My daughter is working through the trials of university applications. Surprisingly, the essays have been easier to write than the letters of recommendation have been to obtain. It has led me to reflect on the nature of letters of recommendation. They are absolutely required in the admissions process as they are critical to uncovering student fit and personality characteristics at a time when kids don’t quite know themselves. In the corporate world, letters of recommendation have fallen out of favor. Yet, I have written reams of them for past students, employees, colleagues, and even former managers.

Why write letters of recommendation?

When I was asked to write a letter of recommendation, the requester told me:

-They trust me with some small part of their future.

-They feel I contributed to that future.

-They feel they showed me something worthy of recommendation.

-They know I paid attention and saw that thing of worth.

-They asked.

I take the compliment and make the letter a priority. I have received follow-up calls from recruiters, and even where the letters aren’t as strongly regarded, you have the power to catalyze confidence in the letter’s requester. When you refuse or delay the letter, you can seriously undermine the goodwill implied by the request and damage the requester’s confidence and the relationship.

How to write letters of recommendation?

Letters of recommendation can be short if they are effective. Keep it simple. Decades ago, I did media and presentation training with a guy named Jeff. His most basic advice was, “Tell them what you are going to tell them. Tell them. Tell them what you told them.” This structure applies to most forms of communication, including letters of recommendation.

Tell them what you are going to tell them. This is your introduction. Answer how you know the requester, the duration of your relationship, a general impression of the requester, and the purpose of your recommendation. “Caden is an excellent choice for…because of…“

Tell them. I like to detail the relationship expectations to provide context. For my university students, I describe the learning objectives of the course. For former employees, colleagues, and managers, I focus on general job duties and how we interacted. You need to give the reader the definition of a successful relationship.

Next, I detail a brief list (3-5) of strengths or beneficial characteristics. If you have a couple of short anecdotes that relate, this is the place. Bullet points are acceptable, even preferable if the anecdotes aren’t punchy. I often ask what the requester wants me to focus on. If they don’t specify, I define their strengths in terms of the expectations.

Tell them what you told them. Summarize the above. Review your general impression of the requester and their most advantageous attributes.

In conclusion, you should write that letter of recommendation your former <insert relationship here> asked you to write. Write it today. The requester paid you a considerable compliment when they selected you to recommend them. Your recommendation has the potential to nudge that person ahead of the competition, and you never know when you may need them to reciprocate.