How to get a letter of recommendation from a professor (written by one).

Step by step guide to getting a strong letter of recommendation from your professor

Step 1: Prepare

Step 2: Determination

Step 3: Ask

Step 4: Follow-up

Do you need a letter of recommendation from your professor, but aren’t sure which professor to ask or worried you’ll get rejected?

Or maybe you don’t need one now, but you may one day. And you can set yourself up to get one by following my advice. You need to focus on building strong relationships with your professors first.

I am a professor. And I am writing this for students because I see mistakes all too often. Students ask professors that don’t know enough about them. Or they ask professors who won’t write a favorable letter. And it can all be avoided.

These tips and email template will help you stand out.

I am going to give you TOP secrets that will pay off. Trust me.

Photo by Scott Graham / Unsplash

What is a letter of recommendation?

A letter of recommendation is most used for jobs, scholarships, college admissions, internships, a graduate program etc. Often times it is for acceptance into another institution, graduate school applications, but I've completed some for a potential employer for a new job, and even scholarships.

The organization, employer or entity is asking for this to better assess your abilities. It will identify your traits that best fit their needs. It takes some skill to write a letter of recommendation because it needs to be specific to the entity receiving it and those duties.

And I’ve even written some for students who just wanted to boost their applications even though one wasn’t even required. This can help you be more competitive.

How to get a letter of recommendation from your professor consists of 4 critical steps.

• Determining who to ask

• Preparing to ask

• Asking you professor

• Following up with your professor

Why do you need a letter of recommendation from a professor?

You will likely need a letter of recommendation from your professor because they will know a lot about your academic capabilities from your coursework and professional interactions. Employers may ask for one from an academic institution, personal references, or employers. This gives the entity requesting the letters to get a wide range of information from different perspectives about you.

Sometimes you might even need a letter for internships.

If people are willing to vouch for you and your work ethic, it can say a lot about your future performance. It also helps weed out people who cannot get one.

Do professors write letters of recommendation?

Yes, college professors routinely write letters of recommendations for their students as this is considered part of their job duties to support students. Professors should be available to do this for you as long as the notice is timely. As a former professor, I wrote several a year for students.

You might be asking why professors take the time to write these.

Depending upon the institution (community college or university) professors will need to record all their activities of student engagement and advising for their performance appraisals. It is likely used to get contracts and tenure to continue their employment.

They need to tell their college and supervisors what they are doing to help students and this is a way that they can show their involvement and how they are supporting students.

What I am saying is that professors want to help you and their employers (the college) want them to help students too. So, don’t feel like you are bugging them. It’s part of their job, and it helps add to their end of the year reports to boast about what they have done for their students.

As a professor, I also enjoy helping students with their future success and I am sure others do too.

How do I prepare to ask a professor for a letter of recommendation?

Students should prepare to ask their professor for a letter of recommendation by getting to know their professors better and building a professional rapport. You should demonstrate excellence in all your communication with your professor.

You need someone to write enough nice things about you to hopefully make it a favorable recommendation. The first thing you should do is set yourself up for these circumstances. You cannot expect a professor to know enough about your academic abilities by just looking at your course grades. Sure, maybe you are an “A+” student but do they know anything else about you?

PRO TIP : This is where preparation is key. You may not know you need one yet, or maybe you are preparing for when you do, so you need to start getting prepared to ask for that letter.

I'd avoid asking them at the end of the semester but instead, ask earlier before they're leaving for the end of the term. If they cannot complete the letter for you, they'll be honest and tell you to ask a different professor who can better serve your needs.

Photo by Brett Jordan / Unsplash

This is a critical step. You cannot forget this step. Unless you have organically done these things already. You need to build a rapport with your professor.

First, you need to personally introduce yourself to your professor. Don’t just do this via email. Go visit them, in their office, and have a small conversation about your personal goals. You might be wondering how you can start this conversation off.

Something that you can do is review their public curriculum vitae (fancy word for resume) and find something that interests you. You can normally find these on your college’s website. Maybe see if their faculty bio is on your college’s website too. The last resort would be to type your professor’s name into a Google search and see if you can find some professional results. Have they published an article, wrote a book, or had an interesting job? You could bring it up during your conversation.

