# Recommendation Letter for a Coworker: Format and Examples > Write a one-page recommendation letter for a coworker: what each paragraph does, a sample letter, lines by role, what to cut and when to ask HR first. Source: https://hidengpt.com/write/recommendation-letter-for-coworker # A coworker asked me to write a recommendation letter for a job they're applying for. Ask what the job is and who will read the letter, then write one page: how you know them, two specific examples tied to that job, a plain recommendation and your contact details. HidenGPT's Anything format turns your notes into a letter of about 300 words, written as you, with placeholders where a fact is missing. Updated October 10, 2026 · by the HidenGPT team Try it with your own details Enter to send · Shift+Enter for a new line ## How to do it in HidenGPT - 01 Ask your coworker for the job posting, the name and title of the person the letter is for, the deadline, how it should be sent and the two things they most want you to cover. - 02 Check whether your employer has a policy on references before you use company letterhead or sign with your job title, because some route every reference through HR. - 03 Pick Anything under “Use it for”; this page sets Length to Enter a word count with 300 and Tone to Professional, so write your notes in the main box, including the job they are applying for. - 04 Read the draft against your notes, fill or delete every placeholder, and cut any claim you could not repeat if the hiring manager phoned you about it. - 05 Add the date, your contact details and your signature, save it as a PDF and send it the way the employer asked, or give it to your coworker to upload. [Anything](https://hidengpt.com/tools/freeform): Describe what you need; it works out the format and writes it. ## What goes in a one-page letter, paragraph by paragraph A recommendation letter is private and written for one reader, usually the hiring manager for one job. That changes everything about it compared with a public endorsement: you can be specific about the role, you sign it, and you invite a follow-up call. At the top, put your name, job title, company and contact details, then the date, then the recipient's name, title and company. Open with “Dear Ms. Alvarez” when you have a name, “Dear Hiring Manager” when you know the job but not the person, and “To whom it may concern” only for a general letter your coworker will reuse. The body is four or five short paragraphs. The word counts are a rule of thumb, not a requirement. 1. Who you are, 35 to 60 words: your title, how you know them, for how long, and the job you are recommending them for. 2. The first example, 60 to 100 words: the requirement in the job posting they meet best, shown through something you saw them do. 3. The second example, 50 to 90 words: a different strength, so the letter is not one story told twice. 4. How they work with others, 20 to 50 words, if you have something real to say. 5. The recommendation and an offer to talk, 20 to 40 words, with your phone or email. That comes to roughly 200 to 350 words, which fits on one page with room for the signature. Sign off with “Sincerely” and your typed name, and add a handwritten or scanned signature if the letter goes as a PDF. ## A sample letter, with the word counts This is the example request above, written out. The body runs 201 words, the compact end of the range. Names and figures are made up. “Dear Ms. Alvarez, I am a senior accountant at [Company], and for the past four years I have worked alongside Marcus Bell on the same five-person accounting team. I am writing to recommend him for the senior accountant position at your company.” (39 words) “Your posting asks for someone who can tighten a month-end close, and that is the work I have watched Marcus do best. In 2024 he rebuilt our close checklist from scratch: he mapped every task, removed the steps nobody used and set a deadline for each day. Our close went from nine working days to five, and it has stayed at five since.” (63 words) “He is also careful in a way that saves money. In March 2025 he caught a duplicate vendor payment of $18,400 the day before it was due to go out. He traced it to a data-entry error and set up the check in our payables system that now flags duplicates.” (50 words) “New staff learn reconciliations from Marcus. He is patient, he writes his steps down, and two of the people he trained now run their own accounts.” (26 words) “I recommend Marcus for this role. If you would like to talk about his work, you can reach me at [phone] or [email]. Sincerely, [Your name]” (23 words) The first example answers the posting directly. The second shows a different strength. Neither paragraph needs an adjective, because the numbers do the work. ## Lines by role: the sentence that carries the letter Every good letter has one sentence a hiring manager remembers. It names a moment, what your coworker did and what happened next. Here is that sentence for a few common jobs; all of them are made up. Nurse: “On a night when two of us called in sick, Jasmine took six patients on the step-down unit and still caught a medication order that did not match the chart.” Software developer: “Ravi wrote the migration plan that moved our customer database to a new server with 40 minutes of downtime, against the six hours we had budgeted.” Retail shift lead: “When our store lost its assistant manager in November, Kayla ran the closing shift five nights a week through the holidays, and our register counts balanced every night.” Administrative assistant: “Beth keeps the calendars of four directors, and in the three years I have sat next to her, the boardroom has never been double-booked.” Customer service: “Luis takes about 60 calls a day, and he is the one we transfer the angry callers to, because he gets them to a fix without promising what we cannot deliver.” Teacher, written by a colleague: “When our school switched reading programs, Ms. Okafor ran the after-school training for 14 of us and wrote the lesson guides the department still uses.” Warehouse