How to Ask for and Receive Letters of Recommendation or References

There comes a time when you need a little help from your friends, business associates, or co-workers. That is when you are asking them for a letter of recommendation for yourself.

You will want to be sure and get good letters of recommendation. Just because someone is your good friend or co-worker doesn't mean they are good at writing letters of recommendation.

A good letter of recommendation doesn't just state how nice you are. A good letter of recommendation states specifically how uniquely talented you are for the position you are pursuing.
Writing useful letters of recommendation is a skill and it is something your recommendation sources can learn how to do. If you're asking someone to write a letter of recommendation for you, here are ways you can help:

* Send a personal letter to the individual you are requesting a letter of recommendation from. The first paragraph will describe the position you're applying for and why you want it. In the second paragraph, mention three or four significant achievements or accomplishments that are not on your resume. The writer can end the letter with the skills and experiences you want emphasized.

* Provide the writer with a current copy of your resume. Make sure they know what your unique talents are and the experiences that confirm this. This kind of information adds credibility to the recommendation letter and will show that the writer knows you well.

* If you are asking more than one person to provide you with a letter of recommendation for the same position, ask each writer to emphasize a different set of skills or personal attributes about yourself.

* Be sure you provide the writer with the correct name, spelling, and title of the individual they are addressing the letter to, unless they are writing a more general letter for your file.

* Send a thank-you note to the person providing the letter of recommendation within two days of making that first request. This will serve as a reminder for them to send you the recommendation letter.

It's not a bad idea to get a letter of recommendation from an immediate supervisor long before you may even require it. This way, you will have it on file with your updated resume and it will be ready to distribute whenever you need to.

You can approach a boss or supervisor with "I would like to have a letter of recommendation from you about my job performance. I can add it to my personal file along with the others from my previous employers." This will suggest to him or her that this is something you have always done. It doesn't imply that you are not happy at work and want to find another job.

Letters of recommendation are also appropriate to request from friends or business acquaintances from outside your employment. Since you are comfortable in asking the individual and feel that they have known you long enough to speak confidently of your work record and significant skills.

If the person you are requesting your letter of recommendation from asks you to prepare it for their signature, follow the same steps previously mentioned. Professionally type the letter with their name, title, employment address, work number and home phone number in the upper right portion of the letter. When you provide him or her with the letter for their signature, remember to tell them to feel free to change anything they don't agree with.

--Kay LaRocca is Vice President Corporate Services for CareerSoar.com. Her email address is kay@careersoar.com.