Letter of Recommendation

A letter of recommendation may be requested for a job application, volunteer activity, or graduate school. Regardless of the reason for the letter of recommendation, there a few best practices we recommend you follow.

First, identify those you will ask to write a letter of recommendation and provide them at least 2- 4 weeks of notice to write the letter. Then, kindly ask the individual via email or in person to write the letter. It is helpful to provide the writer with context of what the letter is for and specific strengths you may bring to the opportunity based on your experience with each of them.

Helpful information to include when requesting a letter of recommendation:

• What the letter is for (ie job, internship, graduate school)
• Details about the opportunity (what the job, internship, or graduate program is)
• What you are hoping they can highlight in a letter (specific strengths you offer)
• Share your resume to remind them of your academic and career path
• Deadline (give them a 2-4 week notice)
• Any addresses/links/contact information necessary for submitting the recommendation