Example
Recommendation Letter
This is
an example of a personal letter of recommendation. Notice how the letter
uses the letter of recommendation template we discuss elsewhere.
In this example,
the writing is addressing the candidates parole board - so this one's
pretty important!
Dear XXX:
I am writing this
letter of reference at the request of Diane Breaux who is being reviewed
for parole. Diane is a family friend of mine. I have known her for 21
years. I understand that she has been found guilty of petty theft. I
am also aware that she has been found guilty of similar charges in the
past. Nevertheless, I am confident that justice would be best served
by offering her a another chance.
|
Yours Free
Quick-Start Guide to
Letters of Recommendation |
During the time
that I have known her, I have found Diane to have many very positive
traits. First of all, Diane is a peace-loving citizen. She abhors violence
and cruelty. This peace-loving nature will allow her to avoid situations
that could get her in trouble.
Second, Diane is
a very courteous person. She honors and respects figures of authority.
She can be counted on to extend this same courtesy to her parole officer.
As a final point,
Diane does not have a background of privilege and advantage. She has
managed to achieve quite a lot despite not having the support that most
people enjoy. This disadvantaged background should be taken into consideration
when reviewing Diane's record.
In conclusion, I
can recommend Diane to you without reservation. You will find my trust
in her to be well placed.
Feel free to contact
me using the information provided above.
Sincerely,
Top / Bottom
Now a parole
board letter is certainly not the most common purpose for a letter of
recommendation, but this is a valuable example because it highlights a
subtle point that is often missed: always focus on the candidate's traits
that are most important to the recipient in terms of granting
the desired result.
In this case,
Diane wants parole. So what's important to the recipient of this letter? Well,
he wants to make sure that if Diane gets out she won't go wreak havoc
out there in society; he wants to feel just. So, the letter emphasizes
her peace-loving nature and her courteousness; it also points out her
disadvantaged background, implying she deserves a second chance.
Now Diane
might be the most intelligent woman in the world, but we would do better
not to focus on that in this letter. Why not? Well,
the recipient doesn't really care if she is smart; that might just make
her a more effective criminal! He wants to know she'll be good if she
gets out. So we don't talk about intelligence here.
Always start
with what the recipient is looking for. That will lead you to the traits
you should highlight.
Where to Next?
Instant Letter Robot
Fill in the form and the computer does the rest; impressive quality
Sample Letters of Recommendation
Complete letters you can mix and match to develop your own
Letter
of Recommendation Forms
Fill in the blanks, choose your options, and generate your letter automatically
Specific
Types of Letters of Recommendation
We've
included a special section on some of the more common types of letters
of recommendation to discuss issues particular to each one
Letters
of Recommendation.org Index
Home page
of this web site.
Top |
