Recommendation letter - an outdated approach to candidate evaluation?

Today, more and more employers are reconsidering their approaches to hiring, as digitalisation, technology and changing business priorities allow for a new and better way of assessing candidates. So, do you need to prepare a letter of recommendation when you start your job search? Let's try to find out.

What is a letter of recommendation?

A letter of recommendation is a letter from a professional contact in your network, past or present, who recommends you for a job or position. This letter attests that you have the necessary skills, positive behaviour and potential to succeed in the position you are applying for. The person who provides the recommendation is called a referee. A letter of recommendation for employment is usually written by a former employer or supervisor, but references can also be requested from colleagues, customers and suppliers.

Letters of recommendation remain an important tool in the labour market, but their relevance often depends on the industry and the specific position. While many companies have switched to modern methods of assessing candidates, some still consider letters of recommendation to be an important element in the hiring process.

For which industries are letters of recommendation still relevant

1. Areas with a high level of trust:

Medicine: In the medical field, where responsibility for people's health and lives is high, letters of recommendation remain important as they confirm the professional qualifications and ethical qualities of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals.

Education: In the field of education, letters of recommendation are a way of confirming pedagogical abilities and experience with children.

Law and legal services: For lawyers and attorneys, letters of recommendation are a confirmation of a good reputation and professional achievements.

Research: In academia, letters of recommendation help to confirm academic achievements, participation in research projects and the ability to work in a team. They are often a requirement when applying for research grants or postgraduate programmes.

Financial sector: In banking and finance, requests for letters of recommendation are not uncommon, as they reinforce an employee's credibility, ability to handle confidential information, and high standards of ethics.

Human resource management: For HR professionals, letters of recommendation help to confirm their skills in conflict resolution, personnel management and corporate culture.

2. Beginners and students:

Young professionals who are just starting out in their career can use letters of recommendation from teachers or previous employers to prove their competence and motivation.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of recommendation letters

Letters of recommendation have their advantages and disadvantages. They can serve as an important tool to prove your skills and qualities, but they can also be subjective and difficult to read. Let's take a closer look at the pros and cons.

Advantages:

1. Confirmation of professional qualities

A letter of recommendation provides an employer with an opportunity to learn more about your professional achievements and qualifications in order to assess your ability to cope with the tasks of a new position. This is especially important for positions requiring high qualifications and experience.

2. Building trust

A letter of recommendation can significantly increase the level of trust a manager has in you as a potential employee. The employer sees that previous colleagues or supervisors confirm your reliability and professional skills, which is especially valuable in such industries as medicine, law, or education.

3. Indication of personal qualities

Letters of recommendation also include information about personal qualities that are difficult to convey on a CV. For example, leadership, teamwork, responsibility, and other important characteristics. This allows the employer to get a more complete picture of you as a professional.

Disadvantages of recommendation letters

Along with their many advantages, letters of recommendation still have a number of disadvantages, including:

1. Subjectivity

The nature of letters of recommendation often directly depends on personal relationships with previous employers or colleagues, not just professional ones. Therefore, if the referee is biased, the letter of recommendation will not objectively reflect the candidate's professional qualities. A negative or poorly written letter may spoil the impression of the candidate, even if he or she has a high professional level.

2. Difficulties in obtaining

Obtaining a letter of recommendation is not always easy, especially if you have worked at several jobs, have difficult relationships, or do not keep in touch with previous employers. For freelancers or those who have worked for themselves, obtaining references can be particularly challenging.

3. Superficiality and templates

Some letters of recommendation may be written in a template or superficially, which reduces their value. Such letters do not reflect the real picture of the candidate and his or her professional qualities and, on the contrary, may reduce the chances of receiving an offer.

4. Irrelevance

For such industries as IT, technology, design, media buying, marketing, and others, letters of recommendation are relics of the past, as portfolio analysis, networking, referrals, and test tasks allow for a better assessment of a candidate's qualifications.

5. Difficulty of verification

Sometimes it is quite difficult to verify the authenticity of a letter of recommendation, especially if it is drawn up by a little-known organisation.

Alternative methods of candidate assessment

As the letter of recommendation is no longer the main tool for assessing candidates' qualifications, employers are looking for more efficient and faster ways to select relevant candidates. Among them:

1. Resumes and portfolios

Analysing a resume and evaluating a portfolio of specific examples of a candidate's work and achievements allows you to quickly assess the candidate's professional level and experience.

2. Interviews and test tasks

Many companies use interviews not only to assess personal qualities but also to test professional skills. And various types of test tasks help to determine how ready the candidate is to perform the tasks that he or she will be dealing with in the position.

3. Social media profile

A candidate's profile in professional networks, such as LinkedIn, allows you to get an idea of their career path, achievements, skills and recommendations from colleagues and becomes one of the main sources of information about the candidate.

Conclusion

Today, it is quite possible to get a job without a letter of recommendation, especially if you have a good CV, a high-quality portfolio of work, significant work experience or a strong social media profile. That's why it's better to focus on building a professional CV and a high-quality portfolio of work, as these are the first documents you provide to an employer that have real value. And you can ask for references when you need them.

Modern employers are increasingly paying attention to the real skills and achievements of candidates, not just references. However, in companies with a traditional approach to recruitment and for positions with a high level of responsibility, letters of recommendation can still play an important role in the hiring process, or they can be replaced by direct contact with the candidate's previous employers.