Recommendation Letter: How To Write Good Letters That Will Get You The Job You Want
Jan 30th, 2009 by admin
If most recommenders are not confident in their writing skills to produce a recommendation letter that will reflect nicely on them, perhaps you are too. The stakes are high with letters of recommendation, so it is understandable if you are a little concerned.
Your recommendation letter must not only be refined, it should also be convincing. Beautiful letters that don’t sell are worthless to you. You have to do your homework so you could pass your first interview with flying colors.
What’s frustrating to lots of candidates is this: Recommendation letters are even more difficult to write than any of the other stuff they are required to do on the job! The jobs they applied for do not really require high skills in writing, but they had to have these skills anyway to get the job in the first place.
On the other hand, some candidates are able to get positions for which others are actually better qualified – precisely because they can write better! They can better express themselves in way that warrants more attention, and thus, more job opportunities.
Face it: writing skills are one of the most important skills there is. There are skills which you will need on the job, and there are also skills which will get you the job. Getting ahead in your career requires both.
PROBLEM: What happens if you have a letter that was written specifically for one opportunity that is not well targeted for the next?
SOLUTION: Come up with a new one.
The concept most people have of a letter of recommendation is a single letter addressed To Whom It May Concern. It’s a nice letter that tells of your strengths and you can recycle it and send it to any company, no matter what job you’re aiming for.
Well, those happy days are over. Successful candidates know how to tailor their recommendation letter to better accommodate the needs of the job. With the advent of technology, you can use a computer now to customize your letter easily.
People do it because it’s very easy! There are a lot of people who will admit to tailoring their letters. There’s only a relative few today, but it’s increasing by the day.
Why? Simply because it works. (Competition drives people to do crazy things!)
For more information, including tips, samples, and templates, please check out our website: Recommendation Letter
My only comment is that if a recommendation letter is tweaked, keep the intended message intact. If you dilute the integrity of the original writer, it may come back to haunt you.