Look, let’s be real for a second. Most recommendation letters are boring. They’re filled with the same tired adjectives—"hardworking," "dedicated," "a team player"—that hiring managers have seen a thousand times. They skim them. They yawn. Then they move on. If you’ve been asked to write an example letter of recommendation, you’re probably feeling the pressure to sound "professional," but that usually just leads to sounding like a robot.
People hire people, not listicles of traits.
I’ve seen this from both sides of the desk. When you're the one reading a stack of fifty applications, a generic letter is basically invisible. But when a letter tells a specific story? That’s when you stop scrolling. That's when the candidate actually becomes a human being in your mind.
What an Example Letter of Recommendation Usually Misses
Most people think the goal is to praise the candidate as much as possible. It’s not. The goal is to provide evidence. If you say someone is a "problem solver," that’s just your opinion. If you describe how they stayed until 9:00 PM to fix a server migration that went sideways on a Friday night, that’s a fact. Facts win.
I recently talked to a recruiter at a major tech firm who told me she ignores any sentence that starts with "I believe." She wants to see "I witnessed." It’s a subtle shift, but it changes everything.
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You’ve got to be careful not to overdo the "superhero" narrative, though. If you make someone sound like they have no flaws and never make mistakes, it feels fake. Authenticity matters more than perfection in 2026. Mentioning a specific challenge the person faced and how they handled it is way more valuable than a laundry list of perfections.
Breaking Down the Structure (Without Being Stiff)
Forget the rigid five-paragraph essay format you learned in high school. It’s too predictable. Instead, think about the flow of information. You want to establish who you are, why we should listen to you, and then give us the "meat" of the candidate's performance.
Usually, you start with the relationship. "I’ve worked with Sarah for three years" is fine, but "Sarah was the lead designer on my team during our most volatile growth phase" is better. It sets the stage. It gives context.
Then comes the "Why." Why are they good? Don't just list skills. Connect those skills to results.
Honestly, the best letters I’ve ever read weren’t even that long. They were punchy. They got to the point. They used active verbs. They didn't hide behind corporate jargon like "leveraging synergies" or "cross-functional optimization."
An Illustrative Example for a Professional Role
Let’s look at a hypothetical scenario. Imagine you’re writing for a Project Manager named Alex.
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Instead of saying "Alex is a great communicator," you might write:
"When our main client changed the project scope three weeks before the deadline, the team was ready to quit. Alex didn't just give a pep talk. He sat down, re-mapped the entire sprint in four hours, and then spent the afternoon making sure every developer understood the new priorities. He kept the client calm and kept the team focused. We delivered on time. That’s just how he operates."
See the difference? It shows leadership, technical skill, and emotional intelligence without ever using those buzzwords.
Why the "The Recommendation Gap" Is Real
There is a massive divide between what employers want to see and what people actually write. Research from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) often points out that specific behavioral examples are the most predictive of future success. Yet, most letters stay at the surface level.
Why? Because writing specific examples is hard. It requires memory and effort.
If you're struggling to remember a specific moment, ask the person you're writing for. "Hey, what’s one project we worked on together that you’re particularly proud of?" They’ll give you the raw material, and you just have to polish it.
The Problem With Being Too Nice
Sometimes, being too positive actually hurts. If a letter is nothing but glowing praise, it lacks "texture."
I’m not saying you should trash the person. Obviously. But adding a bit of nuance—like mentioning how they’ve grown over time—adds massive credibility. "When Mark started, he struggled with public speaking, but by the end of his tenure, he was leading our quarterly board presentations" is a fantastic endorsement. It shows growth. It shows coachability. Those are traits every boss wants.
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Dealing With the Modern "Standard"
In 2026, many companies have strict HR policies about what they can say in a formal reference check. Sometimes they can only confirm dates of employment. This makes the written example letter of recommendation even more vital. It’s the only place where the "human" element of the work can actually live.
Don’t forget the logistics, though.
- Use a professional letterhead if you have one.
- Include your LinkedIn profile or a way for them to verify who you are.
- Keep it to one page. Seriously. No one is reading page two.
A Quick Word on Academic Recommendations
If you're writing for a student, the vibe is slightly different. Professors often focus too much on grades. The admissions committee already has the transcript. They know the kid got an A. What they don't know is if the student participated in class, if they helped their peers, or if they showed curiosity beyond the syllabus.
Focus on the "intellectual spark." Did they stay after class to ask a question that showed they’d done extra reading? Mention that. That's what gets someone into grad school.
Formatting Matters (But Don't Overthink It)
You want it to be readable. If someone is reading this on a phone—which they probably are—giant blocks of text are a nightmare.
Break it up.
Use bolding for emphasis, but don't go crazy.
Make sure your contact info is easy to find at the bottom.
The Final Reality Check
Before you hit "send" or give the letter to the candidate, read it out loud. If it sounds like something a lawyer wrote to avoid a lawsuit, delete it and start over. If it sounds like you’re actually recommending a friend or a respected colleague to someone you care about, you’re on the right track.
The best example letter of recommendation is the one that makes the reader think, "I need to meet this person."
Everything else is just noise.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Letter
- Audit your adjectives: Go through your draft and circle every adjective. If you can’t back it up with a 1-sentence story, delete it or replace it with a fact.
- The "One-Thing" Rule: Identify the single most impressive thing this person did while working with you. Make sure that one thing takes up at least 40% of the letter's body.
- Verify the recipient: If possible, tailor the letter to the specific job description. If the new job requires "turnaround experience," highlight how the candidate fixed a broken process.
- Check the tone: Ensure you sound like an expert in your field. Use the terminology of your industry naturally to show that your endorsement carries weight.
- Proofread for "AI-isms": If your letter starts with "In the fast-paced world of today," please, for the love of all that is professional, change it. Use a human opening. "I’ve been managing engineers for twelve years, and I’ve rarely seen someone pick up Rust as fast as Janet did."
Writing a recommendation is a favor, but it’s also a reflection of your own professional judgment. Take the extra fifteen minutes to make it specific. It makes a world of difference for the person's career, and honestly, it makes you look like a much better leader, too.