Letters of

Recommendation
Guide
By Jeremy Shinewald
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Letters of Recommendation Guide 3

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4 Letters of Recommendation Guide

About the Author

Jeremy Shinewald

Often quoted in major media outlets (including the Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, and Bloomberg Busi-
nessweek) on MBA admissions–related matters, Jeremy Shinewald is the founder and president of mbaMission, the
world’s leading business school admissions consulting firm. mbaMission is the only MBA consulting firm recommended
by Manhattan Prep and Kaplan GMAT, the two largest GMAT test prep providers in the world. Shinewald is a highly sought
after speaker on business school admissions topics, addressing audiences in New York, Dubai, London, Tel Aviv, Los
Angeles, and other major cities on a regular basis.

Before founding mbaMission, Shinewald was chief speechwriter for the Ambassador of Israel to the United States. He
was admitted to several top-tier domestic and international MBA programs himself and ultimately became one of the
youngest members of his class at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, where he was an admissions
interviewer, wrote a business ethics case, and was chosen by his peers to be Class Graduation Speaker.

Shinewald is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Association of International Graduate Admissions Con-
sultants, an organization committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical practice in MBA advisory services.
He is also a founding board member of Venture for America, a nonprofit organization committed to providing talented
undergraduates with positions in the “trenches” at start-ups.

Letters of Recommendation Guide 5

Introduction

Does anyone really read a book’s introduction? Perhaps we should skip it and move straight into the essentials. After all,
this is a book about admissions, but it is also one about efficient communication. We have designed this guide to be direct
and concise to maximize its utility, yet packed with instructive examples.

We also offer many other free tools and resources via the mbaMission Web site to help you successfully navigate your MBA
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We take immense pride in these offerings and hope you will engage with them. We look forward to being a trusted
resource on your road to business school.

Good luck!

Jeremy Shinewald
Founder/President
mbaMission

6 Letters of Recommendation Guide

Letters of Recommendation

Part I: For Candidates

Recommendations are an incredibly valuable part of the MBA application process because they provide the only outside
information the admissions committee receives about a candidate. Although you can largely control the impression the
admissions committee develops of you by carefully curating the information you choose to share in your application
and how you present it, you have much less control over what is said (and not said) in your recommendations. Therefore,
choosing your recommenders wisely and educating them about their responsibilities on your behalf is an important step
in the application process. In this two-part chapter, we first address what you, the applicant, can do to ensure your rec-
ommendations are as strong and representative as possible, and second, what your recommender can do. We also pro-
vide a full, illustrative sample recommendation based on the questions asked by the majority of the top MBA programs in
recent years. We hope that after reading Part I thoroughly, you will share Part II with the people you choose to write your
recommendation letters. Many recommenders do not have a clue where to start, so by providing them with some detailed
guidance and examples, you can help maximize the impact of these important elements of your application.

Most likely, some or all of the following questions will come to mind as you consider your recommendation letters:

ƒ Can I write my letters of recommendation myself ?

ƒ Who should write my letters?
ƒ Who should not write my letters?
ƒ How can I ensure my recommenders write effective letters on my behalf?
ƒ How can I ensure my recommendations are completed on time?

We will address these questions one by one…

Can I write my recommendation letters myself?

This is actually an easy question to answer. No! Even though many, often well-meaning, recommenders will offer or even
request that option, writing your own recommendation is the wrong move, not only ethically, but also strategically. Writ-
ing an objective, self-aware, credible letter highlighting your own strengths is almost impossible, and even if you are the
rare individual who could write such a letter, you still cannot truly see yourself as outsiders do. As a result, you might
fail to highlight certain traits the admissions committee would find appealing simply because you are unaware that you
possess them or why they are considered so valuable by those around you. (Later in this chapter, we will tell you how to
manage a situation in which someone asks you to write your own recommendation.)

Letters of Recommendation Guide 7

Who should write my letters?

Your ideal recommender is someone who can write a personal and knowledgeable letter that is timely, includes relevant
examples, and discusses your talents, accomplishments, personality, and potential in depth. What matters most in this
situation is not the title of the person writing the recommendation (as we explain more fully later) but rather the sub-
stance of the letter he/she submits.

Current Supervisors/Managers

Most top business schools ask applicants for two recommendations, one of which should come from a current supervi-
sor. For the second recommendation, many MBA candidates typically turn to another professional. After all, who better
to discuss your managerial potential than your managers? Some applicants worry that the repetition inherent in this
approach will work against them, but that should not be a concern. If you choose two recommenders from the same firm
and they both know your work quite well, then they will each have their own perspective from which to discuss your prog-
ress and unique experiences to share. So do not be afraid to approach two supervisors for recommendations.

