Recommendation Letter Sample

Use this recommendation letter sample to write about an employee who made positive contributions to your organization.

To Whom It May Concern:

This is a letter of recommendation for Linda Fisher. Linda reported to me for the past four years as my administrative assistant in the training and organization development department at State University.

While Linda's title was administrative assistant, the title does not accurately describe her actual contributions to the department. She was the glue that held all of the activities of the department together. She stayed on top of all consulting projects and training classes, and coordinated the steps in their planning, implementation, and follow-up.

Linda was responsible for managing the office and two receptionists / schedulers, who enrolled participants in sessions, reported to her. Additionally, all student employees of the department reported to Linda who assigned and supervised their work.

Linda was the official face of the department to the university. She performed all initial needs assessments with potential clients, and followed up to research potential training classes and seminars that might meet the needs of the clients.

She assisted me with every aspect of my work from developing training materials, Power Point presentations, and visual aids to making sure that the training rooms were supplied.

Linda was an effective contributor to our department's success. She enthusiastically took over additional responsibilities as they became available and handled each new role with professionalism. Linda will be sorely missed by department members and the entire faculty and administrative staff we serve.

Linda is leaving to relocate for family reasons. It is my hope that this recommendation letter will assist her to obtain a position that will take advantage of her many capabilities. We are sorry to see Linda go, but we completely understand that her priority must be the needs of her family.

Please contact me if you want or need additional information. I have enclosed my office phone extension and my cell phone number so that you can reach me directly for follow-up.

Regards,

Stephanie Harris

Director of Training and Organization Development

Office: 517-687-3469 or Cell: 517-272-3465

Reference Letter Sample Write a Reference Letter for a Valued Employee

Want a reference letter sample to view as you craft your own reference letters for current and former employees? This reference letter sample gives you a guide for writing your own employee reference letters.

A reference letter is usually requested by an employee who is job searching or who must leave your organization for a reason such as a relocating spouse, returning full time to school, or experiencing serious and time-consuming family issues. The employee asks you for a reference letter so that his or her eventual job search is assisted by a positive recommendation from an employer.

Employees know that managers and supervisors change jobs and companies go out of business. Since circumstances are changing and unpredictable, employees seek reference letters to permanently document their work history.

As an employer, if you have a positive view of an employee’s work, you may choose to write a reference letter to potentially help an employee out in the future. Your actions need some consideration, however. Start by knowing the reference check policy of your Human Resources office about generating reference letters. In some organizations, the only employees authorized to provide a reference are Human Resources staff.

Other organizations ask you to run the reference letter by your HR office before sending. In our litigious society, HR oversight can save problems later. HR staff will check to make sure your letter is focused specifically on work behaviors, actions, and results that you observed. They will check for overgeneralizing and too many effusive remarks. In any case, a second pair of eyes is helpful.

With the go-ahead to write a reference letter, think about the employee’s significant contributions and focus your letter on these achievements. Written on company stationery, with clear contact information, and the recommender's name and job title, the reference letter provides a positive boost to a job searcher's credentials.