At every point in our life, we need recommendations and references. May it be a new job, admission to a graduate school, or any other college, everywhere, we are supposed to submit a few letters of recommendation. Mostly, letters of recommendation are written by professors, school teachers, counselors, or previous employers. These letters of recommendation help us score our next job or admission to our dream college. So, the most important is to thank the person who wrote the letter of recommendation for you. Sending a thank you letter for the letter of recommendation is an act of courtesy. You must take out some time to send a thank you note for recommendation letters to the person who wrote the letters of recommendation for you.
A simple thank you note for recommendation letter can be a sweet gesture to show your gratitude towards the person who took out time to write the letter of recommendation. If you are a student or an employee who recently got a letter of recommendation from someone, then this article is for you. We have got some tips and tricks for you to help you write a perfect thank you note for recommendation letter. Further, we have also got some sample templates for thank you notes for letters of recommendation.
What is a Thank You Note for Recommendation Letter?
A thank you note for recommendation letter is a sincere note of thanks written to the person who wrote a letter of recommendation for you. It is a courtesy note to appreciate someone for the time they took out to write a letter of recommendation for you. A thank you note is written to show someone that you are grateful for their efforts.
This is usually a formal letter as it is written mostly to professors or previous employers or anyone else with whom you share a formal relationship. It can be sent as an email or a handwritten letter. However, a handwritten letter usually has a more personal impact. This letter can also help you maintain a cordial relationship with your referrer and help you get another letter written by him or her in the future.
When is a Thank You Note for Recommendation Letter?
A thank you note for recommendation letter is written when someone writes a thoughtful letter of recommendation for you. When someone describes your academic and professional experiences in a reference letter, you must thank them through a thank you letter. A thank you note for recommendation letter can be written at many instances, some of which are given below:
- When you request your professor to write a letter of recommendation for you while applying to colleges for higher studies, then you must thank the professor for it.
- You must write a thank you note for recommendation letter when your head at the internship wrote a letter of recommendation for you.
- In case your current employer gave you a recommendation that helped you get a job at your dream company, then you must write a thank you note.
- When you are applying for graduation at a college and your teacher writes a letter of recommendation for you, then you must thank your teacher for it.
Check out the next section for some tips and tricks on writing an effective thank you note for recommendation letter.
Tips for Writing an Effective Thank You Note for Recommendation Letter
Writing an effective thank you note for recommendation letter is not an easy task. But to help you write this thank you letter, we have got some tips for you. It is advisable to follow the basic structure of the letter while writing a thank you note for recommendation letter. Some of the basics about writing it are given below:
- You must follow the format of a formal letter while writing a thank you note for recommendation letter to your employer or professor. The format of a formal letter is given below for your reference.
Sender’s Address
Sender’s Email Address
Date
Receiver’s Name
Receiver’s Job Title
Name of the Company/ College
Address of Company/ College
Subject: Thank You Note for Letter of Recommendation
Dear ABC (Name of the Receiver),
(Body of the Letter)
Sincerely,
(Signature)
Sender’s Full Name
- You must write the thank you note for recommendation letter as soon as possible. This shows your professionalism and appreciation for the person.
- Keep the letter crisp and concise. Do not unnecessarily drag the body of the letter. Keep it brief and to the point. Only mention what is necessary to be mentioned in such a note.
- Make sure that the tone of the letter is polite and grateful. You must show your thankfulness to the person who recommended you for a position through this letter. So keep the tone of the letter positive and friendly, yet formal.
- Another tip is to always proofread your letter before sending it. check for all grammatical and spelling errors, and correct them. Proofreading the letter ensures professionalism as sending a letter full of grammatical errors is considered to be unprofessional.
- The last thing to keep in mind while writing a thank you note for recommendation letter is the usage of appropriate closing lines. As it is a formal letter, you must use such closing lines that are appropriate for a formal letter. It is advisable to use ‘Sincerely’ as the closing line for formal letters.
These were some of the tips that will help you write an effective thank you note for recommendation letter. If you do not wish to write the letter, you can use any of the samples given below and easily customize them to suit your needs and requirements.
Sample Thank You Note for Recommendation Letter
Given below are some sample templates for thank you notes for letters of recommendation. These are ready-to-use templates and can be used as it is. All you need to do is to add the name and details of the receiver and other personal details. You can take help from these templates and learn to write a thank you note for recommendation letter.