However, you may not be comfortable asking your supervisor(s) for a recommendation, and this is not at all uncommon.
In fact, admissions officers regularly advise candidates not to request recommendations from their supervisors if doing
so might compromise their professional situation in some way. Common reasons candidates may not/cannot obtain a
recommendation from a supervisor include the following:

ƒ Candidate has not been with the current firm for very long.
ƒ Disclosing business school plans could jeopardize the candidate’s chances for a promotion, bonus, or salary in-
crease.
ƒ Supervisor is “too busy” and either refuses to help or tells the applicant to write the recommendation him-/herself
(which, as we have noted, is not advised).
ƒ Supervisor does not believe in the value of an MBA degree and would not be supportive of this path.
ƒ Firm has a policy that managers are not allowed to write recommendations.
ƒ Supervisor is a poor manager and refuses to assist junior staff.
ƒ Candidate is an entrepreneur or works in a family business and therefore lacks an adequately impartial supervisor.

If you cannot approach your current supervisor for a recommendation, consider asking someone else within the same
professional realm (or even beyond) who is capable of profoundly and objectively discussing your performance and skills.

Clients

If you have worked quite closely with a client—maybe you were an external consultant who worked at a client site for an
extended period of time, so the client knows your work well—asking this individual for a recommendation could be a very
reasonable option. A client recommendation can serve as a strong replacement for a supervisor recommendation, if
necessary, but can also be a nice complement to your manager’s recommendation by providing a different perspective
on your performance.

8 Letters of Recommendation Guide

Past Supervisors

Your recommendation is meant to be a window into your current professional performance, so the further back into your
work history you have to go to find a potential recommender, the less relevant that person is to you. In general, you do
not want to ask anyone who supervised you more than two years ago for a recommendation. If you recently left a firm
to join the one at which you currently work, however, asking two individuals from that previous firm for a recommenda-
tion is entirely appropriate, because your newer supervisors may be surprised to learn of your plans to leave (and could
respond negatively) and/or may not have adequate fodder from which to draw to craft an effective recommendation.
Alternatively, if you are one year (two at most) into a position and had an excellent relationship with a former supervisor
who could write a very strong letter on your behalf, you can consider asking that individual for a recommendation. Only
you will know if that former supervisor can craft a letter with enough “punch” to warrant such a request.

Counsels/Mentors

If you have been advised closely by a lawyer, business coach, or mentor, you might consider asking this individual for a
letter of recommendation. As long as he/she can submit a recommendation that is credible—meaning one that is devoid
of empty praise and provides the same objectivity and balance as one from a manager—approaching such a person is
certainly an option.

Community/Nonprofit Directors

If you have been involved in a nonprofit or community activity long enough or significantly enough that your supervisor
in this capacity can speak to your personal and professional attributes, then he/she could provide a recommendation in
place of, or in addition to, one from a professional associate. This option requires careful consideration, however— let-
ters from the community service realm generally only work well when the insight into your performance they provide is
quasi-professional. For your MBA recommendation, you are not seeking a character reference but rather a letter that
can attest to how you have managed a project, relationship, team, situation, or other significant responsibility.

Athletic Coaches/Military Commanders

If you have had a truly formative experience in a military or athletic setting, you might consider asking your former com-
mander or coach to write one of your recommendation letters. For this to be an option for you, the individual you are
considering needs to have seen you in a highly competitive or stressful situation and can therefore speak knowledgeably
about how you responded and what qualities enabled you to navigate the situation effectively. Because these kinds of
experiences are true “character builders,” they allow you to reach into the past for recommendation fodder in a way that
others cannot.

Letters of Recommendation Guide 9

Who should not write my letters?

Your Firm’s CEO, a Political Leader, or an Impressive Alumnus/Alumna You Met Just Once

All too often, candidates try to persuade someone who has an impressive title or position, but who is largely unfamiliar
with their work, to write a recommendation letter for them, mistakenly thinking that the person’s stature is more im-
portant than what he/she knows and can say. Unfortunately, in these cases, the resulting recommendation is typically
vague and ineffectual because it does not provide the desired personal insight into the candidate—and this undermines
the very purpose of the letter. Both the applicant and the recommender end up essentially wasting their time, and the
candidate misses a valuable opportunity to impress and inform the admissions committee.

Even if you could sufficiently educate someone far above you in the corporate hierarchy about your achievements so that
he/she could write an appropriately personal letter about you, the admissions reader will likely wonder why and how a
CEO, for example, would know what someone so far below him/her in the organization does on a daily basis. The authen-
ticity of the letter would then come into question, and the content would be viewed as suspicious, if not absurd. (That
said, if your company’s CEO does in fact know you and could write a deeply insightful and highly personal letter about your
accomplishments and potential, do not hesitate to approach this person for a recommendation. This is very different
from asking a higher-up you barely know.) The same is true for a politician with whom you crossed paths just one time and
for any alumnus/alumna with whom you have had only minimal contact. These people cannot be expected to be able to
comment knowledgeably about your skills, accomplishments, and potential, so any letters they provide would ultimately
be unconvincing and ineffective.

