Letter of Recommendation
What is a Letter of Recommendation (LOR)? - Types, Format, Writing Tips
The Letter of Recommendation or LOR is a document that provides the admission officers with a comprehensive insight into your suitable candidature, for admission into the concerned University. It aims to provide a favourable picture of your academic performance, strengths, experiences, achievements, contributions, and skills.
What is a Letter of Recommendation: The Letter of Recommendation or LOR is a document that provides the admission officers with a comprehensive insight into your suitable candidature, for admission into the concerned University. It aims to provide a favourable picture of your academic performance, strengths, experiences, achievements, contributions, and skills communicated by the recommender. This letter is written by people with official authority as well as professional experience which makes them eligible to state why you’re a good fit and vouch for your potential. The person writing the LOR should be known to you.
Types of Letter of Recommendation
Letters of Recommendation can be broadly classified into two categories based on the nature of the recommender:
Academic Letter of Recommendation (LOR)
How to get LOR from College: An academic LOR is a letter of recommendation provided by a faculty member of your current or previous educational institution. Usually, universities ask you to provide two or three LORs from your previous institution. This could be your teachers from your school in case of undergraduate courses, and professors from your college in case you are applying for Master’s or PhD programs. The Letter of Recommendation (LOR) Format from Faculty often varies in content and requires the professor to highlight the applicant’s accomplishments as a student of the course. Often, these are more relevant to MS Colleges Abroad or Bachelor Courses abroad.
Professional Letter of Recommendation (LOR)
Most of the MBA Colleges Abroad have pre-defined work experience requirements. Accordingly, they request a Professional Letter of Recommendation from an immediate supervisor. The Professional Letter of Recommendation (LOR) Format from a Supervisor varies from an Academic LOR in terms of some specific content that focuses on the applicant’s ability to work within a team, the exposure to the domain as well as his/her leadership abilities, all necessary to the MBA course applied for.
Why do you need a Letter of Recommendation?
LOR Application: Any student going to study abroad requires an academic letter of recommendation. Irrespective of the course (UG, MS, MBA, or PhD) and country, every student requires at least three letters of recommendation from either their college or professional background. For UG students, LORs can be taken from teachers, professors, school counsellors or the school principal. For MS students, college professors, internship supervisors, or the team lead/ manager from the company they have worked in, can issue recommendation letters. For MBA students, LORs should be purely professional, especially, if they have experience of three years or more. For MBA and PhD aspirants who have recently graduated from college, they can ask for recommendation letters from their college professors, supervisors, or project guides.
How to write a Letter of Recommendation (LOR)?
What is LOR Letter: Unless specified otherwise, a letter of recommendation is a 400-500 word essay that talks about a candidate’s strengths and weaknesses. There are some things you must include in a recommendation letter like the nature of the association as well as the tenure of the association. Apart from that, some basic formats must also be kept in mind.
- Most universities require this letter to be on the official letterhead.
- For an Academic LOR, the university’s letterhead is required and for a Professional LOR, the letterhead of the company is needed.
- One thing important to remember in the latter case is that the letterhead should be of the company the recommender is working in. This usually creates a problem if your recommender has moved on to another organization. Hence, the student must know how to choose the right recommender.
- An important point to be kept in mind is that a LOR is not a repetition of an SOP.
- An ideal LOR is supposed to demonstrate aspects/perspectives of your personality not mentioned in your SOP or resume. Thus, an ideal recommender is one who knows you well, has personally witnessed the quality of work delivered by you, and has readily agreed to provide specific instances of your valued contribution and excellence.
- A generic LOR is a strict no-no, as it does not offer much value to your candidature for the program you are applying. Therefore, strong examples form the core of a good LOR.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in a LOR
There are two schools of thought that go behind the importance of a Letter of Recommendation in your application. While some believe that the standardized version of a LOR makes it almost impossible to judge the students’ abilities, while others still believe that because of this very reason, it becomes one of the most deciding documents in your application. They think that often universities go through the LORs to ascertain not merely the validity of the student’s claims but also to judge how the student is perceived by his/her seniors
Here are some Common Mistakes to avoid.
Choosing the Wrong Recommender: Before you even think about what qualities to discuss/highlight in your letters of recommendation, you have to analyze and establish who you will choose as your recommenders. Your recommender must be someone, who knows your strengths and is capable of presenting them to the Admission Committee, in the most convincing manner. Choosing a recommender who hardly knows you is the gravest mistake an applicant can make while preparing his/her LOR. An Assistant Professor, who has taught you even one subject during your course, maybe a better choice as a recommender, than the College Principal, who may have just seen you participate in a few events at college. For more details, read How to Choose Your Recommenders.
Not Giving Enough Time to the Recommender: Rushing up your recommender, and yet expecting him to come up with an impressive and convincing recommendation, is one of the most common mistakes applicants commit. Request your recommenders well in advance of your application timeline and keep reminding them after regular intervals. The minimum time you must allocate for your recommenders should be one month. Approaching them at the last minute and forcing them to write your recommendation letter without giving them enough time to study and analyze your candidature would be unfair to your own application. The last minute hurry would definitely reflect on your recommendation, and weaken your chances of getting admission to the university of your choice.