Sample #1 (Thank You Note for Recommendation Letter to Professor)
Sender’s Address
Sender’s Email Address
Date
Receiver’s Name
Receiver’s Job Title
Name of the College
Address of College
Subject: Thank You Note for Letter of Recommendation
Dear ABC (Name of the Professor),
Thank you so much for writing a letter of recommendation to support my application for graduate school. Your encouragement and support mean a lot to me. The letter of recommendation for a respected academic member like you is an advantage for me. Thanks for writing this letter for me by taking out time from your hectic schedule. I am truly grateful and privileged to have a professor and supportive mentor like you.
I wish to get selected in this business school. I will surely keep you updated about my application status.
Thank you once again for your efforts and recommendation. I am deeply grateful for your efforts.
Sincerely,
(Signature)
Sender’s Full Name
Sample #2 (Thank You Note for Recommendation Letter to Referrer)
Sender’s Address
Sender’s Email Address
Date
Receiver’s Name
Receiver’s Job Title
Name of the Company
Address of Company
Subject: Thank You Note for Letter of Recommendation
Dear ABC (Name of the Receiver),
I would like to thank and express my gratitude to you for writing a letter of recommendation for my job. I have been selected for the manager position at XYZ Consultancy. Your letter of recommendation and comments has left a valuable remark on the selection team. The letter of recommendation sent by you played an important role in my selection. Your support helped me in getting hired by such a good company.
Please allow me to take you on lunch as a token of thank you. Thank you once again for your time and effort in sending a letter of recommendation.
Sincerely,
(Signature)
Sender’s Full Name
Sample #3 (Thank You Note for Recommendation Letter to Internship Coordinator)
Sender’s Address
Sender’s Email Address
Date
Receiver’s Name
Receiver’s Job Title
Name of the Company
Address of Company
Subject: Thank You Note for Letter of Recommendation
Dear ABC (Name of the Receiver),
Thank you for allowing me to work as a social media marketing intern in your company. I have gained a lot of experience under your guidance during my two months of internship.
Everyone at your office is so helpful and I am grateful to all for giving me so much. It’s my pleasure to work under such a great and talented team. This internship helped me gain valuable knowledge and insight into my field. The internship helped me a secure job as a social media marketing manager with XYZ Consultancy in New York. The valuable time of your in writing a recommendation letter for me helped me to secure such a great offer.
Once again, thank you for your guidance. I would love to give a visit to the office and would like to thank everyone for their guidance. I am truly grateful to everyone.
Sincerely,
(Signature)
Sender’s Full Name
Sample #4 (Thank You Note for Recommendation Letter to Employer)
Sender’s Address
Sender’s Email Address
Date
Receiver’s Name
Receiver’s Job Title
Name of the Company
Address of Company
Subject: Thank You Note for Letter of Recommendation
Dear ABC (Name of the Employer),
I would like to thank you for your gentle efforts and kindness in writing a letter of recommendation for me. I am grateful to have an employer like you in past. I have learned a lot under your guidance and leadership. I feel bad to leave everyone in my home state and traveling to another place. It is my honor to work with you and your support team. I have always given high values to our relationship between employer and employee. I will surely pay a visit to everyone whenever I will be back in town.
Thank you so much for the recommendation letter you have given me. It helped me achieve a job in New York. I want to give you a million thanks once again for your strong letter of recommendation.
Sincerely,
(Signature)
Sender’s Full Name
Sample #5 (Thank You Note for Recommendation Letter to School Principal)
Sender’s Address
Sender’s Email Address
Date
Receiver’s Name
Receiver’s Job Title
Name of the School
Address of School
Subject: Thank You Note for Letter of Recommendation
Dear ABC (Name of the School Principal),
I would like to thank you for taking out your valuable time and writing a letter of recommendation for my graduate school application. With this letter, I would also like to inform you that because of your kind words in my letter of recommendation I have been selected by Oxford University for the graduate program. I truly feel your letter of recommendation played an important role in my application.
I am grateful for being your student and appreciate your efforts for your students. Thank you once again for your powerful and thoughtful recommendation letter for my college.
Sincerely,
(Signature)
Sender’s Full Name
Sample #6 (Thank You Note for Recommendation Letter After Being Accepted)
Sender’s Address
Sender’s Email Address
Date
Receiver’s Name
Receiver’s Job Title
Name of the Company
Address of Company
Subject: Thank You Note for Letter of Recommendation
Dear ABC (Name of the Receiver),
I am writing this letter to thank you for recommending me for the post of Manager for Sales and Marketing (Write the Position) at Microsoft (Name of the company). Your reference helped me get the job. I received the offer today morning, so I wanted to thank you for your efforts and constant help.
I believe the reference given by you was a significant reason that I got the offer for this position. I want to thank you again for your sincere efforts and for the thoughtful recommendation letter that you wrote.
Sincerely,
(Signature)
Sender’s Full Name
