Who writes a letter of recommendation to an employee? How to write a letter of recommendation, sample letters of recommendation

The labor market, especially when it comes to certain professions, is often oversupplied with personnel. Competition is intense, job applicants go to great lengths to gain an advantage, and employers demand compliance. Recommendations from a previous place of work often help management make a choice in favor of a candidate, but they must be properly formatted and comply with restrictions.

When hiring, many employers require applicants for positions to have references from previous management. From a legal point of view, such a requirement is not justified - neither in Labor Code of the Russian Federation, this is not established in any other legal acts, but this is the practice.

good letter of recommendation significantly increases the chances of getting a position, but not always. Not all employers make this requirement, and some do not consider recommendations at all, making their choice based on other factors.

A letter of recommendation is a document in which the previous employer indicates his work qualities, skills, level of fulfillment of obligations, and so on. It can be drawn up directly by the head of the company, the person’s boss, or another employee who can give it (for example, the head of the human resources department).

The purpose of such a document is to characterize the citizen as an employee (can also be issued to students or during the period of advanced training). An employee needs recommendations to ensure the possibility of obtaining a new position, and a potential employer needs to obtain preliminary information about the employee - his personal qualities, professional skills, and so on.

There is no special form for a letter of recommendation. The employer adheres to the general rules business letters, otherwise he has the right to act as he sees fit. It is recommended that registration be made on the employer's letterhead.

The letter must not contain illegal elements, that is, all information provided in it must comply with legal standards.

When writing a letter, the employer fulfills the following requirements:

• Business style is required. The use of colloquial expressions and scientific terms is not allowed if they are not necessary to analyze a citizen, his practical skills, and so on.
• Contacting an employee must be carried out taking into account the norms of etiquette. For example, you can use such address as colleague, employee, and also address you as “you”. Addressing in a friendly manner is not acceptable.
• It is not recommended to use artistic expressions, unnecessary phrases and introductory words. The text should be as simple and concise as possible. Literary expressions will only complicate the understanding of important information regarding the employee’s skills.
• The document must be signed by the head of the organization or a person authorized to perform such actions.
• If the letter is written by one person and signed by another, both employees are indicated in the final version. In practice, the requirement is often not observed and the manager simply signs documents without studying it; it is difficult to monitor compliance with the unspoken requirement.

The rest of the form is free. It is advisable to indicate the actions that the employee performed, how he dealt with them, his communication skills with the team, and so on, that is, those points that may be useful in his future position.

Any letter of recommendation will consist of three parts:

1. Details of the parties - as the organization in which a particular citizen worked (or Individual Entrepreneur, for whom he worked) and the employee in respect of whom such a letter of recommendation is drawn up.
2. The company, its field of activity, the employee’s position, and his direct responsibilities are described. It is indicated how well he coped with them, as well as other additional points that can characterize him as an employee and specialist.
3. The employee’s growth during work is described, that is, the change in his professional skills, achievements, awards, bonuses, and projected prospects. The boss’s impressions of working with the employee are important.

As a result, you can indicate specific personal qualities of the employee, for example, write that he showed himself to be a good, responsive colleague who meets halfway and easily finds a common language, or other characteristics of him that may be important in the future. professional activity.

A letter of recommendation may be more strict and contain only professional qualities, but it will be more effective if it shows the person’s dynamics, his ability to find a common language with colleagues, personal data, and so on. But at the same time, the main emphasis should still be on professional qualities and activities as a specialist.

Registration

When filling out, no forms or forms are required. A letter of recommendation, in principle, is not mandatory, so its form has not been developed; there are no GOST or even state recommendations.

The document is drawn up on plain paper, but it would be better to print it on the organization’s letterhead, if available. At the end, the signature of the manager or employee who compiled the document must be placed. Can be stamped.

In some cases, the previous manager is left with contact information so that the potential employer can clarify the accuracy of the information provided. However, in practice, not everyone wants to communicate with the future managers of previous employees.

Typical mistakes when drafting a document

If the employer decides to write a letter of recommendation, it means that the relationship with the employee is at least normal. He is not obliged to do this, but it is still worth adhering to certain unspoken rules so that the document really helps with subsequent employment.

The most common errors encountered when composing letters are:

• The letter is not written in a business style, but is based, to a greater extent, on a personal attitude towards the employee.
• The document contains only professional skills and does not describe relationships with the team and opinions about the employee. Undoubtedly, listing personal qualities is not necessary, but it is desirable to create a more complete picture of the citizen.
• The document is drawn up by a person who has not had direct contact with the employee and cannot characterize him properly. It is recommended that the person’s immediate supervisor, for example, a foreman, head of a department, and so on, draw up the paper.
• Vague formulations are used, on the basis of which it is difficult to draw a conclusion about the actual result of cooperation with the employee. For example, the text of the recommendation is large, but there is little really important information in it; it does not reveal the most important qualities of a person as a specialist in his field.

