Dear Yenni Sutejo

Memang teorinya yg buat surat adalah recommender sendiri, tp berhubung dosen di
Indonesia ini sangat sibuk (banyak job sampingan) maka sering kali mahasiswa
suruh buat sendiri, yg terpenting Yenni harus tahu dulu apa yg ingin disampaikan
melalui rekomendasi ini. Usahakan dari dosen pembimbing skripsi, kalo tdk bisa
yg dosen wali. Saya harap materi di bawah bisa berguna juga bagi anda, intinya
usahakan buat "rich stories" yg bisa ceritakan keterlibatan anda di organisasi
jurusan, aktif dlm hal akademik, posisi anda di kelas (top 5%, 10%, etc.)

Good luck


Yohanes


How to Write a Recommendation Letter for Business School


I've already talked about the emphasis (or lack thereof) given to
recommendations in the Seven Application Elements section of this site. What I
said was that most people end up having to write their own rec's or at the very
least help their recommenders write them.

The joint-effort approach is fine, but if you end up helping your recommender,
be sure to address some of the following key issues and try to avoid some of the
common pitfalls.

What Should I Do With the Grid Boxes?

Most of the applications will ask your recommender to check grid boxes rating
your personality in areas ranging from potential for leadership to sense of
humor. Believe it or not, your recommender will have to determine whether your
sense of humor is in the "top 50 percent," "top 10 percent," or "top 5 percent"
of your peer group.

If your recommender doesn't have the time to jump through that many hoops for
each school (which is usually the case), have him write one very comprehensive
letter of recommendation and address separate copies of it to each of your
schools. (Change the school name and address at the top of the letter.) I know
this means ignoring the instructions, but the schools understand that your
recommenders are doing you a favor, and they won't punish you if your boss
doesn't follow directions.

One well written letter will be a sufficient substitute for the grid boxes, but
what should you write about? Most schools ask for the same information. One of
my GMAT students figured that out a couple years ago and compiled a list of
common questions that he e-mailed to me. (He's now at Kellogg.)

I've included that list along with some comments in the attached Universal
Letter of Recommendation Form. If you're going to write your own
recommendation, or work with your recommender on his letter, be sure to use the
Universal Recommendation as a guide.


Don't Forge Your Recommendations


The schools send thank you notes to your recommenders. (Remember, they have to
include an address with their recommendations.) If your boss suddenly gets a
note from Kellogg thanking him for taking the time to write you a
recommendation, you might be leaving your job earlier than you had planned. I
know a few people who have made this mistake.

Don't forge your recommender's signature. Just between you and me, the
admissions people know that many of the recommendations are written by the
applicants. They expect, however, that the recommender at least had a chance to
review the recommendation before signing it.

You need to play along with the game. Sure your boss may ask you to do the
dirty work, but let him read the final product before you send it in.


A Special Note if You Do Write Your Own Recommendations

I'm an experienced editor, so it's easy for me to spot writing habits. I can
usually tell when a set of essays and an accompanying letter of recommendation
have been written by the same person. The voice, the diction, and especially
the errors of grammar and style are all unique identifiers. I have seen people
use the exact same phrasing in recommendations that they used in their essays.
That's why it's a bad idea to write your own rec's.

While the admissions people may not be professional editors, I know from
first-hand experience that they too catch applicants by noting their unique
phraseologies. Most of you will have to work with your recommenders in crafting
your letters, but don't write them wholesale. At the very least craft your
recommendations as a joint project. Even if your recommender would prefer that
you write them alone, encourage him to do some of the work so the language will
assure the reader that someone other than the applicant wrote the
recommendation.



A Few Pointers on the Letters of Recommendation

1. Don't get one from Lee Iococca. There's nothing wrong with Lee (not that I
know of, anyway), but he doesn't really know you and it shows in his letter.
The most common mistake applicants make with respect to the letter of
recommendation is getting one from a hotshot at work or from a brand name like
Lee Iococca. The admissions people are not impressed by your boss's boss's
title, and they are regularly bombarded by generic recommendations from
celebrity business people. So don't send them another.

You need a recommendation from someone who knows you well, preferably someone
who works with you daily and can provide personal insight into your character.
The job title of that person is meaningless to the admissions committee.

(And just to confirm, yes, my students have submitted recommendations from brand
names ranging from Lee Iococca to Charles Schwab. In fact, the person who
submitted the Lee Iococca letter and the person who submitted the Charles Schwab
letter ended up at the same MBA program.)

2. Have your recommender discuss specific details of the jobs you've done.
Detailing specifics will shed more light on your personality than will mouthing
vague platitudes such as, "Billy will make a good leader" and "I think he is
very conscientious."