Rather than focusing on a person’s title or status and relying on it to impress the admissions committee, choose some-
one who truly knows you well and can write about your strengths—and even your weaknesses—with sincerity. If your su-
pervisor does not have a spectacular title, this will not reflect badly on you. What will resonate with the admissions office
is what he/she says about you and your performance. By being able to share powerful examples of standout achievement
that he/she has witnessed firsthand, your supervisor will help you to the fullest.

Professors

We imagine that you are several years into your professional career at this point, and your college professors can really
only speak about your past academic accomplishments, rather than your workplace achievements and potential. The
admissions committee will already be able to get a strong sense of your academic potential from your GPA and GMAT/GRE
score(s), so a recommendation from one of your professors would contribute much less to your candidacy than a profes-
sional recommendation would. That said, certain exceptions are always possible. For example, if you just completed a
PhD or if your primary post-college work experience has been in a university-affiliated lab, a professor may in fact be well
equipped to write you an effective recommendation. Otherwise, you would be better served looking elsewhere.

10 Letters of Recommendation Guide

Subordinates

Would you trust that a recommendation letter for a candidate written by someone who depends on that candidate for
raises and promotions would be fully honest and objective? No? Neither would an admissions committee. We will not
waste any more words on this topic—do not ask a subordinate.

How can I ensure my recommenders write effective letters on my behalf?

The typical approach we see from many MBA applicants is this: they ask their recommenders to write a letter on their
behalf, electronically send these individuals the school’s guidelines or form, and then sit back and hope for the best.
Unfortunately, this is a misguided approach. Although it could technically work for some people, it just as well might not
and most certainly does not result in the strongest possible recommendations. In this section, we outline a much more
reliable and effective approach, which consists of doing a little homework before you meet with your recommenders and
then sitting down with them and setting some clear expectations.

Before You Request a Recommendation

For starters, before you approach anyone about writing a recommendation on your behalf, try to gather some intelli-
gence on the people you plan to ask. Have they written MBA recommendation letters for anyone else? Are they generous
with their time with regard to employee feedback and review sessions? Do you believe they will devote the effort and time
necessary to write a letter that will really shine? Are they typically good about meeting deadlines? If applicable, one of
the best ways to predict your chances for success with a potential recommender is to research how things worked for
any former colleagues who requested such from this individual in the past. Speak with these colleagues, if at all possible,
to find out how the recommender managed the process. By first identifying people who will be helpful and generous in
providing a recommendation, you will increase your chances of avoiding missed deadlines and unpredictable or unhelp-
ful letters.

Meeting with Your Recommenders

One great way to increase your chances of securing a strong, effective recommendation letter is by meeting in person
with your chosen recommenders. Do not worry that doing so might be seen as an attempt to tamper with the process,
however—nothing could be further from the truth! Many of the top MBA programs actually encourage candidates to do
this. They want your recommenders to present a full picture of you, so they understand that communicating with these
individuals and updating them on your accomplishments is an important, if not required, part of the process. Consider,
for example, the following advice from the admissions blog of the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College:

Prepare your references. Take them out for coffee, or find some time to talk about your goals and rationale for get-
ting an MBA. Also remind them of your recent performance reviews, and talk about significant accomplishments.
This will help them write a more compelling evaluation because they will have specific examples to use in support of
their comments.

Letters of Recommendation Guide 11

Similarly, in a YouTube video about recommendation letters, a representative from Duke University’s Fuqua School of
Business advises candidates, “It’s a good idea to give them [potential recommenders] an updated résumé or maybe even
meet them for coffee so that they feel even more prepared to write a shining recommendation for you.”

When you meet with your recommender, refresh his/her memory with respect to your accomplishments and progress.
Explain your motivation for pursuing an MBA, your reasons for targeting the schools you have chosen, and your post-
graduation ambitions. Give your recommenders your résumé and a separate list of accomplishments that occurred di-
rectly under their supervision (see the Sample List of Accomplishments for MBA Recommendation Review Session later
in this chapter) so they can easily include key examples of your achievements and potential in their letters. Ideally, dis-
cuss applicable anecdotes at great length to help flesh out and solidify their memories of these events, which will help
them more easily describe them in their letter. Most importantly, impress upon your recommenders the importance of
providing real-life evidence of the claims they make about you, wherever possible. We know from our years of experience
with overseas clients that in many countries, robust, example-filled letters of recommendation are unusual—if this is the
case in your country, do your best to explain to your recommender the importance of full answers laden with examples.

