Ending Your Letter of Recommendation

• 1). Review the major points in your letter, being sure to list those stellar personality traits and skills you'd most like the recipient to remember. To avoid sounding repetitious, try using synonyms
  
  
• 2). Be sure to use the candidate's first and last name in the reaffirmation to leave the recipient thinking about him. For example, your final sentence might say, "In conclusion, Steve Mayer's brilliant insight, one-of-a-kind work ethic, and engaging people skills make him a candidate worthy of your most thorough consideration."
  
  
• 3). Invite the recipient to contact you in order to talk further about the candidate. As thorough and effective as your letter is, there are bound to be other aspects of the candidate about which the employer may want to inquire. By inviting such follow-up contact, you solidify your commitment to stand behind all that you've written while also giving the recipient the assurance that this letter is legitimate and easy to verify. You might write, "If you have any questions about Steve or would like to discuss his suitability for your position, please feel free to contact me."
  
  
• 4). Provide the recipient with two or three specific avenues for reaching you. Your email address and your business phone number will suffice. If you want to doubly reaffirm your belief in the candidate, you could even offer your personal cell-phone number.
  
  
• 5). Choose your preferred closing word or phrase. "Sincerely," "faithfully" or "with high hopes" are a few options. You must consider the tone you are going for in this selection. Words like "cordially" convey a certain informality and equality, while a word like "gratefully" offers more respect. Generally speaking, a more formal tone throughout a letter of recommendation is most appropriate.