Presentation Transcript

1. Letters of Recommendation A Practical Guide for Obtaining Effective References

2. Need a Recommendation? • This presentation will provide a practical framework for
requesting letters of recommendation. • Letters of recommendation are requested for
a number of reasons, most notably: • Graduate School • Employment Applications •
Internships • Research Assistantships • The guidelines provided on the following
slides will assist you in obtaining meaningful, effective reference letters for use in
academic and professional endeavors.
3. Before You Ask, Consider: • Who to ask? • Is the writer credible? • What position do
they hold? • Is their position relevant to your application? • Does that position allow
them to provide an objective reference? • Is your request realistic? • Will they do it…do
they know you? • Have you cultivated a professional relationship with the person you
are asking? • Do you need a letter from more than one source? • Timing • Will your
request allow the writer sufficient time to complete the letter? • Allowing 2-3 weeks
notice is appropriate.
4. You Know Who to Ask…What Now? • Schedule an appointment. • That way, both
parties have specific time set aside. • Get the details in order: • What will the letter be
supporting? • What format is to be used? • Will the recommendation be submitted
online? • When is it due? Timeline? • How will you know when the letter is completed 
6.  It is helpful to send a reminder, listing all details discussed during your meeting. •
Email is good for this because it provides a printable, saved reference point. • Make
sure to send an additional “Thank You” for their efforts. • A cardis more formal and
personal than an email. • And finally, let them know the result of your application
processes. • Did you get the position? • How did their letter help?
7. For Review and Discussion • The next slides provide scenarios in which students
are requesting letters of recommendation. • Read through each scenario and use the
questions as a starting point for discussion.
8. Example Scenario #1 • Jim needs a letter of recommendation for a summer
internship with a local broadcasting company. • He hasn’t had a job all semester, and
isn’t doing as well as he would like in his current courses. • Seeing as how it is late in
the winter semester, he is pressed for time to find a source for the needed letter of
recommendation. • He just so happens to be walking through Gries Hall late one
afternoon, and sees the office of a professor who taught one of his classes a few
semesters back. Jim did very well in the course, and hasn’t talked with the professor
since. The course was not in his major. • Jim figures that since he did well in the
course, maybe the professor will be willing to write him a letter. He decides to drop in
unannounced. • The letter is due in one week. • What could Jim have done differently?
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