After you present your case and related materials to your recommender, he/she may likely respond by telling you to sim-
ply draft your own recommendation. But as we explained earlier, you should never write your own recommendation, so
be prepared to push back if this happens. Most of the time, recommenders make this kind of offer because they think
letting you craft your own letter is somehow doing you a favor, but you now understand why this is not true. Be prepared
to tell any recommenders who suggest this option that although you appreciate the offer, you would not be able to write
as credibly, objectively, or insightfully as they would and that you are prepared to help with the process in any other way
possible. The bottom line is that you need these individuals’ participation for the process to work so that you have your
best chance of getting into your target school(s).

How can I ensure my recommendations are completed on time?

A simple and rather reliable way of making sure your recommenders complete their letters by the school’s deadline is
by giving them extra-early “personal” submission deadlines. This way, if your recommenders meet your deadline, their
letters will automatically be ready in time for the school’s deadline. On the other hand, if your recommenders miss your
personal deadline, you will still have some additional time left before the official deadline for them to complete their let-
ters, so you will not need to worry.

Although many of the top MBA programs have adopted similar recommendation questions in recent years, not all recom-
mendation forms are the same, and significant variations can exist. This means that if you are applying to more than one
school, your recommenders may have to revise their original letter—or even answer totally different questions—accord-
ing to each school’s individual requirements. You will do both yourself and your recommenders a huge service if, when
you initially approach them, you tell them up front that you would like them to provide a letter of recommendation for
each program to which you are applying (i.e., that they will need to complete more than one recommendation, perhaps in
more than one format). That way, by being forthcoming from the start, you will not have to go back to your recommender
and say, “Oh, by the way, would you mind doing another letter?”

12 Letters of Recommendation Guide

Finally, be sure to actively manage the process throughout. You do not need to contact or visit your recommenders every
day or micromanage their progress, but checking in every few weeks at first and then once a week in the final month or so
before the deadline is completely appropriate.

Admissions Myths Destroyed: My Recommender’s Grammar Will Ruin My Chances

At mbaMission, we are constantly emphasizing effective written communication, and your ability to tell your story
in a compelling way in your own words does play a large role in earning that coveted letter of acceptance. But how
big a role does good grammar play in this process? And if your recommender has bad grammar, will this be detri-
mental to your chances?

Despite our personal belief in the power of strong writing, we can assure you that no MBA program will ever reject
a candidate because he/she used punctuation incorrectly or broke a generally accepted style rule. The admis-
sions committee is seeking to learn about you as an individual and to evaluate you and your potential, both as a
student at the school and in your career after graduation. What is most important in your application is that you
convey compelling stories that are unique to you—and do so in your own voice. Although you should always strive
to perfect your submissions, in the end, the quality and authenticity of your content carry much more weight than
your diction and punctuation. And if you are not a native English speaker, you can certainly be forgiven for the oc-
casional idiosyncratic expression.

This is even more true for your recommender. The admissions committee is not evaluating your recommender
for a spot in the school’s program, so the quality of his/her grammar is largely irrelevant to your candidacy. And
the admissions committees can be even more forgiving when English is not your recommender’s first language.
No school will penalize you for choosing someone who grew up in another country or whose writing skills are not
very polished for any other reason. As long as your recommender offers anecdotes about your performance that
help illuminate who you are as an individual and that demonstrate that you do indeed possess the abilities and
qualities you claim elsewhere in your application, you should be just fine. Substance—not grammar—is always
what matters most.

Part II: For Recommenders

Recommendation letters are a vital part of a business school applicant’s profile because they offer the admissions com-
mittees a truly objective window into the candidate’s abilities. For this reason, you, as a recommender, can contribute
significantly to your applicant’s chances for success, but only if your letter is written in a credible and compelling manner.

Letters of Recommendation Guide 13

Maximizing Your Impact

To ensure that your recommendation will maximize the candidate’s chances of being admitted, you must provide full,
descriptive answers to the school’s queries and include actual examples of the applicant’s accomplishments and poten-
tial. This is essential. To that end, we highly recommend that you meet with the candidate to discuss his/her accomplish-
ments (not responsibilities, but what this individual has actually achieved!). Strive to understand why the applicant was
effective and what he/she could have improved in each project or task. Nothing is ethically wrong with discussing these
matters together in a meeting—in fact, several top MBA programs encourage such meetings and exchanges of informa-
tion, because they can help you write a more targeted and thoughtful letter and therefore present a clearer picture of
the applicant.

