Sample Letter of Recommendation from Employer: Format and Tips

Sample Letter of Recommendation from Employer: Format and Tips

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Veda Burman Study Abroad Content Specialist

Study Abroad Content Specialist

Highlights

  • An employer LOR should be written on the company’s letterhead as the recommender is writing in their professional capacities.
  • The immediate supervisor or department head of the applicant should sign and stamp the employer's letter of recommendation.
  • An employer recommendation should reflect facts and observations, subject to verification by the university.
  • Ideally, an employer LOR should not be written by a friend or colleague in a similar professional designation.

Letters of recommendation from employers are generally required for admission to graduate level courses to study abroad. Universities require an employer letter of recommendation to examine the practical skills and qualities. An admission committee can get a professional perspective of the applicant through an employer LOR. Here, the employer explains their observation of the main qualities of the candidate during their tenure.

Your character in a working environment can only be found in a reference letter from job, unlike any academic LOR. Employers can highlight your work ethic, interpersonal skills, and contributions to the workplace through an employer recommendation. This allows the admission committee to assess your abilities and potential for academic and professional success.

Format for Sample LOR from Employer

A regular format for a letter of recommendation for employee includes the following sections:

[Your Name]

[Your Position]

[Company Name]

[Company Address]

[City, State, Zip Code]

[Email Address]

[Phone Number]

[Today’s Date]

[Recipient's Name (Admissions Committee or Specific Institution)]

[University Name or Address]

Introduction

  • Explain your relationship with the candidate. Describe, how long have you known them and in what capacity.
  • In addition to academics, mention the significant personal skills and extracurricular activities you have witnessed the candidate working in.

Body Paragraphs

  • Highlight the applicant's strengths, such as leadership, client interaction skills, initiative, multitasking, and effective communication
  • Provide specific examples illustrating each strength and its positive impact

Weaknesses (if applicable)

  • Identify the candidate's weaknesses
  • Explain how these weaknesses affected them negatively
  • Describe how the candidate realized these shortcomings and efforts made towards improvement

Conclusion

  • Summarize your recommendation and express confidence in the applicant's potential

Closing

  • End with a professional closing (e.g., "Sincerely," "Best regards")

Signature

  • Typed name, professional designation, and contact information

Optional

  • Enclosure note if sending additional documents

Sample LOR from Employer

Generally, an employer letter of recommendation is 300-400 words in length. An example of a professional letter of recommendation from employer to university is provided below:

Sample Letter of Recommendation for Employee

Dear [Admissions Committee/ Dean of Admissions],

I [Recommender’s Name] am delighted to write this letter to recommend admission of Ms. [Candidate's Name] for the [Course Name] course at your esteemed institution.

[Candidate's Name] has worked with us at [company_name] as an [job_title/ designation] for the past [years in figure] years, since [start date] to [end date]. [He/She/They] have [reported to me/ worked with me] during my position as [Recommender’s _Job_Title]. [He/She/They] had risen to the rank of [Promoted_rank] in [Month and Year] within such a short span due to her diligence, hard work, and innovative aptitude.

One of Ms. [Candidate's Name]'s notable strengths lies in her confidence and exceptional leadership abilities. Whenever required, [Candidate's Name] always guided his team members towards the right approach to achieve the desired objective.

Furthermore, [Candidate's Name] is an extremely organized and self-motivated individual and has excellent communication skills. We have clients from different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences, but, [He/She/They] managed to gel in pretty well and established a good rapport. [Candidate's Name] made sure [He/She/They] communicated clearly with the clients and maintained the timeliness of our deliverables. [Candidate's Name] demonstrated her oral articulateness in all discussions and focused on solving any queries or issues that arose.

Since the beginning, her intentions are understanding the system from grassroots level and taking initiatives to improve the working procedures. She likes to challenge herself and sets goals that may seem difficult to others, but the leader and the executor in her know how to take things forward and make them work.

Despite all [his/her] strengths, [Candidate's Name] tends to be a perfectionist, which could be counted as one of her weaknesses. [He/She] takes the conundrum "if you want something done right, do it yourself" too seriously. At times, this exerts too much pressure on [himself/herself], ending up slowing down things. [Candidate's name] started understanding this mistake and understood the significance of teamwork, which reflected straight into her work after such an incident.

