How to write a letter of congratulation knowing your writing goals congratulations at work

Letter of Congratulations - Definition 

A letter of congratulations, or congratulations letter, is used in both personal and business situations. Their primary purpose is to formally congratulate a person or an organization for an outstanding achievement. 

These types of letters should be used with good judgement, only in situations for which they are truly warranted. Otherwise, they will lose their meaning. 

Note: Certain types of congratulations letters are also be referred to as "commendation letters" in some situations. To see a typical "commendation letter" sample click here. 
Sample Congratulations Letters 

The following letter of congratulations templates are real-life examples of the types of congratulations letters typically written in personal and business situations. 

Letter of Congratulations - to a friend or colleague (personal).
Congratulations Letter - to a former employee (business).

Real-Life Congratulations Letter Templates 

The thing that makes the above two congratulations letter examples different from what you will typically find online is that they are "real-life templates". In other words, they are complete, fully-formatted letters, written by professionals for actual real-life personal situations. 

These are NOT your typical fill-in-the-blanks templates. They are complete letters that one can quickly learn from and adapt to fit one's own situation. 

When you need to write a letter of congratulations, or congratulations letter, it is always helpful to have some real-life samples that show you exactly how a professional writes a letter for a similar real-world situation. 

For instant access to a letter writing style guide with more than 100 real-life templates that you can download straight into your word processor and copy, cut, paste, and use as you like, you should check out:
Instant Letter Writing Kit 
ations letter or handwritten note is always appreciated, whether you have time to send a paper card or letter or, lacking this time, a thoughtfully written email. Taking the time to send a congratulation note, whether it's for a new job, promotion, a successful venture, or simply for a job well done, is terrific for networking and relationship building. 
If you send an email, put "Congratulations from [Your Name]” in the subject line, so the recipient is sure to open your message.
Here are examples of congratulation letters and email messages for a variety of employment-related situations, such as a new job, a promotion, starting a business, retiring, accomplishments at work, and more. As you review these examples, keep in mind that they are intended to be models and think about how you can tailor and personalize the wording to reflect the specific occasion and person you are celebrating.
Congratulations Note Examples
New Job
Use these letters to congratulate a colleague or friend who has a new job or who has started his or her own business.

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  First Job Congratulations Letter
  
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  New Job Congratulations Letter
  
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  New Job Congratulations Letter for Business Associate
  
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  New Business Congratulations Letter Example
  

​Promotion 
Did someone you know just get a promotion? For most employees, promotions are hard-won and are rare enough that earning one merits applause from friends and co-workers. Here's how to enthusiastically yet tactfully congratulate a friend or colleague on moving up the career ladder.

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  Business Congratulations Letter - Promotion