When meeting with the candidate, do your best to really understand his/her professional ambitions, reasons for pursuing
the MBA degree, and rationale for choosing a particular school or schools. Again, the better you know the applicant and
understand his/her profile and goals, the more you will be able to bolster that person’s candidacy.

Seizing Each Opportunity

As you prepare your recommendation(s), consider each question an opportunity to influence the admissions commit-
tee. Although this does not mean discussing every little thing you know about the candidate ad nauseam, you can take
liberties with word limits (except when the text boxes in a school’s online recommendation form have embedded word or
character limits that constrain your ability to write more). We are not necessarily encouraging you to dramatically exceed
the schools’ requests, but we have seen many recommenders write as much as 50% more than a school’s stated word
limit and have never been told that this counts against an applicant. The bottom line is to make sure everything you write
truly “counts.” Powerful statements that reference real-life examples are more valuable than long, wordy answers that
are vague or unfocused.

Being too brief can also be a problem, so avoid simply writing the minimum. For example, your Letter of Recommenda-
tion form may say, “Please describe your relationship with the candidate, citing how long you have known the candidate
and the length of time that you have supervised him/her.” In response, you might write, “I am the director of marketing
at XYZ Corp., and I have been Jodi’s boss for approximately three years.” Although this statement technically fulfills the
school’s request, the answer does almost nothing to positively support the candidate. It is strictly factual and offers no
real endorsement or differentiating value. In contrast, the following response would not only establish your credibility as
Jodi’s recommender but also offer details about her successes:

I am the director of marketing for XYZ Corp., but I first met Jodi three years ago, when I was vice president of product
sales. At that time, I personally hired Jodi as the first member of our New York sales team, and since then, I have
seen her professional skills rapidly develop. At first, Jodi leveraged her personality and work ethic to become a lead-
ing salesperson nationwide. She truly blossomed as a manager after her promotion to New York sales coordinator
and then to vice president of East Coast sales. As I have advanced at XYZ, Jodi has done so in lockstep, so I have
witnessed these stages of her career firsthand and therefore feel well qualified to comment on her experiences and
potential.

14 Letters of Recommendation Guide

Making Substantive Claims

As you write your recommendation(s), keep in mind that your job as a recommender is not to “sell” the candidate to the
admissions committee but rather to present the candidate’s true actions and use facts to substantiate your claims,
thereby letting the applicant’s accomplishments speak for themselves. Real-life examples add weight and credibility to
your statements and attest to your ability to comment on the candidate’s achievements.

Superlatives and generalities like “Joakim is a wonderful employee and a great guy!” are actually not helpful, primarily
because they are too vague to be useful in making the candidate stand out. However, if you pair any superlatives you use
with context and “proof” (via examples/experiences), you get a statement with tremendous value:

Joakim’s analytical skills are second to none. As a research associate, he prepared an insightful and original re-
search note on inflation in Peru that caught the attention of our research director. Soon, as a second-year employee,
Joakim was de facto promoted to work among a group of our senior economists, many of whom had more than a
decade of experience.

Stating that Joakim’s skills are second to none is a positive start, but on its own, this assertion would not be enough. By
following this claim with hard evidence of his superior skills (“insightful and original research,” “de facto promoted”), you
reinforce and validate the declaration. This is not selling—this is persuasion. In general, pinpointing two or three of the
candidate’s strongest attributes and illustrating them with clear and detailed examples should be sufficient.

Differentiating the Candidate

The concept of differentiation is important, because MBA programs are looking for elite applicants, not just average
employees. Thus, any comparisons you make between the candidate and his/her peers should always position the candi-
date as superior, and this must then be substantiated by evidence. (Note: We provide more guidance on numerical/quali-
tative ranking later in this chapter.) Consider the following response to the question “What are the candidate’s strengths
and weaknesses?”:

Marianna stands out among her peers because of her extraordinary communication and interpersonal skills. With
her confidence, sharp wit, and sense of humor, she always captures the audience’s imagination at our quarterly con-
ferences, and she is the only one of our six vice presidents to have ever been invited to be a guest speaker at another
region’s annual sales conference (and has since been asked back twice). Marianna is also quite engaging and char-
ismatic on a one-on-one level and has used her personality to motivate others—thereby creating one of our highest
performing teams and earning herself two promotions ahead of her peers.

This response tells the admissions committee that Marianna has some extraordinary skills and then supports this claim
by revealing that she (1) is the only one to have been invited to a certain event, (2) created one of the company’s highest
performing teams, and (3) was promoted ahead of her peers—three differentiating facts that illustrate how the candidate
is truly elite.

