Brief recommendation of the director for the project. What is a letter of recommendation and how to write it

A letter of recommendation is a kind of feedback about an employee from his former boss or colleague. Not in all institutions this is a mandatory document when applying for a job, however, such a letter can be a significant plus at an interview and when the employer makes a final decision. Let's consider the basic principles of drawing up a recommendation.

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

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

When writing a recommendation, you should take into account the universal qualities that any applicant is looking for in a potential employee. It is on them that you should focus 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 brief information confirming that the employee has these characteristics.

To correctly write a recommendation, 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 heading. The appeal 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 As an economist, he worked at StroyMir LLC under my leadership from June 10, 2010 to July 10, 2014.” The following is information about the duties of the former employee, a brief description, a description of the strengths of the applicant and his achievements during his work, if any. The document can also indicate the reason for the employee's departure from the previous place of work.

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

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

Life situations are different, and you may someday need a sample letter of recommendation and how to fill it out.

In this article, we will reveal the question of why a letter of recommendation is needed at all, what information should be displayed in it, and how to write it correctly.

From a legal point of view and according to some lawyers, letters of recommendation are a relic of the past, they should not be required when applying for a job, and even more so considered a mandatory requirement for obtaining the desired position, but employment practice shows that employers still ask for references from the applicant from the previous place of work or study. What functions does a letter of recommendation (letter of recommendation, reference letter, letter of introduction) actually perform? In fact, the role of letters of recommendation is nothing more than an attachment to a resume, which significantly increases the chances of finding a job.

Let's turn to the concept of "Recommendation Letter" and figure out what it is. This is a characteristic, which is compiled in a free form, where the professional qualities of a person who is looking for a job are fully disclosed. A letter of recommendation is drawn up at the place of study of a person or his previous job. Its task is to reflect the qualities of the applicant, which are important when applying for a job, and either an educational institution or a former employer are ready to confirm this information. There is no standard sample for a letter of recommendation, although there are approximate forms of writing it, reflecting the personal and professional qualities of a person.

This document is recommended to be drawn up based on generally accepted rules for writing business letters, and such paper is for informational purposes only. Let's list a number of rules when writing a letter of recommendation:

• Use of business style;
• Compliance with the requirements when addressing a person: Partner, you, colleague, employee;
• The absence in the text of artistic phrases that are used to decorate the narrative and do not carry any semantic load;
• The document must be certified by the signature of the person who filled it out;
• The originator of the letter of recommendation must also be specified.

Recall the fact that a letter of recommendation is drawn up at the same place of work or study, and there is no standard sample when writing it. But if we consider the issue in general terms, then a sample letter of recommendation will have the following structure:

• We fill in the upper right corner: here the full name of the employer and the institution where we want to get the desired vacancy are indicated, or we write the phrase “for presentation at the place of demand” if the citizen is looking for work.
• In the middle at the top of the sheet (just below the right block) we write the name "Letter of Recommendation".
• The next block is the main text of the letter, and it may look something like this: “I, Ivan Petrovich Savelyev, from April 20, 2013 to March 15, 2015, was the direct supervisor of Oleg Ivanovich Pavkin. During this period, Pavkin O.I. was the chief accountant of the financial department. His job responsibilities included: payroll employees, preparation of annual financial statements. Occupying the specified position, Pavkin O.AND. repeatedly sent to advanced training courses, seminars to familiarize himself with the innovations in tax legislation. He coped with his studies "excellently", having mastered the skills necessary for work. During the period of work at LLC "Businessproject", he was repeatedly encouraged by diplomas and awards for high results of labor activity. He showed himself on the positive side, not conflict, sociable, friendly with colleagues. Has a number of achievements, such as: "The best accountant of the department".
• After the main part of the letter of recommendation, a place is given to indicate the reasons why the applicant left the previous job.
• The last block is intended for the employer from the previous place of work to give a subjective assessment of the professional qualities of the former employee. Here an opinion is expressed on how the applicant worked, what qualities he showed and other useful information is provided. The end of the letter is drawn up according to the following principle: “Based on the above facts, and personally evaluating the professional qualities of O. Pavkin, we note his readiness to perform similar duties at a new place of work due to his full compliance with his previous position. We wish Pavkin O.I. success and career advancement, improvement in the chosen direction and professional growth.
• The entire text of the letter of recommendation must be certified by the signature of the official who compiled it. The date of its writing is also put.

