Letter of Recommendation Writing Tips and Common Mistakes to Avoid

It is a known fact that ordinary things attract less than unique ones. This principle applies to the letter of recommendation also. Any ordinary, mere rhetoric LORs cannot impress the selectors and obviously will not add any weightage to the admission application. LORs are written by the referees of the academic or professional fields and are officially validated documents.

Here are some tips and tricks to keep in mind while working on a letter of recommendation:

Writing tips for Recommendation Letter (LOR)

Give Adequate Time and Information

Always provide adequate time and information to the referee for writing the LOR. Your professor or Employer should not be pressed for time and try to do a job in a hurry. Let them recall interactions with you while you provide them with the facts as they deal with many students at the same time.

Let them think and evaluate, once they have accepted the job to write the letter, they will be able to write with the required expertise.

Focus on Substantial Skills and Qualities

The referees must focus on the qualities and skills related to the field in which they had an interaction with you. You may have many qualities like you are a dedicated son and your professor knows about it due to the long association he had with you, but it is not a skill or quality to be mentioned in the letter verbatim rather he can say that you have strong social values.

On the other hand, you have an eye for detail and patience to complete a difficult task and can motivate peers to work with you on a less interesting topic must be emphasized as these qualities really count a lot.

For Example: “I appreciated his critical and creative thinking skills and leadership capabilities especially on two occasions when we faced some unforeseen difficulties during our seminars and workshops and both were very different in nature. He has continual dedication and endurance for finishing tasks in spite of adverse circumstances. He possesses good organizational skills and a zeal to move ahead in life. He has worked consistently to prepare himself for the MBA program and has adequate management skills to carry on the course.

His advanced studies in Management will provide him with much-needed hands-on experiences in real life and will help in brushing his innate and inculcated skills of a problem solver and leadership. He is able to handle difficult tasks with comfort and stands out in a crowd because of his abilities and values.” Check: Letter of Recommendation for MBA

Keep the letter simple but power-packed

It is important that a simple structure should be followed i.e. introductory paragraph, interaction, and skills, which makes the applicant unique and worthy to get the admission and concluding lines showing eagerness to reply to any queries and emphasizing your conviction towards the suitability of the applicant.

Furthermore, an effective LOR is valid only if it is written on the official letterhead and contains official contact details. The language of the letter also needs to be formal and vocabulary should be appropriate.

For Example: “He is a diligent student who likes to take initiatives. This sentence sounds effective rather than saying that he is a hardworking student who is also enthusiastic.”

Follow University’s Instructions/Guidelines

If the institution has given any instructions about word limit or certain specific parameters on which an evaluation is needed then it is mandatory for the referee to write that in the LOR. If the asked information is missing from the document, it won’t have the needed validity.

Do Not Copy from Anywhere

Every student or person is unique and has unique qualities or ways of doing things. The referee must spend some time recalling the interactions and analyze them to take out the specific positives about the applicant. For example, one student is accurate and fast in doing the work, the other can be slow and accurate, another one can be accurate after a few attempts. For writing these scenarios accurately in LOR, maybe the following way can be used:

He is a gifted student as he does the work precisely and accurately on the first attempt in a very short span of time.
He has patience and accuracy in carrying out projects.
He is a thorough student who likes to go in-depth on the given matter and does the work accurately.

So the referee can articulate the scenarios keeping the uniqueness in mind.

Do Not Write Grades/Competitive Test Scores

Any grades or scores in competitive or proficiency tests or exams should not be mentioned in the LOR. These are the subject matter of the Resume and the referee is not concerned with these. Check: Letter of Recommendation Format

Proofread the Letter

Once the letter is completed and is ready for dispatch, it is a good idea to proofread and looks at the letter from a critical view, keeping you in the place of the receiver. If the letter is error-free and impresses you, it will do the job for which it is written.

It is important that any effective LOR should talk about the positives and must not get off track at any given point in time.