supervisor: “In the two years Sam ran our receiving dock, mis-shipped pallets fell from about 12 a month to 2.” A character reference, for a rental application or a volunteer role: “I have worked with Grace for five years and she also runs our team's food bank shifts; she has turned up early for every one I have seen, and she keeps the sign-up sheet honest.” A character reference speaks to reliability and how someone treats people, so one observed habit is worth more than a list of virtues. ## What to cut, and when to ask HR first Cut these from any draft: - Ceremonial openings such as “It is with great pleasure that I recommend”. Say who you are and what you are recommending them for. - A description of their duties in place of results. “Responsible for reconciliations” says what the job was; “two of the people he trained now run their own accounts” says how well it was done. - Adjectives with no evidence attached: “hard-working”, “dedicated”, “a true asset”. - Superlatives you cannot back up, such as “the best accountant I have ever met”. - Their salary, why they are leaving, and anything about age, health, family, religion or nationality. - Confidential details: client names, internal figures, anything under a confidentiality agreement. Before: “Marcus is a dedicated and detail-oriented professional who is responsible for many important tasks and is a true asset to our team.” After: “In March 2025 he caught a duplicate vendor payment of $18,400 the day before it was due to go out.” Then the question people forget. Some employers have a reference policy: references may have to go through HR, or staff may be asked not to give references in the company's name. If you are unsure whether you can write on letterhead or sign with your job title, ask HR before you send anything. A letter about a coworker's work also carries your name, so write only what you would repeat on the phone. ## Not the right tool if - A character reference for a court case, an immigration application or a custody matter. Those have their own requirements; ask the lawyer or adviser handling the case what the letter must contain. - A reference your employer's policy says must come from HR. Ask HR first and follow the policy. - A coworker whose work you do not know well. The draft uses only your notes, and without real examples it comes out generic. ## Other ways to do it Writing it yourself from the paragraph plan above About thirty minutes if your two examples are ready, and every word is yours. The sample letter works as a model. Your company's HR reference process The right route when your employer has a policy on references. HR can usually confirm dates and job title even where personal letters are discouraged. ChatGPT or another chatbot Quick, but expect “It is with great pleasure” openings and adjectives in place of examples, and check every detail it adds. ## Questions ### How do I write a recommendation letter for a coworker? Say who you are and how you know them, give two specific examples tied to the job they want, recommend them plainly and offer your contact details. One page, roughly 200 to 350 words, is the usual length. ### What is the difference between a recommendation letter and a LinkedIn recommendation? A letter is private, about a page long, written for one application and signed with your contact details. A LinkedIn recommendation is public, usually 80 to 200 words, and stays on their profile for anyone in their network to read. ### Is a reference letter the same as a recommendation letter? Most employers use the two terms for the same thing. Where people draw a line, a recommendation is written for one specific job and a reference letter is more general, often addressed “To whom it may concern”. ### How do I write a character reference letter for a coworker? Focus on what they are like to depend on: honesty, reliability and how they treat people, with one example you saw yourself. Say how long you have known them and in what setting. For a court, immigration or custody matter, ask the lawyer handling the case what the letter needs. ### Can I write a recommendation letter if I wasn't their manager? Yes. A peer sees things a manager often does not, such as how someone handles a shared deadline or whether they help when it is not their job. Say plainly that you worked alongside them, and for how long. ### Should I send the letter to the employer or to my coworker? Do what the employer asked. Some want the letter straight from the writer, often by email as a PDF; others let the candidate upload it. If nobody has said, ask your coworker. ### Can I send it as an email instead of a letter? Yes. If the hiring manager asked you to reply by email, HidenGPT's Email format, set to Business email and Long (250 to 600 words), writes it with a subject line. Or paste the letter into the body of your email and attach the signed PDF. ### Can I try it before I pay? Yes. You can try 2 drafts a day on the homepage without an account, which is enough for one letter and a second attempt. Saved history and your own voice need a plan; Pro is $3 for the first month. ## Related - [A colleague asked me for a LinkedIn recommendation and I don't know what to write.](https://hidengpt.com/write/linkedin-recommendation-for-a-colleague) - [I need to ask my professor for a recommendation letter by email.](https://hidengpt.com/write/email-professor-for-recommendation-letter) - [I need a cover letter that sounds like me, not like ChatGPT wrote it.](https://hidengpt.com/write/cover-letter-that-doesnt-sound-like-ai) - [I need a thank-you email after my interview that doesn't sound copied.](https://hidengpt.com/write/thank-you-email-after-interview) - [I want to resign politely without explaining myself.](https://hidengpt.com/write/resignation-letter-without-explaining) - [Does my writing sound like AI?](https://hidengpt.com/tools/ai-cliche-checker) - [Essays, homework and everyday writing that sounds like you](https://hidengpt.com/write) [Prefer HidenGPT on Google](https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=hidengpt.com)