does direct supervisor have to be my formal direct mgr?

Question

I changed roles within my company in jan 2009. I interviewed with, was hired by and came to work for manager #1. around april we had a reorg and for purely bureaucratic reasons they had to introduce another layer of middle management. a senior peer became manager #2.

however, while i have a decent relationship with him, and i think he does appreciate my work, i don't want him to write my letter of recommendation. i don't think he is a good writer, nor would he be very generous (his personality).

moreover, i have closer daily interaction with manager #1 as our roles and scope is more aligned. manager #2 works on entirely different areas and he is not naturally involved in my work.
manager #1 has more insight into my decision making, my contributions etc.

so when stanford says "direct supervisor" is it okay to skip one level of chain of command in this situation? should i write and explain it in a supporting letter?

PaulBodine · Answer

msft2010,

I don't think you need to worry about your situation. Clearly, Manager #1 is the one who should write the letter, but you may want to *briefly* explain why you chose him or her in your essays. The problem with both #1 and #2 is that neither has worked with you long enough to carry alot of weight, so Stanford will be putting alot of weight on the direct supervisor in your previous job. For that letter, you had better get it from your direct supervisor (the person you formally reported to).

Good luck,

Blayze · Answer

Paul,

Just on this topic, I am in a situation where I can get a reference from either my direct supervisor (Senior VP) or the founder and CEO of my company, whom I also work for directly on certain projects (but isn't technically my direct supervisor). Alternatively, my direct supervisor has mentioned that he can write it, and then the CEO can revise/comment on it as he sees fit and then ultimately sign off on it, if the higher title will help in terms of credibility. Having the CEO as a reference is by no means a stretch as I have worked directly with him, I am just concerned that HBS/Stanford/Wharton would potentially see it as a hollow endorsement given that it is usually rare for CEO's of publicly traded companies to work directly with people my age.

Thoughts?

PaulBodine · Answer

Blayze,

Sounds like you are in the lucky position to get two meaty reco letters from supervisors in your current office. I would get letters from *both* of them, but I would guide them to avoid discussing the same stories. If your schools will let you submit three letters then make your third letter your direct supervisor in your previous job or someone who can speak about your leadership/impact in your current extracurricular commitment (if relevant). Obviously, an enthusiastic letter from a CEO is a good thing if he knows you well and if the examples he gives demonstrate that you've had impact on the firm.

Good luck,

Blayze · Answer

Thanks for the feedback. The reason I posed the original question is because I have two other references I want to use. One is a direct supervisor from the private equity firm I worked at prior to my current role. I spent my first two years post-undergrad there, so I feel it may be an important piece of professional career to exclude. The other is the managing director of a non-profit that I have been heavily involved with for 6 years. I feel he's a mandatory reference because he would be my only non-work related reference and he's my only "leadership" reference. So in my mind, it boils down to:

1) CEO + Direct Supervisor at current firm (Senior VP of Strategy and Corp Dev.) + Managing Director at non-profit
or
2) CEO + Managing Director at non-profit + Direct Supervisor at Private Equity Firm
or
3) Direct Supervisor at current firm + Managing Director at non-profit + Direct Supervisor at Private Equity Firm
or
4) CEO + Direct Supervisor at current firm + Direct Supervisor at Private Equity Firm

It's a tough decision... I was originally leaning towards choice 2) mainly for the breadth of different perspectives as well as the "star power", but the other options sound good as well. I had never actually considered getting two references at my current corporation... but now that you bring it up, I think it merits consideration.

Given these options, which would you recommend? Note that if I went with Option 2), then it would still be my direct supervisor writing 90% of the letter with the CEO's final edits and signature. Thanks for your thoughts Paul!

PaulBodine · Answer

I think you should play it safe and go with option 3 since it comes the closest to satisfying schools' preferences for letters from direct supervisors. But, yes, get 4 letters if you can and maybe use the CEO if you get wait-listed ...

Good luck,

Good luck,

Blayze · Answer

Thanks Paul. I will have to give this some thought later on in the process. I find it hard to let go of the "CEO star power" factor... bad I know

PaulBodine · Answer

You're welcome.

does direct supervisor have to be my formal direct mgr?

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