You've been asked. Now you’re staring at a blinking cursor on a white screen. It’s a weird kind of pressure because someone’s career is basically sitting in your hands. You want to help, but you don't want to sound like a generic HR template from 1998. Most people think they just need to say "John is a hard worker" and call it a day. That's a mistake. A boring letter is almost as bad as a bad one.
If you're wondering what to put in letter of recommendation to make it actually move the needle, you have to realize that hiring managers are looking for proof, not just adjectives. They’ve seen "team player" a thousand times. They want the dirt. The real stuff. They want to know why this person is the one they'll regret passing on.
The Big Hook: Why Context Trumps Everything
Before you type a single "To Whom It May Concern," stop. You need to establish why your opinion even matters. If you don't show how you know the person, the rest of the letter feels like fluff. It’s about the "Relationship Foundation." Were you their direct supervisor at a fast-paced tech startup, or did you just grab coffee with them once a month?
Be specific. "I managed Sarah for three years at BrightMetrics, where she led our data migration project," beats "I have known Sarah for a long time" every single day. You're setting the stage. You’re telling the reader, "I saw this person in the trenches, so listen to me." Honestly, if you can’t define the relationship in one sharp sentence, the letter is already in trouble.
Quantifiable Wins vs. Vague Praise
Here is the secret sauce: numbers. Or, if not numbers, very specific outcomes. When deciding what to put in letter of recommendation, think like a lawyer building a case.
- Bad: "They are very productive."
- Good: "He cut our client onboarding time by 40% in the first quarter."
See the difference? One is a nice sentiment; the other is a reason to hire someone. If you're writing for a student, maybe they didn't "save money," but perhaps they organized a volunteer event that drew 200 people. That's a metric. Use it.
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I remember reading a Harvard Business Review piece where they talked about the "positivity bias" in these letters. Everyone is "excellent." To break through that noise, you need a story. Tell the story of the time the server crashed at 2 AM and this person was the only one who stayed on the Zoom call until it was fixed. That says more about their character than the word "dedicated" ever could.
The "Soft Skills" That Actually Matter
We talk a lot about hard skills—coding, accounting, welding—but the "soft" stuff is usually why people get fired or promoted. But don't just list them. Show them.
Instead of saying someone has "great communication skills," talk about how they managed a conflict between two warring departments. Describe how they took a complex, boring technical manual and turned it into something a human being could actually read. You want to highlight their emotional intelligence (EQ). Can they read a room? Do they take feedback without getting defensive? These are the things hiring managers are terrified they won't find.
What Most People Get Wrong
People think a letter of recommendation should be a list of every single thing the person has ever done. Wrong. It should be a curated highlight reel. If you put too much in, the important stuff gets buried. It's like a resume; if it's five pages long, nobody is reading it. Keep it to one page. Keep it punchy.
The Structure That Doesn't Feel Like a Robot Wrote It
Forget the five-paragraph essay format you learned in high school. It’s stiff. It’s boring. You want a flow that feels like a professional recommendation between colleagues.
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Start with the enthusiastic endorsement. "It is a genuine pleasure to recommend..." or "I am thrilled to support..." Then move into the context. Next, hit them with the evidence (the stories and numbers we talked about). Finally, wrap it up by explaining why they are a "culture add," not just a "culture fit."
A "culture fit" is someone you want to grab a beer with. A "culture add" is someone who brings a perspective the team is currently missing. That’s a huge distinction in 2026. Companies want people who make them better, not just people who blend in.
Navigating the "Weakness" Trap
Sometimes, an application will ask for a "balanced" view. This is tricky. You don't want to throw the person under the bus, but being too perfect makes you look like a liar.
The best way to handle this is to frame a "weakness" as a growth area that they’ve already addressed. "Early on, Mark struggled with delegating tasks because he wanted everything to be perfect. However, after taking on a lead role, he developed a system for checking in with his team that allowed him to let go of the reins while maintaining quality."
This shows the candidate is coachable. That is worth its weight in gold.
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Technical Details You Can't Forget
Look, the "what" is important, but the "how" matters too. Use a professional letterhead if you have one. It adds weight. Make sure your contact info is at the bottom. Hiring managers actually do call recommenders sometimes, especially for high-level roles. If you aren't willing to take a five-minute call to back up your letter, don't write it.
Words to Delete Immediately
- Hardworking (Everyone says this. It’s filler.)
- Nice (Irrelevant.)
- Punctual (This is the bare minimum, not a selling point.)
- Literally (Just don't.)
- Extremely (Use a stronger verb instead of adding an adverb.)
Why Specificity is Your Best Friend
Think about a specific moment. A Tuesday morning. A crisis. A deadline. If you can't remember a single specific moment where this person impressed you, you probably shouldn't be writing the letter.
I once saw a letter for a junior designer that mentioned how she noticed a typo in a billboard after it had been approved by three senior leads. She spoke up, even though she was the "new kid." That one anecdote told the employer that she was observant, brave, and cared about the company's reputation. That's way better than saying "she has an eye for detail."
The Final Sanity Check
Read it out loud. Seriously. Does it sound like you? Or does it sound like a legal document? If you find yourself tripping over long, clunky sentences, break them up.
A good letter of recommendation should feel like a warm introduction. You’re essentially putting your own reputation on the line for this person. If you're hesitant to do that, your writing will show it. Be bold. If you believe in them, say it clearly.
Actionable Next Steps for Writers
- Ask for the Job Description: You can't write a good letter if you don't know what the new job requires. Tailor your stories to the skills they actually need.
- Request a "Brag Sheet": Ask the person to send you 3-5 accomplishments they are most proud of. You might have forgotten that one project they knocked out of the park two years ago.
- Focus on "The Why": Don't just say what they did; explain why it mattered to the business or the organization.
- Check the Deadline: Nothing kills a candidate's chances like a recommendation letter that arrives three days late.
- Save a Template, but Don't Use It: Keep a general structure of what to put in letter of recommendation for your own reference, but rewrite the core content every single time to keep it fresh and authentic.
Writing these things is a bit of a chore, I get it. But for the person on the other side, it's a life-changing document. Take the extra twenty minutes to make it human. Talk about their grit. Talk about their humor. Talk about the time they saved the day. That’s what gets people hired.