The letter of recommendation must be certified by the immediate supervisor of the employee. This may be the head of a structural unit, department, branch. To date, such powers are gradually transferred to personnel departments, due to the expansion of their powers, in particular to HR managers.

If the job seeker is a student, then the letter of recommendation must be signed by the dean, the head of the department and, in extreme cases, the rector, which is rare. In the case when a student was trained in advanced training courses or attended preparatory courses, then it is the head of the courses who is assigned the role of the compiler of the letter of recommendation, he also puts his signature on paper.

Irina Petrova was hired as a journalist for the PapaJurist.ru online publication in December 2014. Already in February 2015, she was transferred to the position of editor-in-chief of the news section, Irina Petrova worked in this position until June 2015.

For the entire period of work in the online publication, the site Irina Petrova has shown herself to be a professional journalist and editor, demonstrating the best qualities: efficiency of work, an inquisitive mind, analytical skills, instant switching from task to task, the ability to captivate readers with published materials, a broad outlook and individual style letters.

As a journalist, Petrova performed the following functions: filling the site with news, monitoring the work of correspondents and freelance correspondents. As an editor, Irina Petrova performed the following functions: stylistic and literary editing of materials, search for topics for future publications, selection of illustrations, coordination of texts with experts, moderation of comments.

Irina coped with her official duties flawlessly, as her immediate supervisor, I can safely recommend her for work in such positions.

Signature
Ivan Fomichev, editor-in-chief of the PapaJurist.ru online publication

Zabelina Natalya Nikolaevna worked at Advanced Technologies LLC under my direct supervision as an accountant from December 15, 2005 to June 2015.

Zabelina N. N. was responsible for maintaining accounting and tax records in the company, for working with primary accounting documentation, controlled mutual settlements with suppliers and buyers, prepared and submitted reports to the tax service.

Zabelina N. N. has a high level of diligence, is an absolutely non-conflict person, constantly improves her professional level, she is characterized by responsibility and attentiveness, mathematical and analytical abilities are well developed.

The personal qualities and professional skills of Zabelina N. N. make it possible to recommend her for work in the positions of an accountant, assistant chief accountant, chief accountant.

Signature
Chief Accountant of Advanced Technologies LLC
Gromova Antonina Sergeevna
Contacts: postal address, phones, e-mail
Seal. Date of.

Erokhin Sergey Fedorovich worked at ZAO "Vkusny Mir" under my leadership as a forwarding driver from September 4, 2008 to May 20, 2015.

The duties of Erokhin S. F. included: control of loading / unloading, timely delivery of food to retail outlets, catering establishments, as well as vehicle maintenance. During his work at CJSC "Vkusny Mir", Erokhin S. F. fully coped with his official duties. The cars entrusted to him were constantly kept in good technical condition and clean. He showed himself to be a responsible, accurate, reliable and non-conflict person, gained respect and authority among colleagues. Erokhin S. F. knows the technical base of cars well, is well oriented on the highways of Moscow, did not allow accidents during his work.

Erokhin S. F.'s personal qualities and professional skills make it possible to recommend him for work in the following positions: driver, freight forwarder, forwarding driver.

Signature
Director of CJSC "Vkusny Mir"
Contacts: postal address, phones, e-mail
Seal. Date of.

Nikitin Yury Dmitrievich worked in the Textile City company as a sales manager from January 2005 to July 2015 inclusive.

As a sales manager Yu. D. Nikitin was engaged in large-scale wholesale sales of textile products throughout the Russian Federation. In the process of work, he demonstrated the ability to navigate the textile market well, conducted an analysis of competitors and their range, and over ten years of work, he collected an impressive client base.

During all the years of work in the company, Nikitin Yu. D. demonstrated a desire for self-education, regularly attended courses on the ability to build a dialogue with clients, work with objections, and make presentations. Yu. D. Nikitin showed himself as an employee with a high level of self-organization, loyalty to the company, and a focus on results. Yu. D. Nikitin has a high level of communication skills, easily finds a common language with clients and employees, and is non-conflict.

