests to HR. If needed, write in a personal capacity and tick the personal-view option.
- Read it once more, sign it, send it the way the requester asked and keep a copy.
Letter of recommendation for a student
- Ask the student for a resume or activity list, the programs and deadlines, and what they want the letter to highlight. A short conversation about their goals gives you the closing sentence.
- Describe what you saw in your own course, lab, team or club. Admissions readers already have the transcript; the letter adds what grades do not show.
- Give one academic and one character example, each with a date or a project. Add grades or awards only if the student agrees to share them.
- Many school portals ask the student whether they waive the right to see the letter before you are invited. Write the same honest letter either way.
Variations
Letter of recommendation for a colleague or coworker
Use it when you worked alongside the candidate as a peer, not as their manager.
A peer sees how someone shares work, handles disagreement and covers for others. Write about that, with one example you took part in, and leave judgments about management to their manager. If your employer limits who may give references, keep the personal-capacity line and use your own email address.
To whom it may concern:
I am writing to recommend [full name] for [the job and company]. I have worked alongside [first name] for [time] as [a fellow analyst on the finance team] at [company].
[Collaboration with example, e.g. When we moved to a new accounting system in 2024, [first name] mapped the old accounts to the new ones and walked each clinic manager through the change.]
[Reliability with example, e.g. In four years of month-end closes, [first name] has never missed a deadline, and covered my clinics for two weeks in 2025 without a late entry.]
[First name] has my recommendation without reservation. I would gladly work alongside [first name] again.
I am writing in a personal capacity, as a colleague; this letter is not a statement on behalf of [company]. You can reach me at [email].
Sincerely,
[Your name], [your title]
Character reference letter (personal, for a friend or neighbor)
Use it when the reader wants to know about the person, not their work: a landlord, a volunteer program, an adoption or licensing agency, or a court.
A character reference comes from someone who knows the person outside work or school: a neighbor, a longtime friend, a coach or a community leader. The examples come from daily life: how they treat people and keep commitments.
A landlord usually cares about reliability and care for a home; a volunteer program about patience and trust. If the letter is for a court, ask the person's attorney who it should be addressed to and what it should cover, and say in the letter that you know why it is being written.
To whom it may concern:
I am writing this character reference for [full name], whom I have known for [number] years as [their neighbor / a friend from church / a fellow volunteer]. I am a [your occupation] in [city].
[First name] is [trait 1, e.g. dependable]. [Example, e.g. For four winters, [first name] has cleared our elderly neighbor's walk before 7 a.m. after every snowfall, without being asked.]
[First name] is also [trait 2, e.g. honest]. [Example, e.g. While we were away for a month in 2025, [first name] looked after our house and gave us a receipt for every expense.]
I understand this letter is for [purpose]. Based on what I have seen, I recommend [first name] without hesitation. You can reach me at [phone or email].
Sincerely,
[Your name], [your address]
Short reference letter (email length)
Use it when the reader asked for a quick email, or as the reply to a reference request from a recruiter.
Even a short reference needs how you know the person, one strength with one example, and a clear recommendation. Put the candidate's name and the job in the subject line.
Subject: Reference for [candidate name], [job title]
Hello [name],
I am glad to recommend [candidate name] for the [job title] role. I was [first name]'s [direct supervisor] at [company] from [year] to [year].
[First name]'s biggest strength is [strength]. [One example, e.g. In 2025 [first name] cut our overdue invoice list from 90 to 12 in four months.] I recommend [first name] without reservation and am happy to talk at [phone].
Best regards,
[Your name], [your title], [company]
Letter of recommendation for graduate school
Use it for a master's, PhD, law, business or medical program. It is usually written by a professor or research supervisor, sometimes by a manager for a professional program.
Graduate programs read for the ability to do advanced work: independent thinking, research or analysis, writing and finishing long projects. Name the course, lab or project where you saw it and what the student produced. Most programs collect letters through an online portal after the applicant enters your email address.
