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An example of a recommendation for a colleague could be a LinkedIn recommendation praising their work ethic, skills, accomplishments, and positive attitude in the workplace. Recommendations highlight a colleague’s strengths and abilities, providing insight into what makes them an asset to the company or team. They serve as endorsements of a coworker’s capabilities, character, and job performance.
Recommendations are a great way to recognize a coworker’s contributions and support their career growth. Thoughtful, well-written recommendations can validate skills, build credibility, and open up new opportunities. They demonstrate confidence in a colleague’s abilities and offer confirmation of their talents and expertise from a peer.
Why Write a Recommendation?
There are several key reasons to write a recommendation for a colleague:
- Recognize their hard work and accomplishments
- Validate and endorse their skills and expertise
- Support their professional growth and advancement
- Strengthen their resume and LinkedIn profile
- Return the favor for a recommendation they wrote
- Share your positive experience working together
- Help them land a new job or promotion
- Expand their professional network
- Boost their confidence with affirming words
Taking the time to recommend a colleague demonstrates professional courtesy and respect for their abilities. It’s a great way to acknowledge their value and help them achieve their career goals.
What to Include
A recommendation should highlight a colleague’s specific skills, qualities, and achievements. Key details to include:
- Context of your relationship: How you know the person and the nature of your work together
- Timeframe: Dates when you worked together
- Skills: Technical expertise, soft skills, capabilities
- Notable accomplishments: Projects, successes, contributions
- Work ethic: Reliability, diligence, integrity
- Personality traits: Attitude, cooperation, people skills
- Work products: Quality of deliverables, outcomes achieved
- Growth: How they’ve improved and advanced over time
Use specific examples to illustrate these qualities whenever possible. Quantify accomplishments with metrics and data. Focus on strengths that would make the person an asset in their next role. Tailor the recommendation to the needs of the audience.
Sample Recommendation
Here is an example of a recommendation highlighting a colleague’s skills and achievements:
Recommendation for Jane Doe
I highly recommend Jane Doe as an incredibly talented and diligent software engineer. I worked closely with Jane for over 2 years at Acme Company, where we collaborated on developing web applications for clients.
Jane consistently produces high-quality code and has expert-level Python skills. She writes clean, efficient scripts that are easy for others to interpret and build upon. Jane stays up-to-date on the latest frameworks and development practices, demonstrating a commitment to continual learning.
What sets Jane apart is her stellar problem-solving ability. She has repeatedly proven her skill in analyzing complex issues, identifying solutions, and implementing fixes that exceed expectations. For example, when we ran into bottleneck issues on a customer portal, Jane optimized the back-end architecture which resulted in 3x faster page load times.
On top of her technical expertise, Jane is a wonderful team player. She is always willing to help others, share knowledge, and contribute ideas to move projects forward. Jane has a positive, can-do attitude that makes her a joy to work with. She motivates those around her while also building trust and rapport with clients and stakeholders.
In summary, Jane is a truly exceptional software engineer. She has been an invaluable asset to our projects with Acme Company through her technical leadership, collaboration skills, and commitment to delivering high-quality work. I enthusiastically recommend Jane for any software development role. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss her background and accomplishments further.
Key Elements
This sample recommendation includes:
– Background on work relationship
– Timeframe colleague was worked with
– Technical skills praised (Python, web development)
– Notable accomplishments highlighted (optimized back-end architecture)
– Soft skills endorsed (problem-solving, positive attitude)
– Collaborative abilities mentioned (helps team, builds rapport)
– Enthusiastic recommendation and endorsement
How to Write an Effective Recommendation
Follow these tips for writing a compelling, persuasive recommendation:
- Focus on tangible examples, metrics, and facts whenever possible
- Use strong language to emphasize strengths: “superior”, “exceptional”, “tremendous”
- Mention specific projects, accomplishments, skills mastered
- Keep it sincere – only recommend those you truly believe in
- Make it detailed yet concise – keep it to 1-2 paragraphs
- Proofread for spelling and grammar – make it polished
- Personalize it by highlighting unique strengths
- Offer to provide more info on the person’s background
- Include your contact information
Avoid vagueness, exaggeration, and brevity – be specific about why the person deserves a strong recommendation. Paint a picture of their capabilities and commitment that makes a memorable impression.
Asking Permission
Before recommending someone, it’s important to ask their permission first. No one wants to be surprised by an unsolicited recommendation, even if it’s positive. Ask your colleague if they would be comfortable with you endorsing them on LinkedIn or to a hiring manager. Make sure they actually want a recommendation before you offer to provide one.
