So, a coworker just Slacked you. They’re moving on to a new gig and they need a favor. "Hey, could you write me a recommendation?" You say yes because you're a decent person, but then you stare at a blank Google Doc for twenty minutes. It’s awkward. Writing a sample recommendation letter for colleague feels like a high-stakes homework assignment you didn’t ask for. You want to help them get the job without sounding like a corporate robot or, worse, someone who’s clearly lying through their teeth.
Honestly, most of these letters are garbage. They’re filled with fluff like "highly motivated" and "team player." Recruiters see that and their eyes glaze over instantly. If you want to actually help your friend, you need to ditch the templates that look like they were written in 1995. You need something that feels human.
Why most recommendation letters fail the vibe check
The biggest mistake? Being too vague. If I say "John is great at his job," that tells a hiring manager nothing. Every person applying for a job is presumably "great" at it. You have to prove it. You need a specific story. Think about that one time things went sideways and your colleague stepped up. Maybe the server crashed or a client went nuclear, and they stayed calm. That's the gold.
People worry about the length. They think it needs to be three pages of dense text. Nope. One page is plenty. Busy managers don't have time to read a novel about your desk-mate's spreadsheet skills. They want to know three things: Did you work with them? Are they good at what they do? Are they a jerk? If you can answer those with a bit of personality, you're winning.
The structure that doesn't feel like a chore
Forget the "To Whom It May Concern" nonsense if you can help it. It’s stiff. If you know the hiring manager's name, use it. If not, "Dear Hiring Team" works just fine.
Start with the basics. How do you know them? "I worked with Sarah for three years at Hooli in the marketing department." Simple. Don't overthink the intro. Then, move into the meat of it. Pick two specific traits—not five, just two—and back them up with a tiny anecdote.
Finally, the "would I hire them again" test. This is the most important part. A strong recommendation ends with a clear statement that you’d work with them again in a heartbeat. If you can't say that honestly, you probably shouldn't be writing the letter.
A sample recommendation letter for colleague you can actually use
Let’s look at a version that actually sounds like a person wrote it. This is an illustrative example, so swap out the details for your own situation.
"Dear Hiring Manager,
I’m writing this because I worked closely with Mark Stevens for the last four years at BlueGrid Tech. Mark was a Senior Developer while I was the Project Lead, so we spent a lot of time in the trenches together.
The thing about Mark is that he doesn't just write code; he solves the problems that everyone else is too afraid to touch. Last summer, we had a legacy database issue that was slowing down our entire checkout process. Most of the team wanted to just patch it and move on, but Mark spent his weekend redesigning the architecture because he knew the patch wouldn't hold under holiday traffic. He was right. We had our smoothest Q4 ever, and it was basically because of his foresight.
He’s also just a solid human to have in the office. He’s the guy who explains complex technical debt to the sales team without making them feel stupid. That’s a rare skill.
I’d hire Mark back tomorrow if I could. He’s going to be a massive asset to whoever gets him next. Feel free to reach out if you want to chat more about his work.
Best,
[Your Name]"
The "secret sauce" of a great recommendation
Notice how that didn't use the word "proactive"? Or "synergy"? It’s because those words are dead. They mean nothing now.
Instead of saying "she has great leadership skills," say "she managed a team of six through a rebranding phase without a single person quitting." Results matter more than adjectives. HR departments are looking for "proof of impact." According to a 2023 report from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), managers value specific examples of problem-solving far more than generic praise.
Dealing with the "hidden" recommendation
Sometimes, it’s not a formal letter. It’s a LinkedIn recommendation. These are shorter but arguably more important because they’re public.
For LinkedIn, keep it to one paragraph. High energy. High impact. Focus on what it’s like to sit next to them every day. Are they the person who brings coffee when everyone is stressed? Do they always have the answer to the weird Excel formula? Put that in there. It makes them feel like a real person, not just a resume.
What to do if you can't give a glowing review
This is the part nobody likes to talk about. Sometimes a colleague asks for a recommendation, and you... well, you don't really think they're that great.
It’s okay to say no.
Really. It is.
Giving a lukewarm recommendation is actually worse than giving none at all. Hiring managers can smell hesitation. If you can’t honestly vouch for their work, just say, "I don't think I'm the best person to write this for you since we didn't work on many projects together directly." It’s a polite out. Don't put your own reputation on the line for someone you wouldn't actually hire yourself.
The legal side of things
In some big corporate environments, there are strict rules about what you can say. Some companies only allow HR to confirm dates of employment and job titles. This is usually to avoid defamation lawsuits. If you’re at a Fortune 500 company, check your employee handbook first.
But for most of us, a personal recommendation is a personal favor. It’s not an official company endorsement. Just make sure you’re clear that these are your views, not necessarily the official stance of Global Mega Corp.
Getting the details right
Before you hit send, check the small stuff.
- Job Title: Make sure you have their exact title right. Don't call them a "Marketing Assistant" if they were an "Associate Brand Manager."
- Dates: You don't need exact dates, but "three years" sounds better than "a long time."
- Contact Info: Give them a way to reach you. A phone number is best, but an email works. It shows you’re serious.
If you're writing a sample recommendation letter for colleague for a specific industry, like nursing or teaching, the focus shifts slightly. In those fields, empathy and "soft skills" carry more weight than they might in software engineering. For a teacher, talk about their rapport with students. For a nurse, talk about their patient advocacy.
Why your reputation is on the line too
When you recommend someone, you’re basically saying, "I trust this person, and you should trust me." If you recommend a total disaster, it reflects poorly on your judgment.
This is why the best letters are honest. If someone was great at their job but struggled with being on time, you don't have to mention the lateness, but you also shouldn't call them "the most punctual person I know." Stick to the strengths that are actually true.
Moving beyond the template
Templates are a starting point. They aren't the finish line.
Think of a sample recommendation letter for colleague as a skeleton. You have to add the muscles and the skin. If you copy and paste a template from the internet, the hiring manager will know. They’ve seen them all. They’ve seen the one that starts with "It gives me great pleasure to recommend..." a thousand times.
Try starting with something different. "I've worked with a lot of designers over the last decade, but very few have the eye for detail that Sarah has." That’s an opener that grabs attention. It sets a benchmark. It shows you have a basis for comparison.
✨ Don't miss: Is the Dow Today Up or Down: Why This Number Drives Us All Crazy
Practical Steps to Finish Today
- Ask for the job description. You can’t write a good letter if you don't know what they’re applying for. If the new job requires "strong project management," make sure your letter mentions a project they managed.
- Pick your "One Big Thing." What’s the one thing this person is better at than anyone else? Center the letter around that.
- Keep it punchy. Short sentences. Active verbs. Instead of "The project was completed by him," say "He finished the project two weeks early."
- Proofread for their name. It sounds stupid, but people often use a template and forget to change the name in the third paragraph. It’s a death sentence for the candidate's chances.
- Send it as a PDF. Don't send a Word doc. It looks unprofessional and the formatting can get wonky on different devices.
Writing a recommendation doesn't have to be a multi-day ordeal. If you focus on being helpful, specific, and brief, you'll end up with a letter that actually helps your colleague land that next big role. Just be real about it. People hire people, not pieces of paper. Your job is to show them the person behind the resume.
Once you’ve finished the draft, read it out loud. If you feel like a dork saying it, change it. If it sounds like something a normal person would say over a cup of coffee, you’re golden. This isn't about being "professional" in the old-school sense; it's about being credible. Credibility gets people hired. Fluff gets them ignored.
Don't overcomplicate it. Just tell the truth about why they're good. That’s usually more than enough.