Dear Admissions Committee:
I am writing to recommend [student name] for the [program] at [university]. I am [your title] in [department] at [institution], and I have known [first name] for [time] as [instructor in course / thesis advisor].
[Research strength with example, e.g. For a senior thesis, [first name] surveyed 300 local small businesses, cleaned the data and wrote a 45-page analysis now used in a department grant proposal.]
[Independence with example, e.g. When the first survey drew few answers, [first name] rewrote and retested it and doubled the responses without being told to.]
[Honest comparison, if you can.] I recommend [first name] for graduate study without reservation. Please contact me at [email].
Sincerely,
[Your name], [title], [institution]
Filled-in examples
Complete documents with fictional names and facts, to show the level of detail that makes a document clear. Replace every detail with your own.
Sample letter of recommendation for an employee (new job)
A fictional dispatch manager recommends a shift supervisor for an operations manager job at another company.
Dear Ms. Chen:
I am writing to recommend Priya Nair for the Operations Manager position at Lakeside Foods. I have known Priya for three years as her direct supervisor at Northgate Logistics, where she has worked as a dispatcher and, since June 2024, as shift supervisor.
Priya stays calm and organized under pressure. When our routing software went down for two days in March 2025, she rebuilt the next day's 46 delivery routes by hand, and every truck left on time.
She also makes the people around her better. The five dispatchers she trained in 2025 were all running shifts on their own within three weeks, using a checklist she wrote.
Of the twelve dispatchers I have supervised, Priya is the one I would hire again first. She has my highest recommendation, and I would gladly work with her again. You can reach me at [email protected].
Sincerely,
Tom Becker, Dispatch Operations Manager, Northgate Logistics
Sample letter of recommendation for a student (college admission)
A fictional high school chemistry teacher recommends a senior for a university nursing program.
Dear Admissions Committee:
I am writing to recommend Elena Morales for the nursing program at Westfield State University. I have known Elena since August 2025 as her teacher in Honors Chemistry and AP Chemistry at Ridgeview High School. She earned an A in Honors Chemistry and has an A so far in AP Chemistry.
Elena is the most careful lab student I have taught. Her science fair project tested 60 creek water samples over eight weeks, and she traced two odd readings to a calibration error in the school's meter that no one else had caught.
She is also patient with people who are struggling. Since October 2025 she has tutored freshman chemistry students twice a week during lunch.
Nursing asks for both precision and care, and Elena already shows both. She has my highest recommendation. Please contact me at [email protected].
Sincerely,
David Kim, Chemistry Teacher, Ridgeview High School
Example wording
Examples of the level of detail that makes a document clear. Replace them with your own facts.
- Opening (employee letter): I am writing to recommend Priya Nair for the Operations Manager position at Lakeside Foods. As her direct supervisor at Northgate Logistics for three years, I can speak to her work in detail.
- How you know them (employee letter): I have known Marco for two years as his supervisor on the night shift of our Dayton warehouse, where he works as a forklift operator and, since last spring, as a trainer for new hires.
- Honest comparison (employee letter): Of the roughly 40 interns our office has hosted since 2021, Jordan is one of two who were offered a full-time role before the internship ended.
- Closing (employee letter): Priya has my highest recommendation for the Operations Manager role. I would gladly work with her again, and I am happy to answer any questions at [email protected].
- Asking someone for a letter (email) (employee letter): Subject: Letter of recommendation request. Hi Tom, I am applying for the Operations Manager job at Lakeside Foods and would be grateful for a letter from you, since you saw my dispatch work for three years. The deadline is November 14. I attached the job post, my resume and three projects you might mention. If you cannot write a strong letter, I completely understand. Thank you, Priya
- Strength with evidence (student letter): Elena is the most careful researcher in the department. For her senior project she ran the same water-quality test on 60 creek samples over eight weeks and caught a calibration error in the school's meter that no one else had noticed.
