How To Get Great Letters Of Recommendations

Now is the time to set your pride aside, to dish out all the compliments you are capable of without gagging, and to hone your skills of flattery. Because you will need two or more evaluations from teachers, one from your counselor or principal, and possibly one from an employer or advisor, now is a great time to foster your relationships with these key people in your life. By the time you are ready to apply, your goal is to have them adore you as if you were their own child.

Here's how:

For current teachers, make sure that you participate actively in class. Yes, this means raising your hand and answering questions, volunteering to erase the board, and other such related sycophantic activity. Put your best effort into all of your work. Stay after or go early to ask questions. Try to volunteer to help your teachers with projects or try to give them extra help if they need it.

If it sounds like your goal is to become your teachers' pet, it is. You want to stand out from the other students in your class by developing a strong, personal relationship with your teachers. By doing this, your teachers will write the strongest evaluations possible. It will be evident that they feel that you are not only a good student but also an extraordinary person.

Also maintain your relationship with teachers after you have completed their courses. Drop by to chat when you have a free moment. Tell them what you enjoyed most about their class. Volunteer to help them in any way you can. Since you have already taken the course, perhaps you could help plan an activity for this year's course or give suggestions for a new way of presenting the material. Your object is to show your teachers that you are concerned and thoughtful enough to help even after you have nothing to gain from them (besides excellent evaluations).

To impress your employers, of course you should do your best at work. Be punctual, friendly, and the fastest burger flipper this side of the Mississippi. But also try to give extra effort by volunteering for additional responsibilities or working overtime when your employer needs the help. Get to know your employer beyond the employer-employee relationship so that he or she will be able to learn what kind of person you really are. Also, give feedback on your job and the company-what works, and if you feel comfortable enough, what doesn't. Even if you end up not asking your manager for an evaluation, your efforts may at least result in a raise.

The bottom line is that the more effort you make to get to know your recommenders the better the recommendations they'll be able to write.

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