What To Include When Recommending A Former Employee

Context matters as much as praise: how long you worked together, in what capacity, and how recently. A recommendation from someone who worked closely with the person last year carries more weight than one from a distant manager five years ago.

If there's a gap between when you worked together and now, it's worth acknowledging directly rather than letting the reader wonder. "I supervised Jordan for two years, most recently ending in 2023" is more credible than staying vague about timing.

Specific, verifiable claims outperform general enthusiasm. Where possible, reference an actual outcome — a project shipped, a target hit — rather than only character traits.

If your relationship with the person has changed since — a difficult parting, a falling out — it's worth being honest with yourself about whether you're the right person to write the letter at all, rather than writing something that reads as strained.

A short closing line about how you'd feel working with them again carries surprising weight. "I'd hire them again without hesitation" is a small sentence that does a lot of the letter's real work.