Delivering the Recommendation
Once written, there are a few options for delivering your recommendation:
- Copy and paste it into a LinkedIn recommendation on their profile
- Send it to them to use as desired, like adding to a resume
- Email it directly to a hiring manager or HR department
- Offer to speak to potential employers by phone to recommend them
- Print it out to give to them as a letter of recommendation
LinkedIn recommendations have the benefit of being public and viewable by expanded networks. Email allows you to target specific employers. Printed letters can be brought to in-person interviews. Choose the method(s) that make the most sense for your situation and the colleague’s needs.
Following Up
After making the recommendation, follow up with your colleague. See if they need anything else to aid their job search. Offer to serve as a reference for verification of your recommendation. Check in periodically to provide updates on their stellar performance if you continue working together.
Leveraging your network may also help them land interviews and opportunities. Customize your support based on what they need to reach the next level in their career.
Receiving a Recommendation
Just as it’s important to write recommendations, professionals should also learn how to appropriately receive them. Here are some best practices:
- Thank the person for taking the time to recommend you
- Let them know if/when it leads to an interview or offer
- Share it on your LinkedIn profile and resume
- Express your gratitude – send a handwritten thank you note
- Pay it forward by writing recommendations for colleagues in return
- Follow up periodically to update them on your career progression
Remaining gracious and humble will nurture ongoing positive relationships with colleagues. It ensures they’ll be willing to continue endorsing you in the future as your career grows.
Limitations of Recommendations
While recommendations can be extremely helpful, some limitations exist:
- They are subjective opinions that may hold bias
- Some employers give more weight to skills vs. endorsements
- Overdoing recommendations on LinkedIn can look disingenuous
- They lack the depth of information in a written letter
- Poorly written recommendations can even have a negative impact
Strike a balance by having 3-5 recommendations from credible sources. Avoid hyperbole and focus on facts. Use them to complement (not replace) your skills, experience, and interview performance.
Conclusion
Recommendations showcase a colleague’s accomplishments and capabilities while supporting their career advancement. Thoughtful recommendations highlight achievements, strengthen credibility, open doors, and demonstrate professional courtesy. Following best practices for writing, delivering, and receiving recommendations enables both parties to maximize their value and impact.
Key Takeaways
- Recognize contributions, validate skills, and help colleagues advance
- Include specific examples and metrics that illustrate their strengths
- Keep it detailed yet concise, honest, and personalized
- Obtain permission, deliver via LinkedIn or direct email
- Thank recommenders and pay it forward
- Use recommendations to complement other qualifications
With their ability to endorse abilities, fuel growth, and strengthen credibility, recommendations are a powerful career-building tool for colleagues looking to take that next step.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should you recommend someone you don’t actually recommend?
No, only recommend colleagues you truly believe in and want to endorse. Avoid writing recommendations out of obligation or misplaced kindness. Be honest and only recommend those whose work and character you can validate without reservation.
What if you don’t fully recommend the person?
Rather than decline, you can have an open conversation and suggest areas to work on before you feel comfortable fully recommending them. Offer to provide a recommendation focusing only on their strengths you can authentically endorse.
Can a recommendation backfire?
Yes, poor or false recommendations can certainly backfire by damaging the colleague’s credibility and work prospects. Make sure to be honest, professional, and tactful. If you cannot recommend the person, suggest they seek other endorsers who know them and their work better.
How long should a LinkedIn recommendation be?
Ideally 2-3 paragraphs or around 150 words. Be detailed enough to illustrate their value, but succinct enough to keep it scannable for busy readers. Include specific examples of major achievements.
Can you ask someone to write your recommendation?
It’s better to have recommendations initiated organically by others. But it’s reasonable to politely ask colleagues you trust if they’d be willing to recommend you on LinkedIn or to employers. Remind them of projects you collaborated on and accomplishments.
Templates and Examples
Here are additional recommendation templates and examples:
Software Engineer
I enthusiastically recommend [name] as a skilled software engineer and talented programmer. [Name] impresses me with [his/her] depth of knowledge in multiple coding languages like Java, JavaScript, and C#. [He/She] can efficiently write robust code across front-end, back-end, database, and mobile platforms. Beyond [his/her] technical expertise, [name] has fantastic communication abilities and interpersonal skills that allow [him/her] to collaborate effectively across teams. [Name] would make a valuable addition to any engineering team looking for a solid developer who produces high-quality, reliable software solutions. Please contact me if I can provide any other details on [his/her] background and qualifications.
