If you wish to request of letter of recommendation or ask me to be a reference, please read these requirements to understand what I will do for you and what you will need to provide to me.
I do not write GENERAL recommendation or reference letters! They are a waste of both your and my time. If I agree to write a letter for you, it will only be for a specific purpose.
Letters of recommendation and reference take time to write. Please give me at least one week to complete your request, possibly longer during busy times of the semester.
Job References
I will likely be willing to be listed as a reference for job applications within these guidelines:
- You earned a B or better in the courses you took with me.
- You were not habitually late turning in assignments.
- You came to class, were prepared, and participated when asked to.
If you meet those guidelines, then send these items to me:
- A request to use me as a reference
- A current resume
- A list of volunteer work, club affiliations, etc., that do not appear on your resume
- A copy of the job description
- If you need an actual letter, the deadline for it
NOTE: Even when I agree to be listed as a reference for you, you should email me every time you list me as a reference for a job and tell me about the position (send the job description). This is so I won’t be caught off-guard by reference calls and so I will be better prepared to give you a good reference. Also – I don’t return calls for reference checks if you don’t let me know about it before!
Letters of Recommendation
If you wish to request a letter of recommendation for a scholarship, to get into a graduate program, or other academic purpose, the following guidelines should be observed:
- You earned a B or better in the courses you took with me.
- You were not habitually late turning in assignments.
- You came to class, were prepared, and participated when asked to.
If you meet those guidelines, then send these items to me:
- A request for a recommendation letter
- A current resume
- A list of volunteer work, club affiliations, etc., that do not appear on your resume
- Information about the scholarship, program, etc. and what they are interested in knowing about you.
- How I will be submitting the letter – either directly to the recipient or to you.
- The deadline for it.
Once I have your request and the accompanying items, I will let you know if I will and/or can grant your request. If you wait until the last minute, I may or may not be able to do it.