Letter of Recommendation Question

Question

Hey All

I'm applying in R2 for Aug'24 intake.

I have a couple of questions re LORs. Background: I have been working at a startup for the past 3 years. Before this, I was working in a F500 company.

My recommenders of choice are:
1. Ex supervisor (Director of Finance) in current startup who managed me for the initial 14 months (he also hired me, and recommended me for promotion to my current role)
2. Supervisor (Director of Finance) in my previous F500 company.

My question is, since my recommenders haven't interacted with me in best part of couple of years - will this be detrimental to my application?

My alternatives are:
1. VP of Credit (who has worked with me for all 3 years at the startup)
2. Procurement Director (again - same all 3 years at current startup)
My interactions with them are occasional and the stories are not as rich as the ones I have with my choice of recommenders.

3. Dotted line reporting Senior Manager of Finance (worked for past 18 months with me pretty closely - I have great rapport with him. Only issue is that he is as high in rank as my other options.)

What do you guys think?

Thank you.

admitStreet · Answer

anirudhsrikanth - Would suggest prioritizing the recommender(s) who have worked with you closely over a period of time, and can provide specific examples of your achievements and growth. If outdated (ideally not more than a couple of years), you could refresh their memory of the key projects/ achievements. The alternative choices don't seem strong, except perhaps #3, who can be used as an additional recommender, for schools that expect 2/3 LoRs. The optional/ additional essay in the application can then be used to explain the choice of recommenders. Some further guidelines and tips/ mistakes to avoid reg LoRs can be found here . Hope this helps. Regards, Arvind Founder, admitStreet LinkedIn W: https://admitstreet.com | E: consultingteam@admitstreet.com

Archit3110 · Answer

Recommenders should be ideally managers to whom you have worked closely with.. in case there are none then you can get referrals from people within organization who has worked in a project with you.. there is an optional essay you may mention about this in it as well...
All the best for applications

Posted from my mobile device

Admissionado · Answer

anirudhsrikanth :

None of these recommenders are going to be 'detrimental' to your application. It's a question of what is the strongest set of options to put forth.

Option #3 is a great choice and should be one of your two. There's a big myth out there that seniority/title holds a lot of value. As noted by others here, the focus is having recommendations from folks who know you well. This person seems like a great fit.

Option #1, 1 seems like a good fit too. You'll have the recent coverage from Option #3, so you won't be without a 'current' view.

Bear in mind, you have to trust these people to deliver. If you're not as close with someone, it might create issues in the near future about having these folks meet deadlines, be willing to write letters to additional schools, etc. Stick with those you hold most closely.

Admissionado

ExpertsGlobal · Answer

Hello  anirudhsrikanth ,

Hope this finds you well.

The alternatives suggested by you do not sound like great options; the idea is always to get recommendations from individuals who have worked with you in a close capacity and will be able to provide situational examples that demonstrate how well they have known you and your work.

Our suggestion would be to speak with the first two options suggested by you, understand how enthusiastic they sound and how willing they will be to have some inputs from you that help them refresh their memories. The Senior Manager of Finance sounds like a great option too (just in case one of the other two options do not work out); please do not worry about his rank.

Hope this helps.

All the best!

3Storms · Answer

anirudhsrikanth

Keep in mind the purpose of your LOR's:
To both support and augment your application strength. Only people who have worked closely with you can share rich stories full of anecdotes that demonstrate leadership potential, character and personality.

The key is 'gritty' LOR's (full of details and examples) -- not high level fancy recommendation language. And it's critical that they line up with the personal brand story you're building via your CV/Resume and essays.

Of course, we can discuss this further in a free initial call.

Best of luck

Vin

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