In order to transition out of college successfully, part of your challenge will be to distinguish yourself from peers and colleagues. Your ability to market yourself and have a clear sense of who you are, your talents, and your experience will be vital whether you are applying to a graduate program or entering the work force.
In this exercise, you will be asked to take on the role of your own recommender. Using the following tips and sample letters to guide you, please write a recommendation letter for yourself that highlights your abilities (both professional and academic) as well as communicates yourcareer aspirations.
Letters of Recommendation should:
- Provide admissions/hiring committees with information that isn't found elsewhere in the application, including personal qualities and accomplishments.
- Express your academic and research skills.
- Identify and elaborate on your applied experiences that make you unique and perfect for the program/job to which you've applied.
- Communicate your professional goals.
To complete the Professional Development Checkpoint, please send this page along with your letter to your CSP counselor by the deadline to be eligible for your next disbursement.
Help us improve our programming by answering the following questions:
On a scale from 1-4, how useful did you find this activity to be?
1.Extremely useful
2.Useful
3.Not useful
4.Waste of time
On a scale from 1-4, would you recommend this activity to a friend?
1.I would highly recommend this activity to a friend.
2.I might suggest this activity to a friend.
3.Undecided if I would recommend this activity to a friend or not.
4.I would NOT recommend this activity to a friend.
Year 4 Fall
Tips for Writing a Top Notch Letter of Recommendation
Target the recommendation: Is this a recommendation for graduate school admission or for your dream job? Be clear about the purpose of your recommendation and focus on the elements of your experience in which the reader would be most interested. For example, someone considering you for a job would want to know most about your work, leadership, and volunteer experience, while a graduate school selection committee needs to know more about your academic pursuits.
Familiarize yourself with the program/position: Learn something about the program or job to which you are applying to make sure it is a good fit. Would you recommend yourself for something that’s not a great match? Probably not.
Get to know the candidate you are recommending: In this case, you should already be pretty familiar with the candidate: you; however, you have grown a lot since the last time you completed a college application. Take some time to deeply think about the recent experiences you have had and how they have prepared you for the next step of graduate school or work.
Balance praise with candidness: This is not a time to be shy. Letters of recommendation are, by definition, laudatory: grab a sheet of paper and make a list of your good qualities. On the other hand, don't go overboard and claim to be "superhumanly brilliant”—this could make you seem less than credible to your reader.
Discard the fluff: Writing your own letter of recommendation is not unlike putting together your resume: you must choose your accomplishments carefully. A letter that highlights two or three specific qualities, accomplishments, and achievements is far stronger than one that covers all your positive traits.
Maintain credibility: Because you want the letter to be different from other writing samples, make sure to vary your vocabulary, adapt expressions, and generally avoid phrasing things exactly as you did, say, in your admission essay or cover letter.
Avoid redundancy: Don't repeat accomplishments that have been described in detail elsewhere. The letter should support your main accomplishments rather than merely rehash your resume. Write about them in a new light, expanding on areas where you did not have the opportunity to elaborate on elsewhere.
Year 4 Fall
Sample Letter 1
[Date]
[Full Name]
[Title]
[School Name]
[Address]
[City, State, Zip code]
Dear [Mr./Ms. Last Name]:
I am writing to you in support of Ms. Ramos and her desire to attend [University Name] for the MSW program. Though many students ask me to make this request on their behalf, I only recommend students whom I feel are well-suited for the program of their choice. Ms. Ramos is one of those students and therefore, I highly recommend that she be given the opportunity to attend your university.
As a professor of Sociology at California State University, Long Beach, I work with many students who have substantial knowledge of Sociology. Ms. Ramos has consistently shown such a strong desire to learn Sociology that I simply could not turn down her request for recommendation.
I first met Ms. Ramos in my Adolescents and Delinquency course during the spring semester. Compared to the class average of 89%, Ms. Ramos earned a B+ in the class. Ms. Ramos was evaluated on exams, papers, and final project, in which she performed exceptionally well.
Linda is an outstanding individual with a strong character. She has the ability to produce impressive results in a wide variety of areas. Linda has exceptional communication skills and is highly organized. She has an ability to work well with others and is motivated to succeed. I have seen astonishing results on complex projects that offered great attention to detail where quality was never compromised. Additionally, she has a very positive attitude and truly embraces learning all there is to know about Sociology.
Though Linda has consistently exceeded in all areas of her coursework, the best example of her intelligence shone through a paper on Foster Youth within the Juvenile Delinquency System. The work clearly showed her ability to deliver a clear, concise, and well-thought presentation with a new perspective by demonstrating exceptional research skills and ability to synthesize information to produce informed and creative policy recommendations to produce better outcomes.
In addition to her coursework, Linda also dedicated some of her time volunteering at United Friends of the Children. Her position required her to assist with workshop facilitation and panel presentations to inform and motivate high school aged youth. She felt volunteering was an important leadership role, in which she learned presentation skills and facets of program development. The skills acquired through volunteering will be beneficial to all of Linda future endeavors. Linda has the ability to manage and organize her time and schedule around different activities without having them interfere with school. Her experience at United Friends of the Children provided her with the aptitude that she needs for graduate school and for a career in social work.
I believe Linda is destined to be a leader in the field of social work, and therefore is an excellent candidate for your school. I highly recommend that you consider her application, as she will be a great asset to your program. I’m sure you will find her to be a student whose talents will only shine further through your graduate program. It is my hope that you will accept her admission to your university. If you would like further information, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
[Professor’s Name]
[Professor’s Title]
[University]
Year 4 Fall
Sample Letter 2
[Date]
[Full Name]
[Title]
[School Name]
[Address]
[City, State, Zip code]
Dear [Mr./Ms. Last Name]:
I am writing to you with regard to Ms. Ramos who has requested that I write a letter of recommendation on her behalf. Linda and I discussed her recent decision to pursue graduate studies through your university. I applaud her decision and strong desire to take her dedication and skill to the next level.
At United Friends of the Children we continually recognize new employees who seek more than a career. They are looking to make their mark in the field of social work. They come with dreams of high success and are willing to work hard.
However, the social work field is quite challenging and requires a great deal of discipline and training. Many with high hopes don’t survive the pressure. Others seem to handle pressure well, but lack creativity, guts or endurance. Lastly, one must continue to grow and improve personally and professionally to reach the top.
Luckily for United Friends of the Children, we recognize that Linda possesses many of the necessary qualities to succeed in this challenging field. We have closely watched her develop into a fine leader and she currently manages [embellish here]. Additionally, Linda‘s desire to stay at the top of her game is clear as she consistently offers a fresh perspective and creative approach to programming. She also approaches her projects from an informed and reflective place that produces a detailed and well thought out product as well as high quality case management.
I have worked with Linda for the past 3 years. The thing that impresses me the most about her is her communication skills, high degree of professionalism with staff and clients and reliability. She is also constantly looking for new challenges, skill building and developing a resourceful network of colleagues that respect and admire her.
Linda is still young to the field and can be naïve at times. However, she somehow manages to turn negative events into positive learning experiences and never makes the same mistake twice. She also never gives up and appreciates positive criticism that can only make her grow in the long run. Linda does have a few shortcomings—that she is aware of and tries to work on—which I think your graduate program will help her to overcome, including managing multiple priorities and creating healthy boundaries.
It is my belief that a stronger education will help Linda to truly succeed in the field of social work by diminishing her shortcomings and improving her talents. Since the curriculum offered by your university is designed to build on each student’s capabilities, I am confident that Linda will both grow from and give back to your program.
Sincerely,
[Employer’s Name]
[Employer’s Title]
[Company]
Year 4 Fall