Project Manager
As a project manager, [name] is incredibly well organized, detail-oriented, and focused on achieving outcomes. I collaborated with [him/her] on [project name] while at [company], where [he/she] streamlined processes to complete the project [x amount] under budget and [x days] ahead of schedule through excellent time management abilities. [Name] is experienced in Agile methodologies and Lean processes. [He/She] is a true team player who provided amazing leadership, motivation, and conflict resolution when challenges arose. I highly recommend [name] for any project management or coordination role.
Marketing Associate
I recommend [name] for any marketing role. As a Marketing Associate on our team at [company], [he/she] consistently created well-researched, insightful strategies and campaigns that generated high engagement levels. For example, the social media content [he/she] designed for [product/campaign] resulted in a [x%] increase in followers and website clicks. [Name] has stellar communication talents and interpersonal skills that enable [him/her] to build relationships with stakeholders across the organization. [He/She] is enthusiastic, dedicated, and has creative ideas for how to improve results. It was a true pleasure collaborating with [name], and I believe [he/she] has enormous potential to thrive in marketing.
Key Skills and Strengths
During my time working with [name] at [company], I have continually been impressed by [his/her] [key skill – ex. leadership abilities, communication talents, programming expertise, writing skills, etc.]. In particular, [he/she] demonstrated exceptional [skill] when [example of skill]. [Name] also showed [his/her] strength in [another key skill] by [example]. Beyond [his/her] impressive professional capabilities, [name] brings tremendous value through [personal strengths – ex. positivity, integrity, motivation, etc.]. [He/She] enhances team culture through [examples of positive traits]. I highly recommend [name] and believe [he/she] would bring energy, competence, and dedication to any role or project.
Peer Mentor
I had the pleasure of working with [name] on the peer mentorship program at [company], where [he/she] served as an incredible mentor and role model for new hires. [Name] devoted countless hours to mentee one-on-ones, providing technical guidance and professional development advice to help mentees excel and grow. Mentees who worked with [name] reported gaining self-confidence, positive habits, and key skills – from work-life balance tactics to effective collaboration strategies. Beyond [his/her] significant professional expertise, [name] demonstrates genuine compassion and emotional intelligence in mentoring relationships. [Name] had an undeniably positive impact on mentees and I believe [he/she] would contribute tremendous value as a mentor or leader.
Example Recommendation Letter
Letter of Recommendation for Sarah Jones
June 1, 2021
Dear Hiring Manager,
It is my pleasure to strongly recommend Sarah Jones for a management position with your organization. I had the privilege of working with Sarah for over 5 years at Acme Company, where she consistently impressed me as an extraordinarily competent, results-driven manager.
Sarah is incredibly well-organized and reliable. She always accomplished projects ahead of schedule through excellent time management abilities. What sets Sarah apart is her natural leadership skills – she motivates and inspires her team to achieve common goals. She also has superb critical thinking and problem-solving skills. When challenges inevitably arose on projects, Sarah kept the team focused on solutions to successfully complete deliverables on time.
On a personal level, Sarah has outstanding interpersonal abilities. Her compassion coupled with professionalism allows her to resolve conflicts and build trust with colleagues and clients alike. She excels at communicating complex ideas simply, enabling stakeholders across the organization to understand key concepts and buy into initiatives.
Sarah would bring tremendous value to your management team through her professionalism, collaborative spirit, and commitment to achieving exceptional results. She has my highest recommendation. Please contact me if I can provide any other details on her background and qualifications.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Position]
[Company]
[Phone]
[Email]
Key Details
This recommendation letter includes:
– Background on work relationship
– Length of time worked together (5+ years)
– Management skills praised (leadership, time management, problem-solving)
– Interpersonal abilities mentioned (conflict resolution, communication)
– Personality strengths highlighted (compassion, professionalism)
– Enthusiastic recommendation
– Contact information for follow up
Summary
An effective recommendation allows you to validate a colleague’s skills, character, and achievements. Be specific, honest, and sincere – focus on their unique assets through tangible examples. Craft your recommendation with the audience and purpose in mind. A thoughtful recommendation is a meaningful way to help a coworker advance their career by sharing their value differentiators. Both writing and receiving recommendations professionally is key for building goodwill and opportunity.