Section 2: Letters of Recommendation
This short section will outline a simple strategy for obtaining letters of recommendation.
General rules
When attaching letters of recommendation to your resume package, there are a few simple rules to follow. These rules will help you have strong continuity within your resume package and increase the power your resume has when read by a potential employer.
Letters should:
- Only be from people on your reference list
- Be professionally written (good grammar)
- Be signed by the writer and printed on company letterhead
- Include behaviors on the job, not just tasks
In addition to the above rules, note that these letters of recommendation can be received in advance, copied, and submitted with the rest of your resume package.
Or, you may wish to have your letters of recommendation mailed in separately. Usually, the way references are transmitted does not matter. Unless there is a specific request for letters of recommendation to be submitted separately, you will be saving yourself and the writer many administrative headaches by submitting your entire resume package.
Either way, having letters of recommendation definitely gives your resume package a behavioral twist and helps separate you from the rest of the pack applying.
