Reusable Materials 26: Develop Relationships for Recommendations

Thursdays we discuss how reusable materials help you WOW committees and save time

Brad was a Boy Scout as a boy. One day his scoutmaster took the troop on an activity in his new van. The troop had a great time at the activity. The scoutmaster treated them to dinner at a fast food restaurant afterward. Brad thought it would be fun to pull a trick on the scoutmaster. He put two fingers down his throat and forced himself to vomit in the backseat of the scoutmaster’s new van. This kind of thoughtless action was typical for Brad. Seven years later, Brad needed letters of recommendation to apply for some scholarships. What kind of letter would you write if you were the scoutmaster.

You Will Need Letters of Recommendation

Scholarship, school admission, and employers request letters of recommendation. Typically, you will need to submit them with your applications. You will usually attach them electronically. You may reuse them with multiple applications. We already discussed the following ideas in previous posts:

• Who you may ask to write you letters
• You may draft the letter yourself and ask them to edit it
• Outline of a good letter of recommendation 

Lay the Foundations in Your Youth

People who write letters of recommendation need a good reason to write it. They want to be able to recommend something you did. You need, therefore, to perform some act of service, leadership, competition, or other activity that merits recommendation.

Some activities are obvious. For example, they may recommend you because you

• Led the football team to win the regional championship
• Made baby quilts for a battered women’s shelter
• Won exceptional commendations in a music recital
• Increased participation in an organization as its president
• Devoted years of service reading to patients at a senior care center

Other letters of recommendation acknowledge character traits. So, you want to demonstrate your attributes for

• Kindness
• Responsibility
• Dependability
• Generosity
• Service
• Caring

We encourage you to develop relationships for selfless purposes, not selfish gain for your future.

Saturday we share a caution about interest rates on new students loans doubling this week

This blog will improve as you submit comments, questions, and experiences. We will answer your questions in future blog posts. Please submit your comments and questions so we can answer them.