Candidates, here’s a new tool, called Mom! I got a job, that claims it will compile information to create the perfect letter of recommendation for you to present to prospective companies. It says it will do so by asking you a series of questions, then combing through the entire Internet to research, verify and present your credentials in the best possible manner. Who knows how it works–I don’t know how much information the Internet would find on me, honestly! But hey, if you’re nervous about trying to solicit letters of recommendation, maybe this is worth a try!
Personally, I think it’s wiser to ask for a letter from the professor in whose class you worked really hard to get an A–she’s likely to actually remember you and write a more credible letter than one generated by Internet information. Plus, will the Internet locate and describe all the personal features you really want the letter to highlight? When you ask a former boss or professor to write you a letter of recommendation, you have a chance to sell them on the characteristics you possess which the job you’re applying for also requires.
And don’t limit yourself to asking your manager or teacher. A friend of ours, who has done a great job house- and pet-sitting for us, recently asked us to write a letter of recommendation based on that experience. He got the job, I’m very sure, in part because we were able to say how faithful, diligent, and innovative he had been in our absence–something the Internet could not have known!
However you generate your letters of recommendation, we wish you the best.
Frustrated in your job search? Maybe you’re applying for the wrong jobs!
Marcianne Kuethen is a Senior Writer at Amtec, where she has written over 700 blog posts in the past 18 years. Her family has led the company across three generations, from her father who founded Amtec in 1959 to her son Barrett who serves as President and CEO today. Outside of writing, she makes art, music, and gardens.
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