Letter of recommendation

A letter of recommendation is a required outside evaluation in an MBA file, usually submitted through the school’s form rather than as a free-floating PDF. Most full-time programs want two. The useful letter is from someone who has seen you manage work, not from a dignitary who has seen your résumé.

AdComs call it an LOR. They are reading for specifics they cannot get from your MBA essay.

How it works

The school sends the recommender a grid: ratings on leadership, analytical ability, teamwork, plus a few open prompts. “Give an example of feedback you delivered” is more common than “describe why this person is great.” A current supervisor is the default. When that person cannot know you are applying, a former supervisor or a client who owned your outcomes is the substitute. Peers and family are dead weight.

You do not write the letter. You do brief the recommender: the deadline, the programs, one or two projects they actually saw, and the deadline again. A late letter makes an otherwise complete file incomplete for the application round.

Example: Recommender A is a VP who met you twice and signs a letter you drafted that says “high potential” four times. Recommender B is a director who managed you for two years and describes the quarter you missed a ship date, the Monday-morning rewrite, and the next quarter’s result. B is the letter. A is a liability, even if the title is prettier.

How it differs

An endorsement on LinkedIn is not a recommendation. A professor letter helps only when the applicant is a deferred student or the academic risk is the issue. The MBA interview is live and short; the LOR is the only other adult in the file.

Common errors

Picking title over proximity. Ghostwriting a letter that sounds like your essay. Asking two people from the same team who will repeat one anecdote.