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.
