Asking for Recommendation Letters#
Recommendation letters are an important part of any application. Some applications may only ask for a list of recommenders for the interviewer to contact, others will ask for formal letters. When asking for a recommendation letter, you can do a few things to maximize the letter’s effectiveness and improve your chances for a successful application.
Be conscious about who you ask. You want each letter to speak to a different part of your application. You should actively choose the role of each recommender and be explicit about your goals when you ask them.
You can go even further here, Dr. Arianna Long recommends making a list of both the topics you want each recommender to talk about and specific language from the application to use.
Make it easy for your recommenders. That means giving them time (at least 1 month before the deadline) and resources (resume, application, etc.) so that they can write the best letter possible. If you are applying for to a number of places at once (such as when applying to graduate school), it can be helpful to provide your recommenders with a table that includes all the information they need (due dates, topics, how to submit, etc.)
Some recommenders will ask you to write your letter. Going through the process can help reinforce what exactly you want them to focus on and will make their job easier. If you are wondering what to write, check out this template