What are some of the criteria that the candidate should keep in mind while selecting recommenders? Should the candidate manage the recommendation letter writing process? What are some of the best practices?
GyanOne: A recommendation is really an endorsement. Ignore it at your peril. It is very important to be able to ask the right people for a recommendation, people who can talk about your abilities and comment on your achievements at work.
Another important point when it comes to recommendations is whether it is fine to ask a colleague or peer. In most cases, it is not, except for some schools that are simply silent on the issue of whom to ask for a recommendation. Even with these schools, it is better to play safe and make sure that the person recommending you is senior to you in your firm’s hierarchy or is at least clearly seen to be someone whom you cannot influence by way of authority.
It is important to select someone who has worked with you rather than just go for the person with the highest designation who will still agree to write the recommendation. Many candidates feel that if they are able to get a recommendation from the CXO of their organization, their admission will be a foregone conclusion. Remember, B-school Admissions committees are unlikely to be impressed by the credentials of the person if he or she cannot write about you very well in the recommendation! At the same time, it is worth mentioning that if you can get a recommendation from someone who is a well-known and respected figure, go for it. To make matters clear, here are two examples.
Example 1: Choosing between a senior manager of the company who you work for every day and the company’s COO who once asked you to pull together some data for the board presentation => Go for the senior manager
Example 2: Choosing between the senior manager mentioned above and Azim Premji (assuming he agrees to write the recommendation) => Go for Premji
The best way to get a good recommendation is to do good work, be known as a strong performer, and of course have a good relationship with your recommender. Finally, be aware of the fact that asking your boss for a recommendation also signals that you will leave the organization if you get accepted. Some people prefer to avoid their direct managers for this reason. There is no one strategy that works for everyone, and each case needs to be pondered over after considering the particular situation involved.
A key applicant group that tends to struggle in deciding who to ask for a recommendation is the group of entrepreneurs / self-employed professionals. Most of them do not really have a boss who can recommend them, and in some cases the boss is a family member / close relative / friend, who, as noted above, is persona-non-grata as far as recommendations are concerned. In such cases, it is fine to ask clients to give you a recommendation. Although clients may not have as deep a view into your professional capabilities as your boss or peers do, they will still be able to provide some perspective. Admission committees understand this and takes it into account.
GyanOne emphasizes the high importance of recommendations in our premium AppOne™ service for top school admissions. Along with the essays, your academic scores, and your GMAT scores, the recommendations play an important part in creating a strong impression about you for the admissions committee.
About the Author
GyanOne is an educational services firm focused on premium GMAT coaching, application advisory (with a focus on ISB applications), and interview preparation for B-school admissions. GyanOne operates in the New Delhi region of India and has top global B-school alumni with a minimum score of 770 on the GMAT, as instructors. All GyanOne counsellors are professionally trained top B-school alumni with an experience of 100+ MBA applications behind them.