[Candidate's_name] is a delight to work with. His/her working style and efforts permanently enhanced several work procedures in our company. Given a chance, I would love to hire [him/her/them] again.

I strongly recommend [Candidate's Name]'s admission to your esteemed university. I believe that higher education opportunities at a world-class institution like yours will add a new dimension to [his/her] career. Furthermore, I am confident that [Mr./Ms./Mrs._Candidate's Name] will thrive in the [Course_Name] program and emerge as a more resourceful and capable professional.

If you have any further questions about [him/her/them], feel free to reach me at my contact details provided below.

Sincerely,

[Name of Recommender]

Designation

Email id:

Phone number:

Types of Letters of Recommendation from Employer

A LOR from workplace can be required for both academic and professional opportunities. The employer LOR for academic requirements can further be classified based on the program types. Some of the course specific LORs are as follows:

Tips for LOR from Employer

It is entirely the recommender’s call how they want to structure the employer testimonial letter. However, some of the following tips might help you in enhancing the letter of recommendation for employees.

  1. The employer LOR must be written by an employer on the company’s letterhead.
  2. The reference letter from the employer should be signed and stamped by the recommender.
  3. The applicant’s immediate supervisor or department head should write the LOR.
  4. The recommender should have observed the applicant closely enough to make the judgement about the applicant’s qualities and significant shortcomings.
  5. All the unique characteristics seen in the applicant should be highlighted.
  6. Facts and true observations must be mentioned along with the correct time period of employment, which is subject to verification after submission of LOR.
  7. Applicants must share the details of the institution and course where he intends to take admission with the employer so that the university can be addressed properly by the recommender.
  8. Remember, a recommendation letter from an employer is not the same as a LOR from a supervisor.

An LOR from an employer plays a vital role in describing the professional capabilities of a candidate. The admission officials can get a clear idea about your performing potentials, including intelligence, discipline, innovation, and passion for work. A well described employer recommendation can escalate your chance of securing admission to the desired higher educational institution abroad.

FAQs

Ques. What is an official recommendation letter from an employer?

Ans. An official letter of recommendation from employer to university is generally written to address the admission committee of a higher educational institute. The employer recommendation letter includes the professional capabilities of a potential candidate in the institution. Moreover, the employer LOR is a proof of practically shown skills of the candidate like leadership, creative thinking, and empathy among others.

Ques. How to get a LOR from employer for higher studies?

Ans. The steps to get a employer recommendation letter for higher studies are as follows:

  • First, make a list of the people from whom you require a letter of recommendation.
  • Make sure whom you choose is at a higher designation than yours.
  • Try to get an LOR from someone under whose supervision you have worked.
  • Reach out to the person, and request for the LOR.
  • Explain your academic goals and the significance of their recommendation for you to secure admission to the desired institution.
  • Once you get the consent, provide relevant details to the recommender about your future academic institution and the course you are applying to.
  • Mention anything specific you want them to know about and share the guidelines.
  • Some universities might require the recommender to directly submit the LOR to them via mail or through an online portal. Let your recommender know about the correct procedure of sending the LOR.

Ques. Can HR provide employer LOR?

Ans. Yes. An HR manager of your institution can send a letter of recommendation. It is recommended to submit LORs from a mix of professional contacts. If your future institution requires multiple employer LORs, your HR manager can provide one recommendation letter. However, try to get an LOR from a direct supervisor or manager, who knows about your skills, experience, and leadership potential.

Ques. What should an employer write in a letter of recommendation?

Ans. A professional letter of recommendation should include the following:

  • Introduction
  • Relation of the recommender with the candidate
  • Strength of the candidate
  • Achievements during work tenure
  • Weaknesses and how the candidate took positive learnings from them
  • Strong recommendation statement
  • Conclusion.

Ques. Why do universities and employers ask for letters of recommendation?

Ans. Universities require an employer recommendation letter to get a professional perspective of the applicant. A professional LOR can explain the character of the candidate in a working environment. It shows the intelligence, passion, discipline, and leadership skills of the candidate. An honest LOR can demonstrate both the strengths and weaknesses of the candidate, explaining their eligibility for the desired program.

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