Getting the Recommenders to Recommend !!

I got them cute little gifts and cards and decided to give it to them before because I was getting anxious. Hopefully it'll have a triple effect: 1) showing gratitude, 2) sparking a fire under their butts to write, and 3) reminding them why they love me!

So far I only have proof of the second one, since she started it the day after I gave her the gift (according to the school's website)! I'm handing out the other two this week, so we'll see if it works there...

I think gift is a great idea. Now the they may feel "obligated" to write a good letter for you; but at the same time, they may still drag their heels along the way. You have to remember, most of them have high stress jobs and a family that they must devote time to. I'm about to talk to my recommenders this week, and I will give them a deadline 2 weeks before the actual deadline.

This is always a delicate situation. I agree with Dbalks that giving recommenders your own earlier deadline can alleviate some stress on your part and allow for more flexibility in extenuating circumstances.

When you are waiting for recommendations, you do not want to remind your recommenders so often that they are annoyed, but a little nudge is reasonable if the deadline is approaching. When you reach out, ask the recommenders if they have everything they need to write the recommendation. If they are having trouble remembering specific details about their work with you, reminding them can inspire them to start writing.

If they are your recommenders, it means you picked them because they know you well and think highly of you. Therefore, don't be afraid to walk into their office and have a casual chat. Start by telling them how your own essay writing is progressing. Lead in with how some of your recommenders found it useful that you sent them talking points - could be total BS but gives you a reason to send them a follow up email with talking points!

Also, don't be afraid to be assertive because 1) they already think highly of you, and 2) this is your damn FUTURE! What you don't want is lasting regrets of not pushing your recommenders for fear of offending them, having them rush to submit a half-baked product, and getting dinged as a result of a poor package. Happens frequently enough to make me want to cry.

That is scary

But I agree, I am not yet dangerously close to the d-day. So might as well for some time before giving them a 'nudge' as has been pointed out

BTW, Cheets, I love your blog. Few people find the time to blog while at B-School, and fewer still can see both the good and the not-so-good at B-School, and not go Ooo-la-la about the "freakin-awesome" people and the "freakin-awesome" everything.

And Cheets, you were absolutely correct about the Booth presentation. Once you know what you want to create, its takes no time at all.

I set my recommenders deadlines a month before the actual deadline while giving them heads-up and questions 3 months in advance. I told them I want to apply earlier. I asked them if they are ready to commit and warned them that I will be ignoring all rules of politeness in reminding them of their commitment if they are late. I had very good relations with them, so saying this was not a problem despite their seniority in the global organisation.

Needless to say, I had to chase them up ferociously nevertheless. But I wasn't ashamed of reminding them multiple times - they committed, full stop.

Two recommenders sit with me in the same building but travel a lot while the third is based on another continent and travels a lot as well. After a couple of reminders to the former two, they started to tell me "I will do it tonight" before even saying "hi". I got my recs two weeks before the deadline but was really nervous. I used some tricks such as asking my former colleagues who can see whether the third recommender is in his office and is not on the phone to call him at that moment. I made about 5 or 6 reminder calls!!

In my situation those people had never written any MBA recommendations and they were afraid to start even though they were really keen to help. Make sure you educate them in advance and outline your expectations bluntly if your recommenders are as inexperienced as mine.

I decided not to buy any gifts before the admission to avoid creating a wrong impression. I did a lot for those guys both professionally and privately. I didn't feel obliged to buy any gifts and I guess they didn't expect me either. Not at this stage at least.

As HBSGrad said, it was (and still is) my damn future and I didn't want to let someone else screw it up!

This is a bit off topic...but in terms of gifts I am a proponent of gifting recommenders after all recommendations are in. Writing a good recommendation can take just as long as writing a good essay and doing it across multiple schools is a time suck. Regardless of whether or not you get into the school a small gift is a nice way to say thank you for your recommenders time and effort. JMO.

3 Months in advance !!! That's really a lot.