Signature
Director of the Sales Department of the company "Textile City"
Contacts: postal address, phones, e-mail
Seal. Date of.

Egorova Kristina Albertovna worked at JSC BusinessConsulting under my direct supervision as a secretary from October 1, 2010 to March 1, December 2015.

The duties of Egorova K. A. included: planning the work schedule of the head, maintaining electronic document management, business correspondence, receiving and sending materials to regional offices, preparing analytical reports.

The dismissal from OJSC "BusinessConsulting" took place at the initiative of Egorova K.A. in connection with her moving to another city to a new place of residence.

I believe that Egorova Kristina Albertovna has the necessary professional skills and qualities necessary to fulfill the duties of a secretary / assistant manager in another company.

Signature.
General Director of JSC "BusinessConsulting" Evgeniy Nikiforov
Contacts: postal address, phones, e-mail
Seal. Date of.

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

When hiring, many employers require references from previous management from applicants for positions. From the point of view of legislation, such a requirement is not justified - neither in the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, nor in other legal acts, this is established, but the practice is as follows.

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

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

The purpose of such a document is to characterize a citizen as an employee (it can also be issued to students or during a period of advanced training). An employee needs recommendations to ensure the possibility of obtaining a new position, and a potential employer - 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 of business letters, otherwise he has the right to act as he sees fit. It is recommended that the registration be made on the letterhead of the employer.

The letter should not contain illegal moments, that is, all the information given in it must comply with legal norms.

The employer, when compiling a letter, fulfills the requirements:

• Business attire required. It is not allowed to use colloquial expressions, scientific terms, if they are not necessary for the analysis of a citizen, his practical skills, and so on.
• Appeal to the employee must be carried out taking into account the norms of etiquette. For example, you can use such a treatment as a colleague, employee, and also refer to "You". Friendly treatment is not allowed.
• It is not recommended to use artistic expressions, excessive turns and introductory words. The text should be as simple and concise as possible. Literary turns will only complicate the understanding of important information regarding the skills of the employee.
• 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 the documents without studying, it is difficult to control the implementation of the unspoken requirement.

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

Any recommendation letter will consist of three parts:

1. Details of the parties - both the organization in which a particular citizen worked (or the 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 position of the employee, his direct duties 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 growth of an employee during work is described, that is, a change in his professional skills, achievements, awards, bonuses, a predictable prospect. The impressions of the chief from work with the employee are important.

As a result, you can indicate the specific personal qualities of the employee, for example, write that he has shown himself to be a good, responsive colleague who goes forward and easily finds a common language or other characteristics that may be important in his subsequent professional activity.

A letter of recommendation can be more strict and contain only professional qualities, but it will be more effective if it shows the dynamics of a person, 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, it is not required to comply with forms and forms. A letter of recommendation is, in principle, not mandatory, so its form has not been developed, there is no GOST or even government recommendations.

A document is drawn up on plain paper, but it would be better to print it on the organization's letterhead, if any. At the end, the signature of the head or employee who compiled the document must be put. Can be stamped.

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

Typical mistakes when compiling a document

If the employer decided to write a letter of recommendation, then his relationship with the employee has developed, 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 mistakes in writing emails 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 relations with the team and opinions about the employee. Undoubtedly, the enumeration of personal qualities is optional, but desirable in order to draw up a more complete picture of a citizen.
• The document is drawn up by a person who did not have direct contacts with the employee and cannot characterize him properly. It is recommended to draw up a paper to the immediate supervisor of the person, for example, the foreman, the head of the department, and so on.
• Vague wording is 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 a 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 hard and fast rules.

The manager who makes the recommendation must be aware that it may differ 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 human resources department needs more developed skills in communicating with people than an accountant who works mainly with documents and numbers, respectively, the recommendation should focus on the really important points.

• The level of mastering the necessary information, studying changes in legislation, mobility in work. The accountant needs to respond quickly to practical dynamics.
• The ability to quickly adapt to changes that are introduced regularly.
• Compliance with deadlines, the absence (or a 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 an administrator's recommendation letter, it would be more useful to write:

• Ability to communicate with clients as well as colleagues. This is the initial skill, in the absence of which the administrator cannot perform his functions.
• The level of organizational work, opportunities for personnel management, property management.
• Possession of other managerial and related skills.