3. This one may sound a little obvious, but pick someone who can write! You
know Maury, the section manager who thinks you're the greatest thing on earth
but who reads at a 3rd grade level? Don't ask him for a recommendation.

4. When the recommendation asks for a flaw or area of personal improvement,
don't let your recommender say, "Billy works too hard." No one buys that line.

5. There is no number 5.

6. Give your recommender an outline of the assignments you have handled at
work. Include in that outline some suggestions on how he might address specific
issues such as leadership potential and motivation for attending business
school. In addition to improving the recommendation, providing this information
should encourage your recommender to write the letter himself rather than ask
you to do the dirty work.

7. Whatever you do, don't let your recommender question your leadership or
communication skills! If he completes the grid boxes, make sure he gives you
high marks in those categories. The whole point of business school is to
develop leaders, and that means you have to communicate well.



The Universal Letter of Recommendation


The following Universal Recommendation is a compilation of the most common
questions the top schools ask your recommenders . Use it as a guide while
preparing your letter of rec.

Don't try to address every issue on the page; instead, pick those that show you
in the best light. Start by writing a brief answer to each question. Only
after you have good replies should you worry about fitting them together into a
coherent letter.

What Should My Recommender Include in the Letter of Rec?

As I mentioned in the section on letters of recommendation, most schools will
ask your recommenders for the same information. Most will also ask your
recommenders to jump through a lot of hoops, filling in grid boxes and writing
evaluations. Because recommenders don't usually have time to do that much work
for each of six schools (the minimum you should apply to), it's a good idea to
have them write one very comprehensive letter of recommendation that you can use
for all of your applications.

The "Universal Letter of Recommendation" form below was e-mailed to me a couple
years ago by one of the most successful applicants I ever knew. His academic
history was far from stellar. In fact, if you knew the details, you might think
he had no chance of being admitted anywhere. But fortunately for him, he's a
brilliant writer and a terrific guy who through some great essays was able to
convince five top programs that he had something valuable to offer.

His summary of the most commonly asked questions is a good starting point for
those of you who need to help your recommenders craft a very comprehensive
letter that you can use for all of your schools. The schools will accept such a
letter in place of the complicated form because they know the form is time
consuming.

Use this outline as a rough guide. You don't need to address every issue in it,
but try to hit the topics that pertain to you or that show you in the best
light. Also, look at the applications and try to determine whether some other
questions might play to your strengths. If they do, be sure to include them in
the list of questions you submit to your recommender.

Don't worry too much about the structure of the letter, just have your
recommender answer the questions. Structure isn't as important as content, so
have your recommender focus on providing some insight into your personality and
values.

When your recommender has finished the letter, have him address separate copies
of it to each school. (Just be sure not to write one school's name at the top
and another school's name in the body of the letter.)



Universal Business School Recommendation Form

Name of Person Completing the Recommendation:
Position/Title:
Organization:



In what context and for how long have you known the applicant? Please comment
on the frequency of interaction. Please give exact dates. Is this person still
employed by your organization?

In your answers, please describe specific activities or accomplishments that
demonstrate this candidate's strengths and weaknesses.


1. What are the applicant's principal strengths and special talents? / Provide
a short list of adjectives that describe the applicant's strengths.

2. Discuss the applicant's competence in his area of responsibility or
specialization (i.e. organizational skills, attention to detail, ability to
complete assignments).

3. How does the applicant's performance compare with that of his or her peers?
How does he accept constructive criticism? How has the applicant grown during
his employment with you?

4. Comment on the applicant's ability to work with others, including superiors,
peers and subordinates. Would you enjoy working for the applicant? / Please
discuss observations you have made concerning the applicant's leadership
abilities and group skills.

5. Comment on the applicant's maturity.

6. How would you describe the applicant's sense of humor?

7. In what ways could the applicant improve professionally? / What aspect of
the applicant would you most like to change? / In which areas could the
applicant exhibit growth or improvement? Has he worked on these areas?

8. How well has the applicant made use of available opportunities? Consider
his initiative, curiosity and motivation.

9. What do you think motivates the candidate's application to the MBA program?
Do you feel the applicant is realistic in his professional ambitions? / Has the
applicant given careful consideration to his plans for entry into the MBA
program? / Please comment on your impression of the applicant's capacity for
graduate work.

10. Comment on the applicant's business ethics.

11. What is your overall assessment of the applicant's potential for success as
an effective and inspiring upper-level manager?

12. Please provide detailed comments on the applicant's degree of
self-confidence.

Feel free to make additional statements concerning the applicant's
accomplishments, managerial potential and other personal qualities. / Comments
regarding the applicant's aptitude for graduate work and a career in business
and management will be especially appreciated.







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