Recommendation Letters (and how best to ask for them)

Recommendation letters and references

I am happy to do them and consider them one of the most important parts of my job (and you thought all that classroom biz was it...).

What I need to do them well:

1. Your resume (or less likely, but possibly, your c.v….and what the difference between resume and cv even is from the Muse, original link)

2. A link to the program/job/award/fellowship/scholarship/whatever you are applying to

3. Information about how I'm sending the letter (e.g., they already gave you an e-mail address, you'll enter my name in a form for them to reach out to me)

4. Due dates

5. An initial draft of a personal statement you'd feel comfortable sending to the application committee. It should detail what you want out of the program/job/award/fellowship/scholarship/whatever you are applying to.

For this part, I recommend you give me a roughly 120-word blurb sketching out the fairy tale of how your whole life has led up to this opportunity and what it will be important for launching you into next. I recommend considering it part of the minimum needed for a good job application, with or without me. Narratives are crucial to your career development.

Got multiple submissions needing multiple letters?

My advice: Make a spreadsheet of all the links, addresses, due dates, etc.--for you really, but for me too. And make as many 120-word statements for as many different types of opportunities as you find yourself applying to. I know you don't like writing more than you have to, but you are probably not writing enough.

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