The letter should be simple, clear and understandable, not lengthy and confusing. Otherwise, there are no strict rules.

The manager making the recommendation must be aware that it may be different for each employee. Depending on the position, different skills are required, the level of communication with clients, with colleagues, and so on. For example, the head of the HR department requires more developed skills in communicating with people than an accountant who works mainly with documents and numbers, accordingly, the recommendation needs to focus on the really important points.

• The level of mastering the necessary information, studying changes in legislation, mobility at work. The accountant needs to respond quickly to practical dynamics.
• Ability to quickly adapt to changes that are introduced regularly.
• Compliance with deadlines, absence (or small number) of violations.
• The absence of critical errors that would entail serious economic consequences.

Other positions are required to have slightly different skills. For example, in a letter of recommendation from an administrator it would be more useful to write:

• Possessing communication skills with clients and colleagues. This is an initial skill, without which the administrator cannot perform his functions.
• Level of organizational work, capabilities for personnel management, property management.
• Possession of other management and related skills.

There cannot be a general template for a letter of recommendation, since each profession needs to highlight some of its own characteristics. But the Internet is full of variations that can be used as a basis, changing the specific content.

If the employee subsequently plans to move abroad to work there, the letter of recommendation must meet other requirements. It is compiled in exactly the same way - the skills, functions, and advantages of the citizen are indicated, but foreign companies may emphasize other points, so it is worth clarifying the requirements in advance.

Another point is the language of the document. If the organization cannot immediately write recommendations in the language foreign country, then it is recommended to make a notarized translation. The cost will be low. The English version is most often accepted, even in countries where state language is different.

A recommendation is not mandatory document for the employer and he may not give it at all. If an employee receives a paper that does not characterize him from the best side, he may simply not use it. Of course, he will lose his competitive advantage, but this is better than having recommendations characterizing a citizen as a bad employee.

The employer can independently request recommendations from the previous manager. In this case, there is a chance of a bad transfer, especially if the employment relationship was terminated “with a scandal.” It will not be possible to avoid the transfer of characteristics, so in this case we can only hope for the prudence of the previous management.

A letter of recommendation is a voluntary recommendation from a previous employer that characterizes the employee as a specialist and member of the team. It affects the professional qualities of a person, his personal data, abilities directly and indirectly related to the performance of labor functions. There is no special form for such a letter provided by law, but there are practically established rules that require conciseness and adherence to business style.

Recommendation from place of work - sample You will find its completion in this article. It will be an additional advantage for the applicant when applying for a job with a new employer. From our article you will learn all about the nuances of this document.

Potential employers, along with a resume, often require from the applicant recommendations from the place of work. And although such a requirement is not justified from a legal point of view, recommendations increase the applicant's chances of getting a job.

The letter of recommendation is prepared by a previous employer, project manager or other person (for example, an HR manager) who can evaluate the employee’s professional skills. In terms of content, the text of the recommendation is very close to the employee’s characteristics, but unlike it, it is drawn up more succinctly.

Due to the fact that the unified sample recommendation from place of work does not exist, when filling out the document you should adhere to the standard rules for preparing business documentation. It is advisable that the recommendation be issued on the letterhead of the company drawing up the document.

In addition, the following details and information are provided:

1. Document number and date.
2. Title of the document (for example: “Letter of Recommendation”).
3. Recommendation text.
4. Signature of the head (company, project) indicating the position and full name.
5. Contact details of the company and/or person who signed the recommendation.

• Period of employment of the employee and full name of the employer.
• The employee’s position and achievements in the professional field, indicating the duties performed. The availability of factual information, expressed in absolute and relative terms, will improve the quality of the recommendation.

On our website you can download a sample of a completed recommendation.

Results

Preparing letters of recommendation is not the responsibility of employers, however, at the request of an employee (or based on established internal rules for working with personnel in the company), this document should be prepared. Employers maintaining a consistent practice of requesting/submitting letters of recommendation makes it easier to find a suitable employee.

In some cases, for a successful transfer or employment to a new job, it may be important for an employee not only a personal portfolio, but also a letter of recommendation, the sample of which depends on the specific situation. General formula It is impossible to provide a creative design for such documents in many respects, but there are a number of features that should be taken into account when drafting it in any case.