- Character with evidence (student letter): When the team's robot broke two days before the state qualifier, Andre stayed after school both nights to rebuild the drive train with two freshmen, and showed them each step so they could fix it themselves next time.
Fill in the letter of recommendation for a student
For a teacher, professor, counselor or coach: the course or activity where you know the student, their results, one academic strength and one character strength with real examples, and a clear recommendation.
Preview
[Greeting]
I am writing to recommend [Student's full name] for [What they are applying for]. I have known [Student's first name] for [How long you have known them] as [In what capacity you know them (course or activity)] at [School, college or club].
[Grades, awards or results you can confirm]
[Academic or skill strength, with one concrete example]
[Character strength, with one concrete example]
[One more strength, or how they have grown]
[How they compare with other students]
[Student's first name] has my [How strongly you recommend them] for [What they are applying for].
Please contact me at [Email or phone for follow-up questions] if I can tell you more.
Sincerely,
______________________ Date: __________
[Your name], [Your title], [School, college or club]
Your files end with one small line under the notice: “Prepared with the free InterObservers Employer Desk · interobservers.com/desk/templates/letter-of-recommendation/”. Tick the box to leave it out. Nothing else is added to your document.
Tick the box to turn on the download buttons. The template text stays free to read. See the terms of use.
Each file carries this notice in its footer: “Template for general information only, not legal advice. Not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Write only what you know first-hand to be true, and check your employer’s reference policy before you send it.” For names with non-Latin characters, use .docx.
Your letter of recommendation for a student is ready
Read it once more out loud, sign it, and send it the way the requester asked: upload, email or sealed envelope. Keep a copy, so the next request takes minutes.
Questions people ask
What should a letter of recommendation include?
How you know the candidate (your role, where and for how long), what they are applying for, two or three strengths with a concrete example each, an honest comparison if you can make one, a clear recommendation, your contact details and your signature.
How long should a letter of recommendation be?
Usually one page. Follow the program's or employer's instructions when they set a length. A short email reference can be five or six sentences.
Who should write a letter of recommendation?
Someone who saw the candidate's work or character up close: for a job, usually a manager or supervisor; for school, a teacher, professor or counselor. On a reference form, that relationship is what the question in what capacity do you know the candidate asks about.
What is the difference between a letter of recommendation, a reference letter and a character reference?
A letter of recommendation is usually written for one job, program or award. A reference letter is often general and addressed To whom it may concern. A character reference comes from someone who knows the person outside work or school and speaks to who they are, not how they work.
My manager asked me to write my own letter for them to sign. Is that normal?
It happens. Write only what the manager saw and can confirm, and expect edits; the manager signs it and stands behind every sentence. Some schools and programs ask that the recommender write alone, so check the instructions. A list of your projects and results is a common middle ground.
What if my company only confirms dates of employment and job title?
Many employers limit what managers may say about current or former employees and send reference requests to HR. Check your employer's policy before writing on letterhead or in your job title. If personal references are allowed, write in a personal capacity and tick the personal-view option.
Do students get to see their letters of recommendation?
Under the federal student privacy rule at 34 CFR 99.12, a postsecondary institution "does not have to permit a student to inspect and review" "confidential letters and confidential statements of recommendation" placed in the student's education records if "the student has waived his or her right to inspect and review those letters and statements" and the letters relate to admission, an application for employment, or an honor. The waiver is valid only if it "is made in writing and signed by the student, regardless of age" and the institution "does not require the waiver as a condition for admission to or receipt of a service or benefit". Many application portals ask the student to answer this waiver question before the recommender is invited.
How do you ask for a letter of recommendation?
Ask a few weeks before the deadline, give an easy way to say no, and send a brag sheet: the job post or program, your resume, the deadline, how to send the letter, and two or three projects they could mention. Thank them once it is sent.
Sources (1)
General information, not legal advice. Not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. This page is for general information only and isn’t legal advice. For a question about a specific reference, talk to a qualified professional about your situation. Report an error