If you’re active in the workforce then you don’t operate in isolation: you’ll have undoubtedly gained advantages from colleagues, bosses and mentors in the past, and you can pay that forward for talented people in the future.
You may have already come across this if you’ve been asked to write a recommendation letter for someone else. A younger colleague, a graduate or a family member may ask you to write a recommendation letter in support of a job application, and that means you’re going to have some responsibility for that person’s career trajectory.
It’s understandable that you’ll want to get it right, and that means taking some time to figure out exactly what you want to say. That probably means consulting some online templates and resources, too, so we’ve rounded up ten of the best.
We’ve got plenty more advice about recruitment, too. Head here for our pick of the best US job sites, and click here to discover the best HR outsourcing services.
1. Indeed
Indeed is one of the best sites around for no-nonsense career advice, and that remains true for recommendation letters. Indeed’s page goes into detail about writing a recommendation letter, asking for one, and tips to producing the best document possible – and it’s also got classy examples of letters that you can copy, paste and modify for your own use.
Beyond this, Indeed has recommendation letter templates designed for certain situations, like letters for graduates, managers, co-workers and teachers.
2. eForms
This is a website that specializes in providing templates and samples for all kinds of letters and documents – the site divides its content into business, personal and real estate sections, and it’s got more samples than virtually any other site.
This site also serves up a step-by-step guide to writing your own recommendation letter. And if you’d like to use a template, look no further: the page has three generic letter samples alongside detailed letters for loads of different employment situations, from graduate and scholarship positions to medical, law and military scenarios.
3. Workable
Workable has an HR toolkit that is full of useful resources, including an impressive set of recommendation letter samples. The site’s straightforward template is easy to copy into a word processor or email app, and the page guides users through the process of customizing the template for their own situation.
The template is also available as a PDF, if that’s what you’d prefer, and Workable’s site also has useful tips so you can see exactly what pieces of information you should include in your letter.
4. TemplateLab
As the name suggests, TemplateLab is the site to use for all sorts of document samples – its director encompasses corporate, legal and personal templates alongside some more obscure categories.
TemplateLab serves up more than forty recommendation letter templates and samples, and they’re all available in easy Microsoft Word or PDF formats. They cover every kind of situation you’re likely to need when you need to put together one of these documents, and the site is peppered with tips about how to write the perfect recommendation letter – perfect if you want to customize one of the templates with your own flair.
5. The Balance Careers
The Balance Careers is one of the best sites if you need some high-quality career advice, and it stays true to form with its page on recommendation letters. Before you get to the samples you can browse through top-quality advice on how to write your own recommendation letter, and the site’s samples can be copied or downloaded quickly and easily.
The page also has straightforward advice on how to write your own letter, so you can be sure you won’t miss any important information.
6. Betterteam
Betterteam combines its powerful job-posting software with an impressive array of freely-available recruitment resources – including some great recommendation letter samples.
The samples available here are very easy to customize, with loads of options for tweaking the text to your particular situation, and the site also has loads of frequently asked questions and a step-by-step guide to writing your own recommendation letter. If you don’t know where to start, this is a great choice.
7. PrepScholar
This site understands that you’ll have more success in work and life if you prepare properly – and that’s true if you need to write a recommendation letter. PrepScholar goes into plenty of depth about what’s needed in a good recommendation document, and the page supplies nine samples that cover a broad variety of situations, from full- and part-time work to academic, graduate and remote working.
8. ResumeGenius
It’s no wonder that this site has all of the information needed for every part of the recruitment process – and that includes a comprehensive set of recruitment letter samples.
The templates here cater to people who need to write recommendation letters for colleagues, subordinates, friends, and colleagues. They’re available in plain text and Microsoft Word formats for easy usage. Each sample is also supplied with a list of handy bullet points that highlight the key things you should convey when writing your letter to give yourself and your recommendation the best chance of success.
9. RemoteBliss
RemoteBliss might be a blog that focuses on the business of blogging and remote working, but don’t discount how much information you can find here about recommendation letters.
The site has five different samples – for fields as diverse as teaching, writing, sales and web design – and the page also has some impressive advice for writing and customizing your own letter of recommendation, including a run-down of tips that can be used to make your letter as effective as possible.
10. Zety
Zety’s straightforward recommendation letter advice lays out the ground rules for producing this kind of document – it’ll tell you what to do and what to avoid. The site has plain text recommendation letter templates that you can grab and modify for your own use, and it has plenty of information that covers the exact information you need to include in any recommendation letter.
Impressively, Zety also has templates in more than a dozen different styles that you can customize after you’ve supplied the site with some basic information. This might not be your first choice for career advice – after all, Zety is a resume builder by trade – but there’s plenty of great information here.
11. The Muse
This site provides a more cerebral approach to the jobs market, and it’s packed with advice to help job seekers find a top company and for businesses to hunt down the best talent. And, beyond that, The Muse serves up a huge database of career advice, including an excellent guide on writing recommendation letters.
On The Muse you’ll find a complete guide to writing a recommendation letter and a full breakdown of all the information you should collect in advance, from details of the recipient to the resume and highlights of the person you’re recommending.
The Muse also features tips on how to write the most effective letter, and once you’ve read all that you’ll get to a straightforward and effective sample. It’s in plain text, so it’s easy to copy into a word processor, and there are clearly-marked sections where you’ll have to customize the content.
12. Jotform
Jotform is an online form generator, but look beyond that helpful core functionality and you’ll find a huge array of templates for loads of professional and personal situations, including recommendation letters.
Head to the site’s PDF template database and you can find access hundreds of different templates for a vast variety of scenarios. Open the Letter section and you’ll see eighteen different recommendation letter templates.
There’s a standard professional recommendation letter sample available here, and there are documents that go into more detail for co-workers, graduates, scholarships and teachers. You’ll even find letters for different kinds of job, like customer service staff, teachers, medicine and legal companies.
The templates available on Jotform are delivered in the PDF file format, but don’t fret – the site has a fully-featured document editor that allows users to customize every aspect of the letter’s content, from the words to the design. Sign up with your email address, Facebook account or Google login and you’ll be able to download the document for your own use.
We've also featured the best resume builder and the best writing software
