9 Simple Steps to Secure a Strong Letter of Recommendation
Love ’em or hate ’em, the ubiquitous, unceasing need for letters of recommendation will follow you around for the remainder of your academic and professional careers.
Now is the time to become proficient in the essential elements of these crucial tools for admission or employment, which can sometimes be difficult to obtain. For those of you who are already polished pros in this endeavor, please read through and provide a comment or two of quality advice from your experience. For the rest, hop on this train and prepare to experience amazing results, so long as you put in the required effort.
I have experience both requesting letters for myself and writing numerous letters of recommendation for others throughout my career. By following these nine steps, you can easily create top-notch references and receive outstanding letters of recommendation, reducing stress and boosting your confidence as you work towards your goals!
1. If you haven’t already, start recording your accomplishments — all of them, no matter how seemingly small.
The key to getting somebody with credibility to say something of substance about you, especially in a situation where you could really use the back-up, is to give them something to say. People have a hard enough time remembering the specifics of their own accomplishments. Trying to recall details on other peoples’ grand achievements is near impossible — even if they were your boss or teacher once upon a time.
Just because you remember something perfectly doesn’t mean your references will. Even if they do, they may not recollect it the same as you. That’s why you need to jot down anything and everything that is complementary to your character and achievements, as your resume evolves. As you do, you will actually start to see patterns emerge over time — and that can be particularly beneficial down the road.
We already have a sense for how charming, smart, or imaginative you may be, but people in decision roles want to know the why and the how… they want the proof that backs up all the adjectives describing you. That’s on you to provide to your reference.
You can use whatever method works best for you, but make sure you routinely capture your best achievements, including the circumstances and details that get lost in memory over time. A daily or weekly journal is a great place to record accomplishments — just be sure to index any items in a special place in the journal so you can easily revisit them when needed.
2. Use every opportunity to network, regardless of your age.
You began networking the moment you set foot in a school, a church, or a gym. Teachers, pastors, and coaches are all great mentors and excellent references. They might help you get that first job offer while you are young. The point is to start the habit early. Age is not a factor. What matters is building relationships that enable additional relationships as you get older.
Networking is as simple as interacting with people just as you normally would. The difference is that you actively discuss your hopes and dreams with people you trust and from there, just allow fate to run its course. Many times, your name will come up in the conversations of others and you won’t even realize it. You can easily be offered a job or perhaps, a referral to a previously unknown opportunity — without even asking.
Be open to simply talking to others. The more they learn about you, the more likely they are to think of you if the right opportunity arises.
3. When you reach a point in your life where you believe you might need to ask for a letter of recommendation, don’t procrastinate — get on it!
Do not hesitate — do just the opposite. Find out the deadline and work on the recommendation letter strategy immediately, before anything else.
Determine your short list of references — those who make the most sense to provide a particular recommendation. Other people have lives too, right? Dropping a request for a recommendation letter at the last possible moment will not endear you to your reference of choice. The people you seek out for recommendations will need to plan out their lives too, and they need maximum time to write something worthwhile that shows you in the best light.
While you gather your list of references together, obtain the application for whatever position for which you are applying and read it carefully to determine what attributes are being sought in the potential applicant. This is a critical step!
4. When you are confident in what the application desires in a candidate, do additional research on the organization.
Don’t assume that everything necessary is included in the application. Treat the application elements as the minimum requirements to be met.
Normally, whether its for a scholarship, a school of higher education, or for an employment application, you will be able to conduct research via the internet and any other sources of information to gain valuable background insights into the organization you are engaging. Learn from multiple sources and try to get a feel for how the organization conducts business.
Understand the organization’s values and mission, and find ways to reflect these in your recommendation. Once you have this information, highlight your most relevant achievements (as outlined in Step 1) that align with what the organization is seeking in an ideal candidate.
Develop a short paragraph or two that uses examples of specific accomplishments from your life to demonstrate your compatibility with the organization’s desired attributes. This paragraph is for your reference to use (as their reference!) when drafting their letter of recommendation on your behalf.
5. Reach out to your reference, the person from whom you are requesting a letter, and clearly explain what you need, providing them with all the necessary information to begin.
There are many ways to go about this. In-person contact (face-to-face or by phone) is always a best practice, but often times this is impossible. An email or text is sufficient in a pinch, but MUST be accompanied with this information, at a minimum (if texting, you can request where to email, snail mail, or otherwise deliver the information):
- Provide a copy of the application page showing the desired characteristics of the candidate. Include anything pertinent that you found in your research on the institution for which you are applying.
- Share drafts of paragraphs that clearly connect your experiences or achievements, which your reference has direct knowledge or oversight of, with the attributes the organization is seeking. Ensure that the reference you’ve chosen is the most suitable person to validate your accomplishments. Align specific achievements with relevant references. Credibility is key! That’s the whole purpose of this exercise.
- Inform your reference of your deadline, in addition to the application deadline. It’s advisable to give your reference at least two weeks, ideally more. Plan to submit all your application components well before the organization’s deadline by working backwards from the deadline. If you have several months, let your reference know but request the recommendation as soon as possible. Collaborate with them to establish a planned due date for the recommendation to be completed for you.
6. Follow up with your reference before the agreed upon deadline for the letter.
Many letters must be sent directly to the organization, but some come back to you to be included with the entire application. You don’t want to be a pest, but you should also leave nothing to chance. Follow up with your reference a few days before the earliest deadline, to see if they are on track or need additional information.
A simple “check-in” with them to see if they need anything and to remind them of the deadline is a reasonable courtesy, and is to be expected. If something has prevented your reference from accomplishing their part, you should still have ample time to react, if needed.
7. Have a “Plan B”, if your first reference appears to be coming up short for you.
It happens. Sometimes the best laid plans go awry, and your reference cannot deliver the goods for one reason or another. This is where you should be sure to spread your risk. If an application requests two letters of recommendation, be prepared to turn in three. If three are requested, best to ask four references for letters. You never know when somebody might be overwhelmed and unable to deliver for you on time.
This piece is really time dependent. If you have a longer span of time to work to deadline, then you probably have more time to recover. In situations with tight deadlines, having an additional option readily available can be advantageous. Use your judgment.
8. After you receive each letter (either directly or through the requesting organization), remember to send a ‘Thank you’ note to your reference.
If you think thank you notes are “old school”, you are dead wrong. When somebody takes the time to write a glowing one page masterpiece on your merits and superior attributes, the absolute least you can do is write them back a short note of gratitude. It doesn’t have to be much.
Just remember — the personal touch goes a very long way.
9. Last, but not least — let your references know when you have been accepted. Or not… accepted. Either way!
You may not get what you wish, but even still, let your references know that you value their efforts.
For one, if you did get the scholarship, or the job, or make it into the club, your references want to hear about the role they played in your success. You both win! And for those who did not make the cut, don’t despair. Your references are still behind you and will be more than happy to help again with your next attempt — but you have to keep them apprised. It’s only embarrassing if you ignore them.
Your network is there to back you up, and you never know when they can be of assistance again, so let them know the results. They might even be able to direct you to alternatives you never thought of before.
Well, that’s it. What you do from here is on you. If this helps you one day, I’ll gladly accept your thank you card when you get around to it.
If you have additional thoughts, please leave a comment below and I’ll address them in a future follow-up list.
