Letter of recommendation

Question

How do you guys approach your supervisor or manager for writing letter of recommendation ? I have talked to my senior and they're more than willing to help me out and they will put in the time and effort but what if you're applying to 7-10 schools. Should you stick with two recommenders or get multiple people and split schools between them ? 
Or can they just copy paste same letter for each school ?

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

I like to think about what the content is that they are going to be offering towards your application.

You need to have your manager write one letter, so think about what that person is going to say, what anecdotes would he or she share about you? What qualities was that impart? This person will be your main recommender for all the applications. Some schools only require one letter and this should be it. I would highly recommend that you coach them, meaning, tell them what qualities business schools are looking for and what anecdotes you think might best demonstrate those qualities.

Then think about what else you'd like to get across about yourself. I would recommend a mentor or someone who could maybe speak to the more personal side of Who You Are. Again, what anecdotes will put you in the best light, separate you from other people in your profile group? Then think about which recommender who would likely share an anecdote that would convey the qualities that you were trying to convey.

This goes back to your overall application strategy.

With regards to your last question, yes in most cases. Most large admissions consulting firms have the current recommendation questions listed on their websites.

Figure out which ones are the same, and which ones are different, and approach it that way. You'll probably find that most of them are identical, especially now that many schools are adopting the common letter of recommendation. Before presenting these to your recommender it's best to have a sense of where the differences are first so that they know to write a letter that is unique to any schools not using the common form.

Also when choosing recommenders, it's wise for you to discuss your business school plans with them first. If they seem enthusiastic, and have some interesting things to say about that, it's a good way to first screen who you would like to approach for a letter period without getting into an awkward or embarrassing situation.

Farrell Dyan Hehn, MBA
Admissions Consultant & Verbal Strategist MBAPrepCoach.com

mbsingh · Answer

Thanks Farrell.

Yes i have already talked to them about my aspirations and they're more than willing to write recommendation for me. I am just concerned that they are enthusiastic about doing it once but it might change if they have to write 10 different letters answering 10 different questions from different schools. I have started jolting down my goals, my achievements, projects i have worked on so it will help them in putting it in their perspective as well.

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

Hi, as I mentioned most of the letter of recommendation forms are the same. This year they have instituted something called the common letter of recommendation, and the bulk of schools are following that. I'd recommend that you hop on aringo and look up letter of recommendation. Will show you exactly what the recommender will be looking at.

Farrell Dyan Hehn, MBA
Admissions Consultant & Verbal Strategist MBAPrepCoach.com

Farrell Dyan Hehn, MBA
Admissions Consultant & Verbal Strategist MBAPrepCoach.com

AndreMBAitNOW · Answer

Hi there,

As you know, this is a very important step in your application because the recommendations should be aligned with your whole communication strategy to support what you’re saying. It is crucial to give guidance to the recommender. Also, It’s good to have backups because recommendation letters should be different for every school.

Check out our youtube channel and watch  7 Tips on Recommendation  and if you need further assessment on your application, don’t hesitate to sign up for a  FREE consultation  where we can answer all your questions.

Best of luck,

StratusDonna · Answer

Hi  mbsingh , It still makes sense to get get your supervisor to be one of your recommenders for each school. You want to make it as easy as you can for your recommender so give him/her a schedule of which application is due first etc and have any school specific info in separate documents so that they can review relevant material as they approach each school. Much of the info is similar so it is fine to have one person in for the long haul... but be sure to thank them at the end and perhaps give them a gift card for dinner for all their work on your behalf. For the second recommender, if you have an alum from the school you are targeting as a possible recommender, that could be a reason to tweak by school but still that second recommender will most likely be doing multiple recs as well. Once you have the basics down, it is not that much more work and the move to a common recommendation letter is a great move so use that where you can.

Also, be sure to give them plenty of time and have them approach the recs in the order of when applications are due.

sonkarnishant · Answer

Hey,

A quick question here is the recommended to get professional LOR's on the letter head of the company?

Does it have any impact on the application?

IndyMBA2020 · Answer

Hey,

A really important question - I think all great advice provided up above. In my opinion, the recommendation letter is to complement what you are saying and should be used in the context of your whole application.

This is a great opportunity for your recommender to help validate a point or to draw attention to a point in your application that you perhaps ran out of space. Most recommenders will discuss with you what/how should be written. Although I always advice against putting words in their mouth, you should tell them that your application is based on the following factors, remind them of an example which you couldn't highlight in your essays but will help you in your application.

If you take a holistic approach and not think about making the recommender corroborate your stories, thats the best way to do this.

Hope this helps,

Don't hesitate to contact me with any other questions.

ARINGO · Answer

Hi there,
Many top MBA programs use the GMAC's Common Letter of Recommendation form, meaning they are asking the same recommendation questions, so your recommender can answer these questions once and then you can use it for multiple schools. Here are the common questions:

1. Please provide a brief description of your interaction with the applicant and, if applicable, the applicant’s role in your organization.

2. How does the performance of the applicant compare to that of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? e.g., what are the applicant’s principal strengths?

3. Describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant’s response.

4. Is there anything else we should know? (optional)

Letter of recommendation

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