Sample Recommendation Letter for a Summer Worker

Writing a Letter of Recommendation for Internship or Summer Worker

Japanese student to browse the job information
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Have you supervised a summer worker or intern who has requested a reference from you after their seasonal position has ended? When you're writing a reference for a summer employee or an intern, you will include many of the same points and details as you would for any other recommendation. That includes highlighting what made the employee helpful during their time with you, and, if possible, customizing the recommendation to a specific position.

What to Include in the Letter

In your letter of reference, describe the job responsibilities, contributions, and accomplishments the person held during your association, and why you are happy to provide a recommendation. Mention the time frame of your acquaintance as well. Ask the person you are writing the recommendation for to describe the job or type of job they're applying to so that you can highlight the qualifications and hard and soft skills, including examples, that will be the most helpful in capturing a hiring manager’s attention.

When writing a recommendation letter for a summer worker applying to a specific job, use a formal business letter format, and the name of the hiring manager, if you know it. If the person isn’t applying to a specific position and instead needs a reference to keep on file, you can leave off the business heading, but you should include your name, title, and contact information at the end.

If you are sending the recommendation via email, indicate it's a recommendation along with the worker's name in the subject line. For example, sending an email recommendation for a summer worker named "Jane Doe," the subject line should read: “Recommendation - Jane Doe.” Use the hiring manager’s name if you have it, and include your name, title, and contact information after your closing.

Recommendation Letter Sample for a Summer Worker

The following is a sample recommendation letter written by an employer for a current or past summer employee. Download the recommendation letter template (compatible with Google Docs and Word Online) or see below for more examples.

Screenshot of a sample recommendation letter for a summer worker
 The Balance

Recommendation Letter Sample for a Summer Worker (Text Version)

Carter Smith
123 Main Street
Anytown, CA 12345
555-555-5555
carter.smith@email.com

September 1, 2018

Emma Lee
Director, Human Resources
Acme Corporation
123 Business Rd.
Business City, NY 54321

Dear Ms. Rodriguez,

Meredith Jones worked in the Career Office at Acme College under my supervision during the summer of 2018. During that time, I developed a very high regard for Meredith based on the outstanding contributions that she made to our office throughout the summer.

In fact, Meredith has been the most productive summer staff member that the office has employed during my 20-year tenure as Director of Career Services. Ms. Jones exhibited a rare combination of speed and accuracy that has enabled her to produce a very high volume of work while maintaining excellent standards for quality.

Meredith is an organizational whiz who can work on multi-layered tasks and balance multiple projects concurrently. Meredith's upbeat demeanor and can-do attitude brightened the office and made her a very low maintenance employee. Her strong human relations skills enabled her to interface very effectively with many different constituencies including alumni, students, and employers. Meredith's strong verbal and written communications skills allowed her to relay information in a clear and coherent manner.

Meredith is a naturally caring person who loves to help and encourage others; she consistently demonstrated a solid service orientation towards our clients.

As you can tell by now, I am quite impressed with this outstanding young woman and give her my strongest recommendation for roles that require intelligence, organization, communication skills, service, and a positive attitude.

Please feel free to contact me if you need additional information or perspective.

Sincerely,

Carter Smith

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