How to Ask Your Professor for a Letter of Recommendation.
Make sure you state precisely what you are asking them to do such as to write a general letter of recommendation for your credential file, to write a recommendation for a specific job, or for permission to list them as a reference. Give as Much Notice as You Can Give your faculty members as much advance notice as possible.
If you want a good recommendation letter, ask your professor about one and a half to two months in advance. Your professor has other things to do and may not have the time to write the letter as soon as you ask for it. If you ask later, expect to get a rushed letter that does not have the best recommendation that could have been.
Focus on the particular school. If the recommendation is for a college or graduate school, ask the student for information on the school or program. Try to focus on the student’s skills that relate to their ability to succeed at that school. If the letter is for a teacher, ask for a description of the job.
Once your professor agrees to write a reference letter for you, follow up at appropriate intervals until the process is complete. Within a day of meeting, confirm the recommendation details and due date by email. One week before the deadline, email or call with another friendly reminder.
Two weeks ago, I went to see my professor during his office hours to ask if he could write me a recommendation letter. He agreed and told me to email him. I sent my request a week later and it was just a general email asking for recommendation (without mentioning when I'd visited him). I still haven't got a response from that professor.
Choose people you value: Requesting a letter of recommendation from a professor or manager is an opportunity to show them you value their opinion about your skills, so you can also tell your reference why you chose to ask them for a recommendation. For example, if you’ve asked your accounting professor to write a letter for your Master of Business Administration program application, you.
When you ask a professor for a recommendation, do so with the goal of making the letter as easy as possible for your professor to write. This means before you send your request, have all of the following documents ready to send your professor as soon as they confirm that they can help with your request.
While a letter of recommendation from someone who’s high up the ladder can be impressive, make sure that you’re asking people who actually know you and your work. “Having a senior person write a generic letter of recommendation without any real knowledge of you and your skills will produce the opposite effect,” explains Padua.
Asking a teacher, professor or a former supervisor for a reference can be awkward, but it is an important step toward searching for a job or getting into college or graduate school. Don't ever simply list someone as a reference on your resume without asking first if he or she could give you a positive reference.
Your professor will be grateful that they aren’t under pressure and have time to put together a carefully considered letter. If you’re out of school, the same information applies to your boss at work. When asking for a letter of recommendation, do your best to ask in person (if you can’t, an email is acceptable).
Subject: Recommendation for John Smith. Dear Dr. Doe, I was hoping you would be willing to write me a letter of recommendation. My name is John Smith, and I am a Junior majoring in Biology. I took your Microbiology 102 course in fall of 2011 and finished with an A in the class.
Knowing why I’m writing the letter will affect how I present my opinion and will make my letter much more focused and effective. Thus, when you approach your professor for a letter of recommendation, come prepared. Ask for a few minutes of your professor’s time so that you can tell her what she needs to know to write a strong letter.
Begin your request with a substantial conversation about your interests and goals and then ask them if they can write a strong letter of recommendation. Most likely they will say yes. However, in some cases the faculty member may say no or that he or she can only write a recommendation citing certain qualifiers or weaknesses.
