Sample LOR (Recommendation Letter) from an Employer

An impressive Recommendation Letter from employer can make a big difference in your application for a higher education program abroad. This letter which is written as recommendation by your employer can provide an unbiased assessment of your abilities, accomplishments, and character.

A Letter of Recommendation from work can clearly state a candidate’s qualifications and preparedness for the next phase of their study or profession. It provides evidence of your effectiveness in a work environment by outlining your duties, successes, and the influence you have had on the company.

Most MBA programs typically need a form-based letter of recommendation (LOR), in which the recommender must fill out standard questions about the candidate (sometimes with word or character limits). However, sometimes universities also ask simply for a letter of recommendation from employer. This is as per the standard one-page LOR format, similar to the Academic LOR format.

The difference is more in the content than in the basic structure, word limit or formatting. Much like any LOR, a professional letter style is also divided into four to five small paragraphs of about 100 words each. Here is a paragraph-by-paragraph description of how the recommendation letters (LORs) be prepared when they are to be submitted by a supervisor or an employer.

Recommendation Letter from Employer Format

In the first paragraph of your LOR, provide the following details (of the recommender) - designation, department and organization name, city. Together with the years or duration of your affiliation with the recommender, mention the capacity in which they have been associated with you. Mention your designation and department in the organization. Write about your role and responsibilities that impressed this recommender. Recommender must compare your abilities with other employees supervised by him.

In the second paragraph, recommender must highlight one of your professional accomplishments, unique traits, or skill set. For example, quantify your contribution to process cost reduction and showcase it as an accomplishment. Ask the recommender to include any words of appreciation you may have received from clients.

The third paragraph of the reference letter from employer can be focused upon your ability to lead your team to success or manage a team. Recommender must emphasize on your leadership abilities with the help of an instance in a professional setting. This is very important.

In the fourth paragraph, recommender can include any other specific trait related to the program you are applying for. He/she can mention about your projects, seminars, and/or workshops (along with your involvement in them. Request him to mention a specific statement of the aspect of these engagements that impressed the recommender. The recommender may also include any examples in this paragraph of how you implemented a theoretical idea in a way that pleased them. Moreover, the recommender can include information about any academic or research-related activities you took part in. Your research interests and aptitude/capability for research work may also be discussed by the recommender.

The fifth and final paragraph is where the recommender will conclude the recommendation letter by stating why he/she considers you deserving for the admission or a particular position. He should present his final thoughts about how you will be able to do well in your future endeavours. The recommendation should be favourable, and the applicant should have the unwavering support of the recommender.

Lastly, a signatory close will include the recommender’s full name, designation, department, organization, and contact information. Email provision is essentially required. 

How to Choose a Recommender for Professional LOR

A Letter of Recommendation (LOR) from employer is very important when you apply to study or work abroad. It can make or break your chances of getting admission. When you choose your recommender, don’t just go for someone who has a big title or is from top management. It’s better to pick a person who has directly worked with you and knows your work style and skills.

The person should know your strengths and be able to give real examples of your work and behavior. Your recommender must confirm your experience, performance, and abilities with honest details. Choose someone who can talk about your leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. They can also mention if you did any special project or achievement in your job.

A good professional LOR is not just about what job you did. It also shows how you have improved, how serious you are about your career, and how ready you are for new challenges. Picking the right recommender for LOR helps your application look strong and gives a good impression to the university or employer.

How to prepare an Effective LOR from an employer

Following tips can certainly help you in the task:

• You must choose your recommender wisely as it should be written by someone who has closely observed your work and can vouch for it.
• Approaching the recommender well in time is highly important as recommender might not be able to cater to your last minute request.
• Start preparing the LOR much before the deadline so that you can have enough time to collaborate with the recommender, proof read or rework, in needed.
• Applicants need to remember that the recommender's relationship to the applicant must be made explicit in the letter of recommendation.
• Reference letter from employer must not contain general details; specific traits must be substantiated with the help of examples.
• As LOR is a formal document, the language, presentation, and tone should be formal.
• You must check university application to check regarding any specific guidelines for recommendation letter from employer.

Sample Recommendation Letter from Employer

This letter is intended to support the candidature of ABC for Master’s program at your esteemed university. As an Assistant Manager Administration, I have known ABC for almost eight months as she is working at the designation of Executive Administration. Being the main reporting person for her, I was able to observe her expertise in handling all the Quality Management System documents. Not only she possesses vast subject knowledge on the work-related activities, but her quick decision-making ability for the effective execution of the activity impresses me a lot.

ABC’s foresightedness and innovative approach have been quite beneficial for our organization. Her idea of using permanent labels for the shop floor utilities is one of the best ideas as previously we were using the disposable labels for the utilities like containers which are used to prepare the disinfectant solution. Since the permanent labels are one-time investment, they have reduced our cost reduction at marginal levels compared to annual cost of disposable labels.

Leadership is another forte of ABC who handled the team of housekeeping in the organization very well and had faced audits alone. She keeps her team immensely motivated, owing to which the attrition in the team has been reduced to remarkable level. I vividly remember how during audits, she handled the team by allotting different tasks to the people who are good in their own areas and supervising the same for the correct execution. As expected, in the last audit we got very less observations which is highly commendable.

ABC is quite an inquisitive person who is ever ready to seek more knowledge by attending seminars on subject topic which includes the core areas on which she is working along with the personal skills like decision making, problem solving, effective communication, and interpersonal skills. Another thing which I find quite impressive in Sunitha is her willingness to go beyond the ambit of her regular duties. She actively participates in the activity of arranging everything for the guests like for global meet, visitors etc., as our department’s main goal is to administer activities which includes smooth running of the organization.

ABC is hard working and punctual. Her positive approach towards solving the problems and her commitment towards work makes her a valuable addition to our organization. Seeing her exquisite performance in all the areas of her work, I believe she can be a successful manager and an entrepreneur in future. Thus, I whole heartedly recommend her as she will be a deserving candidate for an MBA program at your prestigious university.

*Please note that this recommendation letter is only for your reference and it should not be copied