Letters of recommendation are common documents needed at this time of year when you may be getting ready to apply to graduate school, potential research opportunities or internships. Now, requesting a letter of recommendation is not as simple as asking your friend to borrow a pen as it requires some strategic planning.
What is a letter of recommendation you may ask? A letter of recommendation is defined as someone writing on your behalf, usually a professional or someone who can speak as to what you can offer a company or the specific opportunity. While anyone could write a letter, it is usually most helpful to have a professional or academic contact write your letter. Be careful as to whom you choose to write your letter and ensure that they know you well enough to write a thoughtful document that will cast a positive light and work to your benefit.
As you start to brainstorm whom you should reach out to for a letter of recommendation, keep in mind that an effective recommendation letter is written by someone who meets some of the following criteria:
- Is aware of your field of interest and the schools you are applying to.
- Is able to evaluate your performance in your field of interest.
- Is able to discuss your personal characteristics
- Is able to discuss your capacity to work with others
- Can discuss your leadership skills
- Can evaluate your level of professionalism (e.g., punctuality, efficiency, assertiveness)
- Can discuss your academic skills — not simply experience, but evaluate your potential to succeed in graduate-level study
- Can evaluate you positively relative to others
- Has some recognition and whose judgment is highly valued within the field
If you are using a letter of recommendation for graduate or professional programs like medical school, you should be strategic as to whom you select and the time you give the professional to write your letter. Many students may be applying to graduate programs as well and you want to ensure the person you plan on asking will have ample time to write your letter.
A good rule of thumb is to reach out to the professional at least a month before you need to submit the letter. You can reach out via email the first time. A sample email would look something like this.
“Hello ____________,
Would you be willing to write me a letter of recommendation for my application to the graduate program at NSU? The application is due in six weeks. I know you are busy with final exams and the end of the semester, but this will hopefully allow enough time for you to put something together if you are willing.”
Once you have established contact and the professor or letter writer has assured they will write the letter, you can follow up by providing all necessary information, including your resume, due dates, name of program, details on the opportunity and, at times, your personal statement (if it is for graduate school).
Overall, you want to take some time to identify which individuals would be ideal letter writers for your recommendation. Take the time to evaluate your options and have a strategic plan so that you are going about the process in a timely manner.