Letters of Recommendation Guide 15

Evaluating Honestly

Critical feedback—not negative, but critical—shows that you are being honest and forthcoming in your recommendation
and thereby lends credibility to your statements. You may be reluctant to write anything critical about the candidate, but
as long as your comments are constructive (and limited), they can actually add value to your recommendation. However,
do not try to portray one of your candidate’s strengths as a weakness in an effort to incorporate criticism. This is a peeve
of admissions officials. The admissions committee will immediately interpret a statement like “Suzanne often works too
hard. I have pushed her to take more breaks and vacations, but she is just too dedicated” as disingenuous and discount
not just it, but possibly your entire recommendation.

Still, too much honesty can be equally unhelpful. A statement like “Suzanne is horribly lazy,” for example, would be quite
detrimental. If you sincerely feel that your comments about a candidate would be primarily negative or unhelpful to him/
her in gaining admission to an MBA program, you should advise the applicant to look elsewhere for a recommendation.

Try to strike a balance between being honest and not being hurtful. Highlight the candidate’s strengths, but be forthcom-
ing about any areas of possible improvement that come readily to mind, and, where possible, show that the individual is
seeking to improve or develop these skills. Consider the following example:

Suzanne is strong as a motivator and can always rouse our team. Still, I think she needs one more “arrow in her quiv-
er.” I would like to see her exhibit more sensitivity to our employees’ needs in one-on-one situations. I noted this in her
review, and we have been working to adapt her style to different individuals. Recently, she…

Business schools help individuals who have existing professional competencies and potential learn the skills necessary
to become effective leaders in the business world after graduation. This means that all incoming students have areas
for growth and improvement. By demonstrating for the admissions committee that the applicant possesses valuable
strengths as well as ways they can grow from the MBA experience, you will ultimately help bolster their candidacy.

Rating Your Candidate

Some schools’ recommendation forms ask you to rate the candidate with respect to certain skills, competencies, and
character traits and offer multiple-choice responses from which to choose. Here is an example:

For each competency, please mark the one button corresponding to the behavior you have seen the applicant con-
sistently exhibit...

Initiative:
• Acts ahead of need/anticipates problems
• No basis for judgment
• Reluctant to take on new tasks; waits for instruction
• Willing to step in and take action when required
• Takes charge spontaneously when problems arise

16 Letters of Recommendation Guide

 • Volunteers for new work challenges
• Proactively seeks high-impact projects

Other schools offer descriptive words and phrases and ask you to choose ones that apply to the candidate:

Please look at this list of personality characteristics and choose up to three traits that you feel best represent the
candidate you are recommending:

• Collaborative
• Persuasive
• Innovative
• Confident
• Self-Aware
• Professional
• Resilient
• Energetic
• Emotionally Stable
• Agreeable

And still other programs request that you rate the candidate’s skills in certain areas by selecting responses that span a
range from negative to positive, such as the following:

Please assess the candidate in the following areas:

Unable to Area of Opportunity for Meets Exceeds

Assess Concern Development Expectations Expectations

Confidence

Openness to
feedback

Intellectual curiosity

With these types of questions, you want to rate the candidate highly/positively. Remember, the schools are seeking the
best relative performers. Still, claiming that the applicant always exceeds expectations or performs at the highest possi-
ble level will likely not be believable to the admissions committee and could, as a result, be less helpful than intended. So,
for credibility reasons, you should rate your candidate highly in almost all areas but less highly—though still quite well—in
the areas and ways he/she is not quite as impressive. If you feel you cannot honestly do this, you may want to discuss this
with the candidate before completing your recommendation, because this could notably affect his/her chances of being
accepted.

On the following pages, we present a sample list of accomplishments (like one a candidate would provide to his/her rec-
ommender) and sample responses (what the recommender would then submit to the school).

Letters of Recommendation Guide 17

Sample List of Accomplishments for MBA Recommendation Review Session

Maya Guzman, MBA Candidate

John Brown, President, ABC Metal Co. (ABCM)

Background

ƒ Hired as assistant purchasing manager, served in this capacity from June 2016 to August 2017
ƒ Promoted ahead of schedule to purchasing manager; served in this capacity from August 2017 to present
ƒ Promotion to vice president (VP) of operations announced; to be confirmed upon departure of current VP

Professional Accomplishments

Assistant Purchasing Manager

ƒ Managed a $20M widget procurement budget and relationships with 30 suppliers across North America
ƒ Created ABCM’s supplier consolidation program, which saved the firm $1.8M in just over nine months
ƒ Initiated ABCM’s supplier education program; facilitated three new components, which reduced manual installa-
tion and saved 30 man-hours per widget produced

Purchasing Manager

ƒ Oversaw three assistant purchasing managers and a total budget of $75M; managed relationships with all suppli-
ers (number reduced as a result of consolidation program)
ƒ Applied consolidation program to other two units within firm, generating savings of $5M in other departments
ƒ Mentored three assistant purchasing managers; instituted the ABCM Educational Excellence Series (monthly
events continue)
ƒ Initiated and facilitated company hedging program, with goal of ensuring predictability of inputs (mixed financial
results—saved $500K in copper costs; lost $600K in aluminum)

