How Do I Get People to Write Recommendation Letters?

For people in recovery who are rebuilding their professional lives, letters of recommendation are like gold. They help you stand out from other job applicants and show a prospective employer that you are a candidate they should take seriously.

But how do you get recommendation letters? ASK! It’s that simple. People want to stand up for those that they see doing the right things in the world, and most will be willing and eager to help you put your life back together.

I only had one person ever tell me no when I asked for a letter, and the only reason he said no was that he thought it might look better coming from his boss. I went to his boss and easily got a recommendation letter.

Asking for the letter isn’t a big deal. It isn’t some intimidating thing. All you have to do is ask. Something as simple as, “I’m collecting recommendation letters for future employment. Would you be willing to provide me one?” is an easy and perfect way to ask, either in person or through email. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the number of people who say yes.

A couple of tips when it comes to asking for the letter:

Ask at the right time.

Don’t wait too long after completing an assignment or leaving a job to ask for the letter. Depending on the job or volunteer position, if you have a good relationship with at least one supervisor, you can ask while you’re still at the organization. Doing this is usually okay when you’re working an entry-level position because most of the time the managers expect that most of their employees will be leaving at some point.

Of course, if you believe asking for a letter at your current job may put your employment in jeopardy, don’t do it. But if you can, having a letter of recommendation from a current employer while you are out looking for a job can be powerful. 

Offer to send a draft recommendation letter.

While people are generally eager to help, they get busy and sometimes forget. Some of them simply don’t have the skills to sit down and write a good recommendation letter. By taking the initiative to write a draft, you make it virtually impossible for them not to provide the letter. Also, it allows you to highlight whatever accomplishments or skills you learned so it can be tailored to fit whatever position you are trying to get.

For example, if you volunteer at an animal shelter and apply elsewhere for a receptionist or office manager position, you would want to make sure that the recommendation letter highlights not only your attitude, dependability, and work ethic but also any administrative duties you performed, office equipment you utilized, or software you may have used. If you write the letter, you can be sure to include these elements. If you are unsure of what to include in the recommendation letter, a quick internet search for “letter of recommendation example” will yield lots of useful information.

Remember, while it may be a little intimidating to ask, people want to help. Make the request and you’ll be surprised at how many people say yes!