Recommendation letter for employee template
Copy the text below and replace everything in square brackets with your company details.
[Company Name]
[Office Address]
[City], [State] [PIN Code]
Date: [Date]
Ref: [Company Code]/REF/[Year]/[Number]
To
[Recipient Name or: The Admissions Committee / The Hiring Manager]
[Organization or University Name]
[Address]
Subject: Recommendation for [Employee Name]
Dear [Recipient Name or: Sir or Madam],
I am pleased to recommend [Employee Name] for [the position of Role / admission to the Programme Name / the Scholarship Name]. I am [Your Designation] at [Company Name], and [Employee Name] reported to me as [Employee Designation] from [Start Date] to [End Date, or: the present]. In that time I worked with [him or her] closely on [nature of work, for example: the monthly close, vendor audits and the migration of our payroll to a new system].
[He or she] stands out in three areas:
- [Strength 1 with an example, for example: Analytical accuracy. She rebuilt our vendor reconciliation and found duplicate payments across two years that we recovered in full.]
- [Strength 2 with an example, for example: Ownership. During the payroll migration, he stayed with the testing until every one of 600 payslips matched the old system.]
- [Strength 3 with an example, for example: Working with people. Branch accountants who were new to the process consistently asked for her by name.]
[Optional, for balance: Like everyone, Employee Name has areas to grow in; in [his or her] case, [area, for example: presenting to senior leadership], where [he or she] has made steady progress through [example].]
I recommend [him or her] [strongly / without reservation] for [the role or programme]. I am happy to answer any questions and can be reached at [Phone Number] or [Email Address].
Yours sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Designation]
[Company Name]
Signature: ____________
Issued at the employee's request
I requested this letter and consent to it being shared with the recipient named above.
Name: [Employee Name]
Signature: ____________
Date: ____________
What to include
Your relationship to the employee
State your designation, how long you worked with the person and in what capacity. The reader weighs the letter by how well the writer knows the employee's work.
Specific examples
Back each strength with a concrete example. Admissions panels and hiring managers read many letters, and examples are what make one credible and memorable.
Fit to the purpose
Tailor the strengths to the job or programme applied for: analytical work for a finance role, leadership for a management programme. Ask the employee for the details first.
Honesty and balance
Write only what you believe and can support. A brief, honest note on an area of growth can make the praise more believable. If you cannot recommend the person, decline politely.
Reachable contact details
Give a phone number and email so the reader can verify the letter. Many recipients call referees, and an unreachable referee weakens the application.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Writing a letter full of adjectives with no examples.
- Agreeing to write for someone whose work you do not know well.
- Letting the employee draft it entirely and signing without editing.
- Including salary or confidential company information.
- Using the same letter for a job, a university and a visa without changes.
Run it in ZeniaHR
A recommendation letter is a personal assessment written by the manager, so ZeniaHR does not produce it. What ZeniaHR can do is help the writer recall the facts: the employee's designation and dates from the employee record, goals recorded in Performance review cycles, and badges and praise received over time. If the company files a copy, it goes into the employee's documents.
See it on your own data
A 30-minute demo on a video call. We set up your departments, shifts and leave rules and show attendance, leave and payroll running for your team. Free for your first 50 employees.
Book a free demoSee pricingFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between a recommendation letter and an experience letter?
An experience letter is issued by HR and states facts from company records: dates, designations and responsibilities. A recommendation letter is a personal assessment by a manager or colleague who knows the person's work, with examples of strengths, written to support a specific application.
Who should write a recommendation letter for an employee?
Someone who has supervised or worked closely with the employee for a reasonable period, usually the reporting manager or a senior colleague. The more directly the writer has seen the work, the more weight the letter carries. A senior title without real knowledge of the person adds little.
Can a company refuse to give a recommendation letter?
Yes. A recommendation is voluntary, and some companies allow only HR to confirm facts such as dates and designation. A manager who does not know the person's work well, or cannot recommend them honestly, should decline politely rather than write a weak letter.
How long should a recommendation letter be?
One page is usually enough: a short introduction of the writer and relationship, two or three strengths with examples, a clear recommendation and contact details. Universities sometimes ask for more detail or a fixed form, so follow their instructions.