On 5/6/07, kota wrote:

Congrats! Glad to see you got the scholarship you deserve.
When will you post a how-to about getting a letter of recommendation? =)
Regards, kota.

Well, I might start now and write a little bit about the joys of letter of recommendation. Assume MBA application. Key aspects, all equally important:

How to:
Please keep in mind at all times that your recommender is making you a favour. Therefore the how part of the question answer is easy: Make it very easy for her/him. Ask with plenty of time, try to bundle all letters in one single request, even those schools that you might end up not applying to if everything goes as planned (requesting 4 letters at once is way better than 4 requests) and be open to answer any questions that might arise (in some cultures, people are used to LoR, while other countries the answer would be along the lines of “tell them to call me” and I will give a reference), etc…

But overall, get them. These letters are a key part of your application.

Oh, the other key part of the how-to is work your ass off and give amazing results to the recommender . This requires more time and planning in advance. But it generally works extremely well. She/he will be much more inclined to put the effort and say nice things about you if you have done this! If there is anything to remember from this post this is it, let me write it down again:

Work your ass off and give amazing results to the recommender

From whom:
As important as the previous one: Aim high, but keep it realistic. Ex: Say you work in GE. Try to get the letter of the person the highest rank that has worked long with you and can say good things too. Probably your office mate has worked endless hours and knows you well, but his rank is not great, and (don’t let him know) chances are he is clueless with regards as what makes a great potential individual and how to express it in a letter.

Anecdote: 3y before the MBA a friend and coworker (in a rush) asked me for a LoR. I did my best. My first LoR, I was the recommender, and I wrote it in less than <2h, in mediocre English. Of course, back then I was clueless as how the process worked, what to write in the letter and my seniority or experience was not a good endorsement. Unsurprisingly, he got resounding dings (in Dolby 7.1). Let that be a lesson to all of you.

At the same time, and keeping with the GE example, avoid Jeff Imelt, unless you are a VP/director (but then why would you want a MBA?). He can tell very little about you, and the smart admission officer will think: Probably they have coerced Jeff into this letter, Ding!

So try to strike a nice balance between seniority and relevant things to say. As a rule of thumb, anything above your boss’ boss is a no-no.

On the side, please think also how do you want to position yourself in the application and chose people that can help. If you want to show you are potential IBanker (why would you is another strategic question), pick finance director over HR director, etc…

How early:
Critical!!! This is the only part of the application over which you have no direct control. Accept it and plan accordingly, leave ample time for polite reminders, and be super nice when issuing them to your recommenders.

If the application process is stressing, perceiving the lack of control in this part of the process can be a killer. Think of it as a process that can expand for a long time. And your recommenders probably have busy schedules.

I insist: Provide as much time as possible. In a way, it is only about asking for help, and then waiting. Suggested approach is .a. ask for letters, .b. start your application, .c. reap letters.

What to do next:
Keep being nice to your recommenders. They have done a nice favour to you. Give them an unprompted token of appreciation (chocolate, wine, etc…). Everybody likes unprompted gifts!

If admitted, consider a nice present for them. These people will prove helpful in the future too, in unsuspected ways.

Besides, some schools conduct random or systematic checks on the recommenders after acceptance (most letters of acceptance are dependent on a check on your application). So you want them to still be happy with you when school contact.