The document provides tips for MBA applicants to effectively manage their recommenders and recommendation letters. It advises applicants to provide recommenders with relevant project details and critical success factors for business schools. It also recommends dividing letter questions over multiple weeks, proofreading completed letters, and portraying strengths in a positive light on skills assessment charts. Applicants are warned not to write their own letters or wait until deadlines to express appreciation.

1. F1GMAT – One pit stop for MBA Aspirants
MBA recommendation letter tips to keep in mind.
1) Project List
Send the details of the projects (that you have worked with the recommender),
including your role, client information, team size, duration of the project etc to your
recommender. They might not remember the details, so it is better to give them the
right context to start with.
2) Managing your recommender
Be aware of the fact that writing your recommendation letter is not the most
important thing in recommender’s life. So you have to manage your recommenders
by guiding them in writing the recommendation letter and reminding them of the
deadlines that your are facing. Also, they might be travelling for work or for
vacation, so you have to be aware of their plans.
3) Critical Success factors
Each business school has a number of critical success factors (CSF), on which your
admission will depend on. Research on the CSFs and send them to your
recommender (scorecard.topmba.com and b-school alumni are the best sources for
figuring out the CSFs). This will guide them in aligning the letter with the CSFs.
3) Divide and Rule
Split the recommendation letter questions to one per week/per 3 days schedule. Set
the deadline and send requests like “Can you please complete the strengths and
weakness question by next Thursday”. Call your recommenders on Saturdays /
Sundays (or when they are free) and remind them about the question for the week.
It might look annoying at first but you have to take the initiative in completing the
process.
4) Good News
The good news is that the recommendation letter questions are repeated across
business schools, so guide your recommenders in writing the letter for your dream
school first. Ask them to answer the non-repeating questions at a later stage.
5) Before Submitting
Once the recommendation letter is complete, visit your recommenders and do a
thorough proofreading. Avoid details that make the recommendation letter boring.
There should be some common ground between your essays and the
recommendation letter. Avoid contradictions, like in your essays you have written
your strengths as “good communication skill” and your recommenders write your
weakness as “communication skill “.
http://f1gmat.com/mba-app-101

2. F1GMAT – One pit stop for MBA Aspirants
6) Skill Assessment chart
The recommendation form has a section to fill in your competency in skills like:
Communication : Poor Average Good Very Good Excellent
Leadership : Poor Average Good Very Good Excellent
Ask your recommenders to portray your strengths in the Excellent to Very Good
range and your weaknesses in the Good to Average range.
7) Don'ts
1) Do not write your own recommendation letter. The admission committee is smart
enough to figure it.
2) Do not wait for the results of your MBA admission to show your appreciation for
the recommenders. (Thank your recommenders and send them gifts ( Buy them
dinner/lunch/game pass etc)
3) Do not wait until the last day of the deadlines to submit the recommendation
letter. Server issues are common on the last day of deadlines.
http://f1gmat.com/mba-app-101