There can be no general template for a letter of recommendation, since for each profession it is necessary 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, advantages of a citizen are indicated, but foreign firms may focus on 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 of a foreign state, then it is recommended to make a notarized translation. The cost will be low. Most often, the English version is accepted, even in countries where the official language is different.

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

The employer can independently request recommendations from the previous supervisor. In this case, there is a chance for a bad transfer, especially if the employment relationship was terminated "with a scandal." It will not be possible to avoid the transfer of characteristics, therefore, in this case, it remains only to hope for the prudence of the previous authorities.

A letter of recommendation is a voluntary recommendation from a previous employer that characterizes an employee as a specialist and member of a team. It affects the professional qualities of a person, his personal data, abilities, directly and indirectly related to the performance of labor functions. A special form of such a letter is not provided for by law, but there are practically well-established rules that require conciseness and business style.

Good references are a huge plus for the applicant. They will set you apart from your competitors: they will confirm your qualifications, show what those who have already had the opportunity to evaluate your knowledge, skills and personal qualities think about you.

Who makes the recommendation

In small organizations with a democratic structure, a recommendation can be asked from the head of the company, in large companies - from your direct one.

The main thing is that your recommenders know you well and, on occasion, easily remember who you are and what they wrote in the letter. This is important if recruiters decide to check your recommendations and call their authors for clarification. It is better to have phone numbers (personal data) in a notebook, and agree with recommenders on the possibility of calls from potential employers (on request).

Can you be denied

To give or not to give a recommendation to an employee is the right of the employer (boss), and not his duty. The labor legislation does not regulate this issue in any way.
The best guarantee that you will get good references is a good relationship with your supervisor and colleagues.
According to MirTech director Igor Kovalev, common reasons for rejecting a recommendation are:

• The employer has nothing good to say about his employee. This happens if you performed poorly while working in this company;
• the employer simply does not want to let the employee go. For example, a company invested its resources in you, spent on an expensive training course, and you decided to go to a competitor.

In other situations, if an employee has worked in a company for two or three years and has no sins, the employer is unlikely to refuse a recommendation.

A letter of recommendation can be drawn up in any form. However, there are generally accepted norms that must be followed in order for the recommendation to make the right impression on the recruiter and employer.
Literacy. Nothing can spoil the impression of a document like mistakes.
Business style, capacity and conciseness. The text should be as informative as possible, strictly correspond to the essence of the issue and not contain vague wording. At the same time, it’s also not worth describing your virtues “in three volumes”. The maximum length of the letter is A4 sheet. Better - a little less. Plus, if the recommendation is made on the letterhead of the company.
The recommendation should contain:

• the name of the employing company;
• surname, name, patronymic and position of the recommender and, of course, his signature. It is not necessary to certify the document with the company seal;
• information about your professional skills, work experience and how successfully you coped with your tasks; listing your strong and weak personal qualities; information about how you communicated with colleagues, customers and partners; a list of your achievements, successes, etc.;
• perhaps - wishes to your potential employer on how best to use your skills and experience.

Recommendations should not include:

• negative reviews that are not supported by anything;
• personal information that is not related to work;
• inaccurate, unverified or false information. If the fraud is exposed, not only your reputation will suffer, but also your recommender.

Ivanov Ivan Ivanovich worked at MirTech under an employment contract from June 2017 to January 2018. During his work in the company, he performed his official duties at a high professional level. He is an enterprising and responsible employee, he has an excellent command of the methods of processing legal information.

Ivan Ivanovich actively participated in the preparation of draft regulatory documents of our company, carried out their qualified legal expertise, provided consulting services in the development of drafts of various financial and economic documents of the company. Prepared all the necessary materials within the specified time and in the required volume.

In non-standard situations, he proved himself to be a cold-blooded, self-possessed and enterprising specialist. He maintains friendly relations with colleagues at work.

Director of MirTech Igor Kovalev
/recommender's signature/
/date of recommendation/