Currently, such a document is not widespread enough in practice. business correspondence between firms or government agencies to argue that there are some standards for its drafting. Of all the documents, along with a resume, a letter of recommendation can be considered the most creative in nature, therefore it is advisable to compose it in conditions sufficient quantity time, not in a hurry. In addition, the psychological attitude is important - the better the text is thought out and felt, the more it reflects the real achievements of the employee, the more benefits it can give him.

It is initially compiled as a positive review of an extended nature, which is devoted to:

• employee (in most cases);
• the entire organization or its department.

1. A header that indicates the full name of the organization, its details, contacts, and also (if available) its logo - most often companies have letterheads on which all official correspondence is printed, including letters of recommendation to employees according to established templates.
2. Last name, first name, patronymic, contact details and position of the person to whom the recommendation was given.
3. Introductory part, which indicates in what period of time and in what position the employee worked in the company (links are provided to the relevant internal regulatory documents- orders).

EXAMPLE. Anzhelika Viktorovna Lagutina worked at Aldi LLC for 4 years (from May 212 to November 2016). Initially, she was approved as a sales manager, then in September 2015 she was transferred to the position of deputy head of the sales department due to the conscientious performance of her duties and the constant implementation of the sales plan (Order No. ABV-32 dated 09/05/2015).

1. Information about the person or company or department to which the recommendation is given. In relation to the employee, personal data is provided here (education, work experience, qualifications, personal and professional qualities that allowed him to achieve specific success). The employee’s job responsibilities and what projects he participated in, including on personal initiative, are also described.

During the entire period of work, the employee showed himself to be exceptionally good. Lagutina was responsible in the sales department for achieving sales targets for the time periods established by internal regulations: month, quarter and year. Even during difficult times economic situation in the segment, the employee demonstrated himself as an effective manager who managed to find right decisions in non-standard situations.

During her work, the sales plan was constantly exceeded by an average of 25%, in which the management of the department and the company sees, first of all, the personal merit of the employee. Lagutina has demonstrated her ability to accurately comply with internal standards and regulations. No cases of lateness or violation of labor discipline were recorded.

Lagutina has a higher education vocational education with a degree in organizational management (2008), took part in many seminars to increase the level of sales within our company, for which she has the appropriate certificates. Owns English language at the Intermediate level, therefore in August 2014 she was sent to represent our company at a meeting with foreign (Canadian and Finnish) suppliers, for which she also has relevant supporting documents.

1. Reasons for dismissal from position. As a rule, a company willingly gives recommendations to an employee if his dismissal is due to exceptionally unfavorable economic circumstances: bankruptcy of the company, optimization of staff. In other cases, especially when an employee leaves for a competing company, a request to draw up a letter of recommendation for an employee, even if he has a ready-made sample that just needs to be filled out, may be rejected.

Lagutin's employee is leaving due to staff reduction. The decision to optimize staffing was made at top level company, therefore at the moment it is not possible to revise it. In this regard, the company is forced to part with some employees, including Lagutina.

It should be understood that under labor law the employer is not required to draw up such documents. In addition, in order to inspire the trust of the future employer, it is better for the employee to indicate some objective reasons for dismissal:

• moving to another city/new place in the city due to personal circumstances;
• loss of interest in work due to long time functional responsibilities do not change, and there are virtually no prospects for career growth;
• impossibility of continuing work due to changes in personnel, economic policy of the company, due to which the employee cannot perform his previous work, etc.

1. The final part of the recommendation should directly indicate recommendations that relate to the personal and business qualities of the employee. It is best to directly answer the question of why, in the opinion of authorized representatives of the company, the employee is suitable for the position for which he is currently applying.

We recommend Lagutina A.V. for the position of sales manager of the Blagodar company and ask special attention regarding her candidacy. In our opinion, it has a number of competitive advantages, which allow her to stand out favorably against the background of most other candidates.

1. Finally, in the complementary part of the letter, the employer can, if he wishes, indicate how grateful he is to the employee for the efforts and specific results that he has achieved throughout the entire period of cooperation.

At the end of the letter, as usual, the contact information of the organization and the person who compiled and signed the document is indicated, the date, stamp and signature are affixed.

PLEASE NOTE. The presence of contact information in the letter is a fundamental requirement, since without specifying information about the organization, a justified mistrust almost always arises in the letter: an unscrupulous employee could falsify the company data and write the text himself. Therefore, it is best to provide the contact (including personal) of the employee who knows you well and who took part in drafting the letter, so that a potential employer can easily and at any time contact him to confirm the specified information.

Sometimes the employees and employers who compile it do not take such a document seriously, believing that the new employer is able to independently give an objective assessment of whether the candidate is suitable for him or not, based on an analysis of his work record, portfolio with documents confirming personal achievements, as well as during an oral interview or testing.

