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"I liked every change that was made. I love you guys. This has got to be the best service that a back to work mom can ever get. I wish everyone knew about the quality of the work done by you guys." |
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Writing the Letter
Yourself
When requesting a letter of recommendation, don't be surprised if your
instructor or supervisor hands the forms back to you and says, "Sure, why
don't you go ahead and write the first draft yourself, and I'll revise it and
sign at the bottom."
Chances are, that person will already be handling (or dodging) a large number of
such requests, and in addition busy schedules sometimes call for letter-writing
delegation. This is particularly true within professional settings, where
employees are expected to carry out self-evaluations.
You might at first find the assignment rather awkward, but this is a great
opportunity to make sure the letter matches your goals and effectively
highlights your most relevant achievements. When preparing to write a draft for
your own letter of recommendation, keep a few things in mind:
Balance praise with
candidness. Many
people feel uncomfortable praising themselves. If you are the shy type, cast
aside your timidity and try to be objective about your accomplishments. Letters
of recommendation are, by definition, laudatory: so grab a sheet of paper and
make a list of your good qualities. On the other hand, don't completely discard
modesty and err on the side of pure, distilled self-praise: your supervisor
might not agree that you are indeed "superhumanly brilliant", and
anyway admissions readers are much keener on candid, well-balanced letters than
ones rife with superlatives.
Pick wisely and
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. If you are having trouble paring down
the content, ask a friend or colleague to look over the text and pick out the
most impressive points.
Maintain
credibility.
Concentrate on making the letter believable. This doesn't mean just sticking
with the facts; it means finding a voice that accurately portrays you from the
recommendation writer's perspective. Remember that the letter must be
stylistically different from your other submitted written work. Vary your
vocabulary, adapt expressions, and generally avoid phrasing things exactly as
you did, say, in your personal statement or cover letter.
Avoid redundancy.
Don't repeat accomplishments that have been described in detail elsewhere in
your application. The letter should support your main accomplishments rather
than merely rehash your resume. Write about these accomplishments in a new
light, expanding on areas where you did not have the opportunity to elaborate on
elsewhere in the application or cover letter.
See the writing a letter section.
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