Letters of Recommendation

[Adaon]

Was hoping Chris, or Andy would field this in the appropriate forum(s), but seeing as it applies to both school and careers, I figured I had a 50/50 chance of getting it in the right one.

Filling out forms for summer internships is one of those pain in the neck things that are akin to applying to schools and programs for the summer.

And as such, getting letters of recommendation is a pain the arse technique that often requires a humbling of one's self and a dropping to the knee position, close to that of the marriage proposal pose, and promptly paying homage to the butt of the person you want a recommendation from.

In such letters, if you happen to know, do you remember what the person recommended specifically about you? Qualities? Past experiences working together?

And if you remember writing such things for insubordinates or friends and such (cackles with impending doom in the background), what did you put into it? I'm in a unique position of writing a letter for someone, and I don't know what to put, so in a way I'm looking for a bit of advice. I'm gonna post what I happened to find in copies of recommendations past for me, just so I can rehash and embarrass myself some more.

[SynRG]

Rec letters are usually pretty straightforward. My advice is don't make it all rosy... put in a few words about the person's personality and work ethic. Add an anecdote too if you can think of a good one that makes the person look good. I don't think I've ever had a rec letter that was much longer than half a page... perhaps at the longest 2/3 a page.

Idunno if this helps- but think like you're writing a friendster testimonial for one of your homeboys... but the people who will be reading it aren't chicks, but potential employers instead. You know your boy best, so pick out the qualities about him you think the other guy wants to hear, and then back it up w/ some brief anecdotal evidence.