Recommendation Letter: Writing Good Letters That Will Get You Your Desired Job
If most managers 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.
Not only must your letter be professional and polished, it has to be convincing. Fancy letters that don’t convince are no use. You need to know how to hit your prospect’s hot buttons to sell your way into your first interview.
Here’s one thing that is a source of frustration to many job applicants: Recommendation letters are even more difficult to write than any of the other stuff they are required to do on the job! They didn’t need exceptional writing skills for the job itself, but they needed to write exceptionally to get hired 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.
Never undermine the importance of being able to write well. 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 should you do if you have a recommendation letter that was written with a clear opportunity in mind, but doesn’t really help the next?
SOLUTION: Come up with a new one.
People have this concept that a recommendation letter is pretty much a general letter addressed to the person who does the hiring. This letter says good things about the applicant and he can use this in every job that he’d like to apply for.
Well, those happy days are over. The most effective job applicants fashion their letters in a way that will help get them the job they’re applying for. With the advent of technology, you can use a computer now to customize your letter easily.
People do it because it’s very easy! You can bet that there are people out there who are competing with you who will tailor their message just as I’m describing. At the present, the number is only relatively small, but you can be sure that it is growing.
Why? Simply because it works. (Competition really gives people crazy ideas.)
For more information, including tips, samples, and templates, please check out our website: Recommendation Letter
Posted on: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 at 3:33 pm 
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