Vice President of Operations

ƒ Will join executive team; first nonfamily member to join team

ƒ Will manage the four-member purchasing team and the 40-member manufacturing division

Accomplishments Beyond Professional Responsibilities

ƒ Started employee recognition program

ƒ Plays on company softball team

18 Letters of Recommendation Guide

1
You will notice that many of
the bullet points from the ap- Sample Recommendation
plicant’s list of accomplish-
ments have been incorporat-
1. Please provide a brief description of your interaction with the applicant and, if applicable, the applicant’s role
ed into the recommender’s
responses. in your organization.1 (Up to 50 words)

2
Here the recommender
As president of ABC Metals, a family-owned and -managed widget manufacturer,2 I hired Maya Guzman as an
introduces himself, his posi-
tion, and the firm. assistant purchasing manager (APM) 3 in June 2016. Because our management team is small, I am able to be a
“hands-on” leader and thus know Maya and her work quite well.4
3
Ideally, any abbreviations
used in the recommendation
should be written out the first 2. How does the candidate’s performance compare to that of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles?
time they appear, to avoid any Please provide specific examples. (Up to 500 words)
confusion on the part of the
admissions reader.
Maya joined ABC Metals as an APM, junior to the other two APM’s,5 who each had seven years of experience with
4
This statement legitimizes our firm. In fairness, Maya was a college-educated engineer, and our other two APM’s had not had similar edu-
the recommender’s ability to
cational opportunities, but they were nevertheless her peers, and she quickly outshone them. In only her third
knowledgeably evaluate the
candidate. month6 with us, Maya persuaded my son, daughter, and me that we needed to revolutionize our purchasing pro-
gram. Rather than spreading our orders to weaken our suppliers’ influence over costs, we needed to consolidate
5
This is a small issue, but
and reduce our number of suppliers to strengthen their dedication to us and eliminate duplication of expenses
note that the use of the
apostrophe here is not on our end. Maya’s approach saved us $1.8M in less than a year,7 and I quickly promoted her to purchasing man-
correct. This should simply ager (PM), unfortunately at the cost of ushering out a veteran manager.8 As PM, Maya again shone, implementing
read APMs, because the
her consolidation program across all three divisions and saving our firm an additional $5M.9 When she assumes
abbreviation is plural rather
than possessive. However, the role of vice president of operations next month—becoming responsible for a four-member purchasing team
remember that in your rec- and overseeing our 40-member manufacturing department—she will replace an individual who is retiring after 30
ommendations, the admis-
years and will become the first nonfamily member ever to join the executive team.10
sions committee is worried
about content, not grammar,
so this kind of minor error In my opinion, it takes a distinctly mature individual to join an established family culture and suggest change,
would not count against you
especially without threatening or alienating others. I was profoundly impressed that Maya proactively anticipated
or your recommender.
the “emotional” effects the supplier consolidation program could have on our remaining suppliers, who might
6
The recommender imme- fear being phased out later on. With this concern in mind, Maya started the supplier education program, thereby
diately offers this anecdote
emphasizing for these suppliers their importance to us. Demonstrating tremendous forward thinking, she held
to back up the claim that
Maya “outshone” her peers in regular “teachins” at both parties’ locations to integrate these suppliers and reinforce their confidence in our
this role. partnership with them. Since Maya created this program, our relationships have never been stronger, and exciting
innovations have sprouted from our closer collaboration. Today, Maya represents our firm with our 25 suppliers
7
This fact offers clear and
tangible results of Maya’s (down from 70 before she joined us) in a position that requires superior maturity and judgment—and one in which
efforts. she has truly excelled.11

8
This sobering bit of
information shows that the 3. Please describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail
recommender is not sharing the circumstances and the applicant’s response.12 (Up to 500 words)
only the positive aspects
of the situation but truly
providing the full story, which I think we were all impressed with Maya’s successes with her consolidation program and educational series and
lends more credence to all simply expected her to continue to succeed in all areas. Frankly speaking, we now know her suggestion to start
his claims.
a hedging program to gain predictability in our copper and aluminum costs was premature. Our firm was not yet

Letters of Recommendation Guide 19

 9
This additional anecdote
sophisticated enough for this kind of program—we did not have the financial expertise to execute it, and in the provides further evidence of
end, it produced mixed financial outcomes and cost the firm more than $100K. Although we saved $500K in cop- the candidate’s success and
is followed by a comparative
per expenses, we lost $600K in aluminum. In fact, we were briefly exposed to more than $1M in potential additional
element.
costs. I was the one who made the final decision to move forward with the new program, but after our first six-
month term, I cancelled it and initiated a reevaluation with my son, daughter, and Maya. During this “postmortem,” 10
Again, this recommender
can distinguish the candi-
I was clear with Maya that, as much as it might sound nonsensical, pushing the firm too far too fast can sometimes
date as a “first,” thereby vali-
be counterproductive and that while I appreciated her enthusiasm and ambitions on behalf of the company, in the dating his claim that Maya
end, her projections proved somewhat naïve, as she had not taken into account a true worstcase scenario. has “outshined” others.

