Reco Letters -Some questions answered.

a)What should be the ideal length for a reco letter? 1 page, 2 page.... !
Doesn’t matter. What is important is everything that is written should be relevant and to the point. If the person recommending you has lots of things to write about you, let it spill over to more than a page.

b) Should the recommender comment on each characterisic of the candidate with examples...Like Leadership skill,sense of humor, managerial capabilities....
Examples will certainly help!

c)Does the educational qualification of the recomender matter?
i) Lets say, if the recommender has had a mgmt degree from IIM will it be a plus ?

Of first importance is the amount of work the recommender has done with you and his suitability to judge you. Yes qualifications do enhance the credibility of the person and his recommendation!


ii)A supervisor/client with technical qualification might comment on the candidates managerial capabilities. Will the adcom take his comments seriously ?


Yes it will. Guess not all managers have a MBA, especially in Indian IT companies J:). Besides, MBA is not a pre-requisite for giving a recommendation.



The reason why I ask this Q is bcoz the adcom would definitely want to know if the candidate can handle the worklad at an MBA course and if the supervisor recommending him has an idea about it.


Good question. The recommender can draw a parallel from your abilities at work, examples where you have performed under pressure and stress. If the recommender is an MBA or say has a good Masters degree, it will help.



c)Will the ISB recco letter format have some boxes where the recommender needs to tick?
It had a matrix last year where your abilities were requested to be ranked on a relative scale. But wonder how this matters?



d)Recco letters - Typed or Neatly handwritten...Which one is better.?
Whatever is preferred by the recommender. If you have a say in it, ask for a neatly typed out one, signed on a letterhead.



e)If I plan to write my essays and reco myself (and get the reco signed by my manager), how important is it to choose a different writing style ?
In other words, can the adcom find out that both have been written by the same individual ...and what if it does find out ?


First of all, get the consent of the recommender before you write the reco on behalf of him. Choosing a different writing style will help, as ideally, these recommendations should be written by the recommender on his own and sent directly to the school without your knowledge of the content of the recommendation. But it is known that some recommenders prefer you writing it thanks to their busy schedule at work. However busy he is, ensure that he reviews it, changes it as he wishes and ensures that he understands what is in the reco. I know isolated cases in the past when the adcomm has taken to effort to contact the recommender for clarifications about the applicant. So do ensure that the recommender knows whats in the reco if he wants you to write it.