How to Ask for a Letter of Recommendation
posted by FindCollegeCards.com
Whether you need a recommendation for work or maybe you need it for grad school, there are some steps that you’re going to need to take in order to get the best letter of recommendation possible.
Some people truly believe that a letter of recommendation really doesn’t matter, but it does. If you can get some powerful people on your letter of recommendation, you’re going to find that you can influence a lot of people.
#1 Be formal about it
When you’re ready to ask for a letter of recommendation, you don’t want to e-mail someone. Instead, meet with that person, or set up a time to chat. For example, if you want to meet with a professor at a school, don’t ask before or after class, but rather set up an appointment.
#2 Ask the write way
“Do you think you can write me a letter?” sounds pretty lame. Instead, ask something along the lines of, “Would you support my decision to go to XYZ school? If so, would you mind writing me a letter of recommendation?” Most people will politely agree is they agree with your decision. Overall,l they don’t want to hurt their reputation if they recommend some bum.
#3 Be early with it
Don’t ask at the last second for a letter. “Hey, I need this letter by tomorrow” doesn’t sound right. You will want to give a good 4-6 weeks heads up. You will usually know well ahead of time.
#4 Give directions if possible
Do you know what you want? If so, let them know exactly how you want the letter. The graduate school or your may have some qualifications. Not all of them are going to have this, but you will find that some do.
#5 Read the letter over
Just because you get a letter doesn’t mean that you should send it off right away. You will always want to make sure that you read it over, because you may find that some people may not want to write you that letter, but they do it anyways. Only send letters that make you sound like a legend.
Get someone powerful and never be afraid to ask for a recommendation. People such as professors get asked the same question all the time. This is only going to increase your chances of landing that job, or even getting into graduate school.
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September 25th, 2010 at 7:53 am
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