Letters of Recommendation
A Practical Guide for Obtaining
Effective References
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.
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.
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 or submitted?
– How many copies do you need?
– Do you need a copy for your records?
– Do you have alternates in the case that
your request is denied?
During the Appointment
•
Have relevant information on hand and be
ready top provide necessary details.
•
Remember the basics:
– For what position are you applying?
– How you think their recommendation will
benefit your application.
– Why you chose to ask them.
– To whom should the letter be addressed?
– By when does it need to be completed?
– What format is to be used? Online? Do they
mail it in? Do you mail it in?
– Other directions?
– Are there particular situations or details that
you’d like them to mention?
– Be as clear and as simple as possible.
•
Remember to say “THANK YOU”.
After the Meeting…
• 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 card is 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?
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.
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?
• How could his request have been better arranged?
• Will his request be successful?
Example Scenario #2
• Carolyn needs a letter of recommendation for one of her
graduate school applications.
– She worked closely with a particular professor on two research
projects during her junior year. The professor is also her
academic adviser, and has helped her with course selection
since she was a first year student.
– Early in the fall semester of her senior year, she schedules an
appointment with her adviser to discuss the possibility of
obtaining recommendation letters for her graduate school
applications due the following April.
• How does Carolyn’s request differ from Jim’s?
• What did Carolyn do well?
• Will her request be successful?
Good Luck!
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property of Northern Michigan University’s
Academic & Career Advisement Center. It
may not be reproduced without written
consent.
www.nmu.edu/acac