• By Karen Winton
• Published 05/18/2011
• Writing

Anyone who has been to school, has applied to a job, and the like, surely has experienced creating a letter — whether a letter to a friend, a cover letter, an authorization letter, and so on. If you are a supervisor, a family member, a colleague, etc, who has been requested to do formal letter writing, specifically to create a reference letter or letter of recommendation, so that a person you know can get the job, better read below as there are pointers on writing recommendation letters you should know about: 1. One of the things you should include in the missive is the actual time you’ve known the individual e.g. how long you’ve known him or her, the years he or she has worked for the company, and so forth. Creating a letter with the exact dates you’ve been working with someone, or you’ve known someone, will make it more credible. Besides, the receiver of the memo or note will surely be interested in that information, most especially if the receiver is an employer, a school Dean, etc.

2. Another formal letter writing advice when it comes to the creation of a recommendation epistle is to mention the good qualities of the individual. When writing recommendation letters, for instance, it is best that you describe the person’s qualities such as his or her leadership skills, his or her technical skills, good attributes, and so on, as this will surely help th

at individual get the job, be admitted in the college he or she wants to join, etc. 3. Remember too that whenever you’re creating a letter, whether formal or just casual, the letters should be made up of three sections: the introduction, the body of the letters, and the conclusion. If the missive is supposed to be informal, you can start with a greeting and the first name of the person, or just the first name only; if it is to be formal letter writing, the greeting should be formal e.g. ‘Dear Sir’, or ‘Dear Madam’, or ‘To Whom It May Concern’, and the like. 4. The body should contain some of the most admirable skills and qualities of the individual, what are the usual tasks he or she performed in the previous job, his or her post or designation, etc. The conclusion part should be your overall assessment of the person requesting your recommendation.

When writing recommendation letters, keep in mind that you should stick to one page letters only and that it is best to state your contact information so that the receiver of the letter will know where to contact you in the event he or she has further questions and clarifications regarding the individual you are recommending. Anyone creating a letter or into formal letter writing should also see to it that the missives are proofread and checked for any grammatical or spelling error. Remember that submitting letters that have these errors are perceived to be less credible than letters that are free from errors.