How to Make an Impressive Letter of Recommendation (LOR)?
By now, I am sure you are well aware that your letter of recommendation is one of the essential documents of your application. Choosing the right recommender essentially depends on your equation and association with the recommender. Your selected recommender must be able to present and justify your candidature in the most effective manner, preferably with the aid of instances and anecdotes. The recommender must have a clear idea about specific attributes, project work, and instances that can be cited in the recommendation. Also, it is important not to simply mention the instances but also the manner in which the same is presented would add value to the LOR.
Format of a Letter of Recommendation (LOR)
A typical LOR follows a standard business letter format:
Your Name
Title/Position
Organization
Contact Information
Date
Recipient Name
Recipient Title
Recipient Organization
Recipient Address
Salutation (Dear Mr./Ms./Dr. [Recipient’s last name])
Introduction
- Briefly introduce yourself and your relationship with the applicant.
- Clearly state the purpose of the letter.
Body
- Provide specific examples of the applicant’s skills and achievements.
- Highlight the applicant’s strengths and qualities relevant to the position or program.
- Use anecdotes or stories to illustrate your points.
Conclusion
- Reiterate your strong recommendation.
- Offer contact information for further inquiries.
Sincerely,
Your Signature
Typed Name
How to Write a Good LOR
- Be specific and detailed: Use concrete examples to support your claims.
- Focus on the applicant’s strengths: Highlight their most relevant skills and qualities.
- Tailor the letter to the specific opportunity: Address the requirements of the position or program.
- Be honest and sincere: Your enthusiasm for the applicant should be genuine.
- Proofread carefully: Errors can create a negative impression.
Skills to Highlight in an LOR
The specific skills to highlight will depend on the applicant’s goals and the position or program they are applying for. However, some common skills that can be emphasized include:
- Academic abilities: Strong analytical skills, critical thinking, research capabilities, problem-solving skills.
- Leadership skills: Ability to lead teams, motivate others, make decisions, and delegate tasks.
- Communication skills: Effective written and verbal communication, interpersonal skills, presentation skills.
- Technical skills: Proficiency in relevant software or tools, data analysis, programming, etc.
- Work ethic: Dedication, perseverance, time management, and ability to meet deadlines.
- Interpersonal skills: Teamwork, collaboration, adaptability, and empathy.
- Problem-solving skills: Ability to identify problems, analyze solutions, and implement solutions.
Letter of Recommendation (LOR) Sample for Study Abroad
LOR Samples: A Letter of Recommendation (LOR) is one of the most important documents in your application process for study abroad. Irrespective of the programme, course, university, and country, the LOR plays a crucial role in deciding the admission of a candidate. We’ll discuss about letter of recommendation format in this article for students planning to submit one for studying abroad.
Introduction
In the first paragraph itself, the recommender should introduce himself by stating his designation and workplace (company/ college/ institution, city). The next lines of the introduction should contain the details of where and how the recommender comes in contact with the aspirant. It should also be mentioned for how long the recommender has been acquainted with the student, be it in year or months. The significant point to be noted here is that the recommender should at a senior level so that he can right judge the student’s work and behaviour. Therefore, the recommender can be a professor/faculty, direct supervisor, Principal of a school, Dean of the college, manager, vice-president, deputy manager, and so on. No colleague, friends, or family member issue a LOR.
Body of the LOR stating qualities with instances
Qualities that can be included in LOR
Each LOR is drafted differently depending on the course. Here are some examples of attributes that you can mention in a LOR depending on the program/ course.
For a professional LOR:
- Decision-making skills
- Leadership ability
- Teamwork skills
- Strengths and skills regarding management
- Time management and multitasking
- Summary of job responsibilities and diligence
- Initiative and dedication
- Creative and innovative ideas
- Integrity and reliability
- Hard work and ability to work independently
For an academic LOR:
- Leadership ability
- Teamwork skills
- Academic performance
- Passion
- Highlight awards and recognition
- Hardworking and initiative
- Research skills
Guidelines for Writing a Letter of Recommendation (LOR)
First Paragraph: Introduction
The Introduction of a LOR consists of a brief description of the recommender’s credentials, such as the name, title, college/company name, city, and his relationship with the student. Also, include details of how long and in what capacity the recommender has known the student. Highlight the student’s stand. In this case, the recommender can compare the client’s status as against any other persons (in the student’s batch), whom he has supervised or taught. The recommender should identify responsibilities including a number of people supervised/ class strength etc. End this paragraph with the client’s outstanding qualities that motivate the recommender to recommend the client. This line should give an overview of the qualities and attributes that the recommender is going to discuss in the following paragraphs.
Qualities to be highlighted in a LOR
- Leadership
- Team skills
- Diversity in education/occupation
- Career progression
- International exposure
- Extracurricular Activities/ Community work
- Professional and personal achievements
- Time management and deadline orientation
- Communication and interpersonal skills
- Basic business understanding
- Decision making
- Presentation skills
- Analytical skills
- Motivation
- Maturity
- Integrity
- Reaction to setbacks
- Concern for others
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