A recommendation letter is usually one of the things that many employers ask for when vetting potential employees. Using this letter, they can better gauge an individual’s skills and character and know if they would suit working in the company. The recommendation letter can either be a character or a personal reference. For the personal reference, you’ll be writing the letter for an acquaintance, neighbor, or advisor, while the character reference is for a person with whom you share a more personal relationship.
The letter of recommendation for a friend falls under the character reference. Therefore, you should try and better bring out your friend’s strengths and qualities to the employer to increase their chances of landing the job. This guide is an exhaustive look at how you should write a recommendation letter for your friend.
What Is a Recommendation Letter for a Friend?
The letter of recommendation for a friend is also known as a character or personal reference. In this letter, you should detail your personal experience with the candidate and the skills and characteristics that make the best persons for that particular position. For many persons searching for their first jobs, personal reference letters are an excellent addition.
You can also detail a character reference if you and the candidate share either of these relationships;
- Fellow volunteer
- Long-time neighbor
- Mentor or coach
- Business contact or client
- Fellow member of an organization or club
- Fellow volunteer
- Close family friend
Before You Write
You must do a couple of vital things before writing your letter of recommendation for a friend. Here’s an overview of these things;
- Collect information: Request a copy of a CV or resume for the person you’re writing the recommendation to better speak about their experience.
- Think carefully before agreeing: You should only agree to write the recommendation letter if you’re confident of writing it in a positive tone. If not, inform the individual you don’t feel comfortable writing this letter of recommendation.
Sample Character Reference Letter for a Friend
James May
423 First Street
Anytown, CA 12345
634- 735- 72625
jamesmay @ email . com
June 15, 2021
Peter Richards
645 Business Rd.
Business City, 63452
Dear Mr. Timothy,
I write this letter regarding Jesse Spectre, who I have for more than five years. This entire time, I’ve known him to be a responsible and reasonable individual. Therefore, I trust he has the experience and skills needed to make him the best person to be the marketing manager in your company.
The first time I met Jesse Spectre, he was an intern at the Creative Digital Agency. His commitment is what I admired most as he took a lot of pride in his work, and it’s no surprise that many of his superiors loved his work.
In case of any further questions, go ahead and contact me either through my email or phone number.
Regards,
James May
Letter of Recommendation for a Friend (Templates and Examples)
What to Include
The letter of recommendation for a friend must include a few crucial details for it to be to achieve its purpose. Here are the things you must have;
- Concentrate on the specific job: Ask the person applying for the job details to know about the needed requirements. If your friend does share the job listing with you, do your best to include language from this listing. When writing for a general recommendation, you should ask your friend about the kinds of jobs they’re looking to apply for.
- Explain how you two know each other: Start by writing in the letter’s introduction how you and the candidate know each other and the period you’ve known each other. You shouldn’t necessarily share how you two met but instead stating you’ve known the individual personally for a particular number of years.
- Include specific examples: Go ahead and share particular examples of how the person has demonstrated different qualities that make them suitable for the job. Using examples would be best as it helps you best show how the person is an ideal fit for the job they’re applying for.
- Be positive: You need to maintain a positive note at the start and end of your recommendation letter. Do this by clearly saying why you think the person applying for the job is an excellent choice for the vacant position. It’s essential to use a positive note since this letter aims to increase your friend’s chances to get their desired position.
- Please share your contact details: Also include your contact information should the employer have more questions to clarify. These details to provide are your telephone number, email address, or both after ending your letter.
How to Write
The letter of recommendation might determine whether your friend gets the position they’re applying for. Therefore, you need to write it correctly, and here are the steps to follow while doing this;
Accept Only If You’re Confident of Providing Quality Reference
You shouldn’t jump ahead to writing the letter of recommendation. Instead, you should first assess the quality of the letter you’ll be able to write and evaluate the nature of your relationship. The best person to write such a letter would be a friend, mentor, or advisor with in-depth knowledge of the applicant’s traits and professional achievements, hence better writing the strongest character reference.
You also should ask your friend if they want a professional recommendation or character reference. The letter needs to be enthusiastic and genuine with precise details that your friend is best suited for the position for the character reference. In contrast, the professional recommendation should be a polite suggestion that the candidate possesses the work ethic, achievements, and professional skills to be competent at the job.
Ask For Details on The Job Opening
Request to look at the job listing and mention the personal attributes and technical skills when discussing the job’s responsibilities. Find out if the position needs teamwork or individual initiative to finish the assigned duties. Knowing this will help you understand how best to describe whether your friend is either a team player or independent. In addition, you should do added research to know about the company’s history and mission to know the best ways your friend can fit and add to the company’s culture.
Request Your Friend About Their Objectives and Goals
Know about your friend’s professional objectives and career path before you even start writing this letter of recommendation. This includes having a clear idea of their planned achievements in the coming years of their career and professional plans in the coming 5 to 10 years. With this in mind, know whether this position would help them accomplish these goals.
Discuss Your Relationship’s Background
You should clearly explain your relationship with the candidate at the start of the recommendation letter. This should be brief and concise, explaining how you met, the period you’ve known each other, and the setting your relationship grew. Giving the hiring panel this information will assist them in better understand your friend’s personal qualifications.
You also need to give the employer an idea about your friend’s personality and capabilities.
State Examples of Your Qualification and Skills
This part falls in your letter’s body, and you should discuss your friend’s attributes and skills as stated in the CV but adding personal stories to reveal these qualifications better. You should use a setting or event to describe such a situation best and explain the duty your friend performed. After that, highlight the qualities and skills that your friend has implemented by stating the steps they took to accomplish this and their objective. While doing this, make sure to state the outcome of their actions which display their development or success.
Concentrate on Your Progress and Improvement
Write your letter in a way that shows your friend’s continuous improvement as they progress in their career. You can do this by starting your conversation from where your friend began the time you met. Consequently, detail all the steps followed by your friend to better their skills and amass experience the entire you’ve known each other.
Include Your Personal Information
In the last section of the recommendation letter, mention you’re always available if needed to discuss in-depth your friend’s qualifications. You’ll need to provide your phone number and email address in case the employer wishes to reach out in case of any further questions about the candidate.
Tips for Writing an Effective Letter
You should follow a couple of tips when writing a letter of recommendation for a friend to ensure it achieves its purpose. These are;
- It is short and precise, ideally two or three paragraphs for it to be read over quickly and easily.
- Properly address this letter.
- Observing the submission guidelines.
Final Thoughts
The letter of recommendation does play a massive role in determining whether an applicant lands a job or not. This post has highlighted everything you need to know when writing this letter to increase the chances of your friend landing their desired position.
