You're sitting there staring at a blinking cursor. Someone you actually like—maybe a former intern or a colleague who worked their tail off—just asked for a favor. They need a reference. Now, the pressure is on because a poorly structured page can make even a superstar look like a total flake. Most people think it’s just about the praise, but honestly, the logistics of how to format recommendation letter documents usually dictate whether a hiring manager actually reads the thing or just tosses it in the "maybe" pile.
Structure matters. It really does.
If you mess up the margins or forget a formal header, you look unprofessional. If you look unprofessional, your candidate looks unprofessional by association. It’s a guilt-by-association game in the HR world. You want this letter to scream "authority" before the reader even gets to the first sentence.
The Boring Header That Actually Matters
First off, use a letterhead if you have one. If you’re writing this as a professor at a university like Stanford or a manager at a firm like Deloitte, use the official stationary. It adds instant gravity. If you don't have that, just stick to a standard business block format.
Put the date at the top. Use the full month name, like January 17, 2026. Don't do the 01/17/26 thing; it feels too rushed. Below that, include your contact info: name, title, company, and email. You'd be surprised how many people forget to include a phone number. Recruiters sometimes want to do a quick five-minute "gut check" call, and if they have to hunt for your digits, they might just skip it.
Then comes the recipient’s info. If you know who is hiring, address them by name. "To Whom It May Concern" is basically the "Dear Occupant" of the professional world. It’s lazy. If you can’t find a name, "Dear Hiring Committee" or "Dear [Department] Search Team" feels a lot more human.
Why Your First Paragraph Needs to Be Short
The "hook" isn't a story. It's a statement of fact. You need to establish your E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) immediately.
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State the candidate’s name and the role they are gunning for. Then—and this is the part people get wrong—explain exactly how long you’ve known them. "I’ve worked with Sarah for three years" is okay. "I supervised Sarah during her tenure as Lead Developer at TechFlow, where she reported directly to me from 2022 to 2025," is much better. It defines the power dynamic. It tells the reader that you actually know what this person is like when the "you-know-what" hits the fan.
Evidence Is Better Than Adjectives
Most recommendation letters are a graveyard of dead words. "Hardworking." "Detail-oriented." "Team player." These words mean nothing anymore. They are filler.
Instead of saying someone is a leader, describe the time they stayed until 9:00 PM to fix a server migration that went sideways. Instead of calling them "creative," mention the specific marketing campaign that saw a 12% jump in conversion rates. When you are figuring out how to format recommendation letter bodies, dedicate at least two distinct paragraphs to specific "wins."
One paragraph should focus on technical skills (hard skills). Can they code? Can they manage a P&L? The next should focus on their "soft skills" or character. Are they the person who calms everyone down during a crisis? Do they mentor the juniors? These aren't just "nice to haves." According to LinkedIn’s 2024 Global Talent Trends report, soft skills are increasingly becoming the "power skills" that decide between two equally qualified technical candidates.
The Format of the "Middle Bit"
Keep your paragraphs uneven. It sounds weird, but it helps with readability. A massive block of text is a visual nightmare.
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Write a long, meaty paragraph about a major project. Follow it with a two-sentence "punch" about their personality. This break in rhythm keeps the reader's eye moving down the page. If the recruiter's eyes glaze over, you’ve lost. You want them to feel like they are reading a story, not a legal deposition.
Mention a specific weakness, but frame it as growth. This is a pro move. If a letter is 100% sunshine and rainbows, it feels fake. Acknowledging that someone "initially struggled with public speaking but sought out training and eventually led our quarterly town halls" makes the entire letter ten times more believable. It shows you’re a credible witness, not just a friend doing a solid.
Closing the Deal
Your final paragraph needs to be a "hard sell." Don't just say "I recommend them." Say "I would rehire Sarah in a heartbeat if the opportunity arose." That one sentence carries more weight than three pages of fluff. It’s the ultimate endorsement.
Provide a clear invitation for follow-up. "Please feel free to reach out via my cell or email if you want to discuss Sarah’s specific contributions to our Q3 roadmap." It shows you’re willing to put your own reputation on the line for this person.
The Technical Specs (Don't Skip This)
Let’s talk about the "look" of the page.
- Font: Stick to the classics. Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman. Don’t try to be "designer-y" with a thin sans-serif that’s hard to read on a phone screen.
- Size: 10 to 12 point. Anything smaller is an eye-strain; anything larger looks like a child’s book.
- Margins: Standard one-inch margins. It gives the text room to breathe.
- File Type: Always, always save as a PDF. If you send a Word doc, the formatting might break, or the recipient might see your "Track Changes" or those little red squiggly lines under names. A PDF is a locked, professional "final" version.
Actionable Steps for a Perfect Recommendation
If you’re ready to write, here is exactly how to move forward without wasting four hours on a draft.
Ask the candidate for their "Brag Sheet." Don't rely on your memory. Ask them to send you three specific achievements they want you to highlight. This ensures your letter aligns with the narrative they are telling in their interview. If they say they are a "turnaround specialist," and you write about how "nice" they are, it creates a disconnect.
Use the "STAR" Method in prose. Situation, Task, Action, Result. You don't need to label them, but the story should follow that path. "We were losing 10% of our subscribers (Situation). James had to overhaul the retention flow (Task). He implemented an A/B testing framework (Action), which resulted in a 5% recovery of lost revenue (Result)." That is a "hireable" sentence.
Keep it to one page. Unless you are writing for a high-level academic tenure position or a C-suite role, two pages is too much. Brevity is a sign of confidence. If you can't prove someone is great in 400-500 words, more words won't help.
Verify the submission method. Some companies use an automated portal like Workday or Greenhouse. Others want an email. If it’s an email, make the subject line clear: Recommendation for [Name] - [Job Title]. It helps the recruiter find it in an inbox overflowing with junk.
Writing a letter of recommendation is a significant responsibility. You're essentially acting as a bridge between someone’s past performance and their future career. By focusing on a clean, professional format and backing up your claims with hard evidence, you provide the candidate with a tool that can actually open doors.
Avoid the temptation to use templates that sound like a robot wrote them. A bit of "kinda" or "honestly" (where appropriate) or just a genuine, conversational tone makes the letter feel like it came from a human being. In a world where AI is flooding every inbox, a genuine, well-formatted, and specific letter stands out like a beacon of truth. Stick to the facts, keep the formatting tight, and focus on the results. That is how you get someone hired.