Q&A for How to Write a Letter of Recommendation

"To whom it may concern," or "Dear Sir or Madam,".

Yes, as long as you state how you know the person in the letter. You should also include the reasons why you feel qualified to recommend the person (such as, you may have known them for years, you have professional experience in the position they are seeking etc).

I don't see why not, as long as you believe your coworker is worthy of a recommendation. Your employer shouldn't have a problem with this, and it's really none of their business anyway.

When writing a recommendation for a student, it is best to talk about the student's qualities and back them up with specific examples. Referrio is a great site to help you get professional recommendations.

Yes, while typed recommendations have a professional appearance, letters that are handwritten show sincerity and dedication. Both are acceptable.

If you have a scanner, put the letter in there and scan it. Make sure that it is connected to the computer and it is going to the right place. Once you do that, type up that email and attach the scanned letter to the email. You can also compose the letter using a word processor and then send it as an attachment.

Leave some space in between your closing ("Sincerely," "Best," etc.) and the printing of your name, and sign it in that space.

You don't need to design a letterhead for a recommendation letter, just use your name, address and postal code.

When addressing a letter “To Whom It May Concern,” the entire phrase is capitalized, followed by a colon. Leave a space in between the salutation and the beginning of the body of your letter.

Choose any basic, businesslike font. Sans serif tends to be easier to read on computer screens. Don't use anything outlandish. It's important for what you're saying to stand out, not the letters themselves.

In a formal business letter formatted to be printed out on paper or to PDF, it's customary to put your address at the top. If the entire exchange is happening by email, a mailing address is not as necessary. In email, you could put your address below your signature or offer your email and phone number as contact information, instead. (The recipient's postal address is not necessary, especially if you're not mailing it.)

Yes, your sentence is perfect, with proper use of the phrase, "without reservation". It means you have no hesitancy or second-guessing about the claims you've made about the person.

Include the work address and either the office phone number with your personal or department extension, or if you are comfortable, you could put your personal number (or both).

In this situation it sounds like you would state all your roles/ responsibilities/ achievements at the company you worked at where your reference was your manager. Their signature at the end would be verifying that the information you provided was true and correct. A reference letter directly written by them would probably be more beneficial, but in this case they simply may not have the time. Explain this to your new employer when you provide this letter of recommendation - it still has their signature so it will probably be accepted, but have another reference ready in case it isn't.