•Technical-information letters and memoranda are short
documents that announce new
technical information, such as a software bug and its
solution, or a new feature.
•Use the memorandum format if the information is being sent
inside an organization. Use
the letter format if the document will be sent to outside individuals.
References and Letters of Recommendation
:
•References are an essential component of almost all
admissions, grant, and employment
processes.
•Managers and other individuals in any selection process
need evaluations from individuals
who have had long and close contact with applicants in order
to assess accurately their
abilities and accomplishments.
•The number of recommendations required by employers and
universities usually ranges
from one to five, with three being the most common number.
Obtaining Letters of Recommendation:
••Make your candidacy as strong as possible by carefully
soliciting references and letters of
recommendation.
•Letters of recommendation are extremely important in
decisions to hire or admit an
individual or to award a scholarship or grant.
General Guidelines for Requesting References or Letters of
Recommendation:
•If possible, always ask one or two more persons than the
minimum number you need.
•Ask a range of persons who can testify to different
abilities and accomplishments relevant
to the position or award.
Continued…
General Guidelines for Requesting References or Letters of
Recommendation:
•If possible, ask someone in person to write a
recommendation or to be a reference.
•If the individual is far away, ask him or her by phone or
through a written letter.
•Generally, unless you know the person extremely well, do
not ask someone to be a
reference or write a letter of recommendation through
e-mail.
Guidelines for Written Letters of Recommendation:
•Generally, people give more weight to recommendations that
contain a waiver of your right
to see the recommendation.
•Sometimes, however, it may be prudent not to waive your
right to review the
recommendation, especially if you are unsure of the
recommender's attitude toward you or
of his or her writing ability.
Guidelines for Written Letters of Recommendation:
•Recommenders are busy people.
•Ask a person to write the recommendation and give him or
her all the necessary material at
least three weeks before the recommendation is due.
Writing Letters of Recommendation:
•Write letters of recommendation to provide relevant
information and to present an individual
truthfully and positively.
Guidelines for Writing Letters of Recommendation:
•In most cases, agree to write a letter of recommendation
only if you can honestly write a
supportive letter.
•If you cannot portray an individual positively, decline to
write the recommendation.
Guidelines for Writing Letters of Recommendation:
•Ask for a current Resume and as complete a description as
possible of the position or
program to which the person is applying.
•Assemble and review all other relevant information you may
have about the person you are
recommending.
•It is often easy to overlook some important accomplishment.
Guidelines for Writing Letters of Recommendation:
•In most cases, a letter of recommendation should consist of
three or four paragraphs and
not be over one page in length.
•A sample letter of recommendation is given is now showing on your
screen.