I'm in the middle of FT recruiting.
The past 10 months, I had an internship at a local boutique and I've run into a couple MDs since I've finished. They expressed that they really wanted to write me a letter of rec.
I know I'm supposed to write it myself and have them edit/add to it, but I have no idea where to start. Looked through the forums and couldn't find any definite answers.
Do I braggingly describe myself? Hold back and say I humbly didn't do everything I did? How do I structure it so that I can include everything of importance and get the most out of the letter without sounding like a prick?
Let's assume I have a great relationship with these guys, and they told me they wanted to write these letters.
I realize this is a question without a black and white answer, but any suggestions are appreciated.
what kind of 'local boutique' has 25-35 MD's? That's a ridic headcount..
Yeah dude, 25-35 is def MM... Does Piper Jefferies even have that many MDs??
It could be possible, I mean Goldman has like 5000 partners.
I knew a guy that worked for a boutique firm that literally gave everyone a fancy title to make clients think they were dealing with someone more important than they actually were.
Titles are meaningless.
Make sure the letter describes a weakness you had during your internship and how you addressed it throughout the course of the internship. Describing this growth a) makes the letter realistic and b) shows how you handle adversity, which is important. If you write a letter than effectively states you walk on water and can turn stone to gold whoever is reading isn't going to take it seriously. However, if you show a weak aspect of you that you improved on, it shows that you're not only human but also self-observant.
To be honest, I doubt they even read the letter, but instead just endorse it. With that said, I wouldn't use that rationale as a carte blanche to write down whatever you want (doesn't seem like you were going to).
Think of it much like how you would write a cover letter, explain the tasks that you were responsible for and the proficiency you exhibited in completing those tasks. It is definitely odd writing about yourself in the 3rd person. A key theme to keep in mind as you're doing so, is write the letter as if you're reading something from the MD and flattered that he thought to speak about you in that manner.
in what world do you write your own recommendation letter
Most people I know were just told to write their own. I wouldn't be surprised if more than half of MBA applicants wrote the bulk of their recommendations.
The best way to be both humble and cocky is to stick to the facts about your accomplishments, and then just be selective about the facts. State what you've done, and market yourself but not too much.
Yes, it's very tricky.
Yes, it's unfair to ask a 20-year-old college kid to do this.
Yes, you WILL get better at this.
Relax. This is an opportunity, not a threat.
Writing Your Own Letter of Recommendation (Originally Posted: 07/31/2008)
Does anyone have experience with writing their own letter of recommendation for business school? Apparently, this is pretty common practice in Finance with MDs/VPs who are extremely busy and also have huge egos (i.e. I'm too important to write this letter, why don't you write this and I'll just sign it).
I have been asked by one of the senior people at my firm to go ahead and write the letter for him. I have worked closely with him and he knows me well, but he just doesn't have the time. His recommendation would look great on my application, but I don't want to be caught for having the same writing style. What is a man to do?
I'm having this same dilemma.
Try googling other recommendation letters and copy some of their style, especially if that style is distinct from yours.
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