However, as practice shows, some employers themselves directly indicate that they would like to see recommendations from a previous place of work. Therefore, the employee and his company should take a closer look at how to correctly compose a letter of recommendation, understanding the fact that it is not enough to simply download a sample and fill it out.

• unlike a work book, a letter can reflect in more detail and informatively (rather than formally) the employee’s experience in a given position and his specific work achievements;
• a letter of recommendation can reflect the personal and business qualities of an employee that are not indicated in certificates, diplomas, etc.;
• finally, a recommendation can be made specifically for the desired situation: a specific employer, a specific vacancy and a specific set of job responsibilities.

1. The text of the letter must be in a formal business style.
2. At the same time, you should avoid a large number of bureaucracies and cliches - “dry”, unnatural expressions.
3. It is better to draw up a letter on personal letterhead, and if the company does not use one, try to give the document a more official character with the help of artistic elements.
4. In terms of text volume: it should not be too large (2 or more pages) and too small (less than half a page). Visually it should resemble a regular statement, and the text should take about a page.
5. The letter should be printed in a clear, readable font: neither large nor small.
6. Long, dense sentences that are difficult to read should be avoided.
7. The letter should include as many specific numbers and statements about the employee as possible. It should be assumed that the recommendation essentially provides a detailed and complete answer to the question of why this particular employee is optimally suited for this position.
8. In the text, it is better to avoid banal statements, common expressions and epithets, for example “hardworking”, “not afraid of difficulties”, “effectively copes with his responsibilities, etc.).
9. If the letter is addressed to a foreign company, you should take care of a competent, professional translation of the text by contacting a competent translator.
10. Finally, you need to understand that a recommendation is not a boast. Here it is inappropriate to use too lofty words, as well as constructions that clearly exaggerate the qualities of an employee: “very good”, “excellently copes with his duties”, “irreplaceable”, “excellent, wonderful”, etc. Such statements will, at the very least, cause distrust or even a negative reaction.

In fact, a letter of recommendation is quite simple to write for an employee who has managed to retain good relationship with the employer and does not leave for direct competitors, but chose to change his field of activity or leave for a new position based, first of all, on the motives of personal development. However, you can convince your employer of such honest intentions only if you have established a truly trusting relationship with him.

In general, no extensive practice has developed regarding the business turnover of letters of recommendation, so the real statistics of their use by employees can only be judged on the basis of individual Internet surveys, which, of course, do not reflect the full picture, but nevertheless serve as a definite a reference point.

A letter of recommendation is a type of review of an employee from his former boss or colleague. Not in all institutions this is a mandatory document when applying for a job, but such a letter can be a significant plus during an interview and when accepted by an employer final decision. Let's consider the basic principles of drawing up a recommendation.

This document must contain brief information about the professional qualities, achievements and advantages of the applicant. It is through a recommendation that a potential employer can get an idea of ​​the candidate’s business activity, as well as find out the opinions of his former colleagues about his approach to work.

When writing a letter, it is recommended to avoid common hackneyed phrases like “reliable, efficient employee.” A letter of recommendation should interest a potential employer, but an abundance of “standard” definitions will not make the proper impression and is unlikely to attract attention. It is better to list in the document the facts of the employee’s participation in projects, achievement of specific goals and indicators, and successful negotiations.

When writing a recommendation, you should consider the universal qualities that any job seeker looks for in a potential employee. These are the ones you should focus on when writing a recommendation. Any employer would like to see in an employee such qualities as reliability, honesty, responsibility, activity, as well as a desire to develop. A good letter of recommendation contains concise information that demonstrates that the employee has these characteristics.

To write a recommendation correctly, you should know the basic principles of its design. All text, if possible, should fit on one sheet. Any letter of recommendation begins with a title. The address after the heading is indicated if the letter is written for a specific employer.

Next, there is usually information about how long the recommended person worked in the previous company and in what position. For example: “Ivanov I.I. as an accountant economist worked at the company StroyMir LLC under my leadership from June 10, 2010 to July 10, 2014.” The following is information about responsibilities former employee, brief characteristics, description strengths the applicant and his achievements during his work, if any. The document can also indicate the reason for the employee’s departure from his previous place of work.

It is better that the letter of recommendation be on company letterhead with the signature of the document’s originator. It is also advisable that the letter be certified by a seal. This will not only be a plus for the applicant, but will also give credibility to the company that provided the recommendation.

When writing a recommendation, you should indicate the contact information of the person signing the document: his name, surname and patronymic, as well as a contact telephone number. If possible, the letter is certified by the signature of the head of the company or the personnel department.