Recommendations as an addendum to a resume are valuable, especially when they you thrget them to the employer you want to work for and the job you want to do.
Strategy
- Ask for a recommendation from someone whose credentials, achievements, intelligence, and integrity you respect. The employer is wise enough to know whose opinion matters.
- Request the recommendation from a person who holds a high an opinion of you. You'll want the superlatives to fly freely from the endorser's pen.
- Develop an outline for the recommendation—at the least. Provide endorsers with the information you would like to appear in the recommendation. Better yet, give them the points to include. In fact, write the recommendation yourself upon the endorser's request.
- Give the writer a deadline—but allow sufficient time. And allow fudge time for your own review of the recommendation or for transmitting it to the employer.
- Ask to review the recommendation—this is for a job. Do not waive the right to review what the endorser writes if you can help it. You need a positive, not lukewarm, review.
- Express gratitude to the endorser. They deserve your appreciation because their time is limited, and they do not have to do this for you.
- Maintain files of all recommendations. You'll never know when you might need them. Plus, they're nice to look at from time to time.
Content
Here's a content checklist for the recommendation:
- applicant's full name and relationship to endorser
- duration of the association
- reason for the endorsement
- applicant's personal qualities
- applicant's work ethic
- applicant's interpersonal skills
- applicant's technical skills
- applicant's accomplishments
- applicant's goals
- applicant's potential contributions to the employer