11
The recommender provides
It was clear to me that Maya was chagrined, and indeed, when she went back and reran her numbers, increasing very thorough anecdotal
the range of potential crises, she quickly determined that the program brought far too many risks to our firm in evidence throughout this
paragraph and follows with
the near term. We have shelved the initiative for now, and I am eager to see when she proposes it again, because
quantifiable facts (e.g., “Maya
I am now confident that she will only do so when we have grown sufficiently and are positioned and equipped to represents our firm with our
successfully employ it. This will indeed be a test of her patience and development. Regardless, I was impressed 25 suppliers”).

by her openness to my criticism and willingness to reconsider her viewpoint. The fact that her first response was
12
The recommender’s answer
to immediately rerun her models and admit her errors speaks volumes about her, in my opinion. I have already here is frank and blunt, but
mentioned Maya’s impressive level of maturity, and she demonstrated it again in this instance by readily recog- not damaging. It reveals the
recommender as honest
nizing the unintended consequences of the initiative, eagerly listening to and absorbing my assessment of her
and thoughtful, not just a
missteps, unflinchingly accepting responsibility for the situation, and exploring ways to learn and improve from “cheerleader” who refuses
the experience, both for herself and the firm as a whole. to consider the candidate
objectively. Although the
criticism may “hurt” a little
4. Our school has a diverse student body and values individuals who exhibit inclusiveness and humility and are bit, it is not actually harmful
encouraging of others. Please tell us about a time when you witnessed the candidate living these values. (300 to the applicant’s candidacy.
This is not character assas-
words)
sination but rather the story
of a tough lesson learned.
I have seen Maya develop from an individual initiator into an effective manager who nurtures others’ talents. She
13
The recommender sup-
now manages three APM’s and does so with a sense of altruism and magnanimity we all admire. She is always in-
ports his claim about the
terested in educating others as well as herself and started our ABCM Educational Excellence Series. Through this candidate (“developed from
initiative, she has personally led sessions, invited others on the team to share their unique insights and expertise, an individual initiator into
an effective manager”) by
and brought in outside guest speakers on Total Quality Management.13 As a leader, Maya demonstrates admirable
relaying an anecdote about
humility in how she facilitates discussions, offers her own ideas to be critiqued, open-mindedly accepts input, her educating others.
and encourages others to make distinct personal contributions.
14
This humorous jab shows
that the recommender knows
Maya treats everyone with courtesy, respect, and inclusion, whether she is creating educational or employee rec- the candidate well and has
ognition programs or fulfilling her role as undeniably—yet good-naturedly—the worst player ever on our company genuine affection for her but
is not focused on conveying
softball team.14 Maya is constantly thinking of the company and others, recognizing that her growth and the firm’s
only positives.
growth depend on a collective. Indeed, she has orchestrated the literal breaking down of walls in our purchasing
department—in addition to saving valuable space, this has, perhaps more importantly, enhanced communication 15
Again, anecdotal evidence
substantiates the claim that
and promoted a feeling of unity among her team. She no longer sits separately in a “privileged” office but is “part
Maya is a team player who is
of the team.” 15 Her spirit of initiative, curiosity, and motivation, coupled with humility, are Maya’s hallmarks, and “constantly thinking of the
they are what make her not only a uniquely capable individual but also a valued and respected member of our firm. company and others.”

20 Letters of Recommendation Guide

5. Is there anything else we should know? (Optional)

I feel Maya would benefit immensely from the MBA experience. She already has the engineering and operational
skills necessary to succeed, but additional financial skills and global exposure would help her to really reach her
full potential. I have spoken with her about her MBA plans and am certain that this is a well-timed decision and that
she has very carefully considered her educational options, ultimately choosing your program.

Letters of Recommendation Guide 21

Your Post-MBA
Career Starts Now!
Whether you are entering business school this fall, writing your applications,

or just starting to look at MBA programs, now is the time to start thinking

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your personal career plan once you have
been accepted but before you even set foot
on campus, sign up for a free 30-minute
consultation with one of our Career Coaches:
www.mbamission.com/careerconsult.

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