Maybe say something like, I read your curriculum vitae and noticed that you published an article on xyz and I enjoyed reading it, and then mention something specific about the piece. And talk about how that is something you are also interested in for your future career.

Now the key here isn’t to be fake. I am not suggesting that you pretend you are interested if you really aren’t, but a little flattery goes a long way. But this is a way to start a conversation. And share a similar interest. The professor recognizes that you are seeking their mentorship and will likely be flattered that you took the time to read their work.

After that discussion, talk about your personal goals and if they have any suggestions on how you can achieve those goals. Things you might ask them are below.

·     What should I major in?

·     What jobs are most popular?

·     Do you know of any internships?

·     Do you have any recommendations to make me more competitive?

Then you can finish the conversation by thanking them for their time. You can also send them a polite email asking these questions too.

Remember, your preparation doesn’t end there. The professor needs to know your work ethic a little more. How you could let your professor know your work ethic is to meet with them or email them occasionally. And perhaps talk about some of the extracurricular activities that you are involved in.

Other things you might do:

• Ask your professor how they think you’re doing in the course?

• Are there ways you could be more successful?

• Participate in class discussions, and always turn assignments in on time.

• Show up to class regularly and pay attention.

• Don’t be on your phone or leaving class early.

• If you work in groups, demonstrate leadership.

They will notice all these things.

You are trying to prove to your professor that you are worthy.

If you have other ways to have more contact with your professor, do that. For example, are they involved in a student organization? Become a member if it interests you.

Do you have a college academic journal that you could publish in? Ask your professor to be your mentor for a publication, if available.

Are there events that your professor plans and participates in? Attend and make it known you were present. A lot of professors are on committees and these groups plan college events. Try to go to a few. And say hi to your professor while you’re there.

All these things give your professor more information about you. It shows them you’re serious about improving your knowledge and growing.

Are these things necessary? Maybe not. But even if you don’t need a letter of recommendation, you are enhancing your knowledge, growing as a college student, and participating in the college environment. It serves more than one purpose.

When I was in college, one of my professors knew of my academic abilities and specifically asked me to be an intern with a well-recognized federal agency. That might be you. It helped boost my resume later.

Remember, make sure these interactions are genuine. Don’t pretend. Be you.

Photo by Mikael Kristenson / Unsplash

Which professor should I ask?

Students should ask a professor for a letter of recommendation that knows them the most and who will write positive things about them. It is also recommended that students ask professors who have experience that relates to their professional or academic goals too.

If you have done my above steps, ask that professor. If you haven’t and are needing it now, try and do as many of those things as possible before you ask your professor.

Then ask a professor that has the same experience as the entity asking for the recommendation. This way they have more clout in that profession. For example, it might not be as helpful to ask for a recommendation from a science professor for a criminal justice job. It’s still possible, and may not matter, but it makes more sense to ask a professor in that same area.

You also want to ask a professor where you got a good grade in their class. Your academic work needs to be top notch in their course, if possible.

How should I ask my professor?

When a student is ready to ask their professor for a letter of recommendation, they should go in person or send a thorough email. It should include all the details about the letter, even the deadline for submission. Lastly, be prepared to enclose your resume.

Now, go to their office to ask in person, if possible. Check your professor's office hours and stop by. If you must send an email, make it detailed.

I would email them and ask to meet them in-person.  I would avoid doing this before or after class as it may not leave enough time to thoroughly discuss it. Make sure you gather any relevant documents for your professor ahead of time.

Go to their office and personalize it. Also, they’ll be able to put a face with a name. It's a good idea to have additional information ready so you are prepared to answer any of their questions.

Alternatively, you can email them. Here is how I would explain it.

Sample EMAIL asking for a letter of recommendation

In the subject line, make sure you put something like, "Reply needed : Recommendation Request for Jane Doe"

Good afternoon Dr. Smith,

I am in your English 101 course and have enjoyed this class. Because of your course, I decided that I was most interested in becoming a journalist. I know we spoke about it last week during your office hours where you helped me understand my future goals.

I have an opportunity to intern for a company. The internship will require me to write two articles per week for one year. And I will be mentored by a veteran journalist. This may lead to a full-time position later. And that is my career goal.

I am excited for this opportunity and since your class was my motivation for this career, I wanted to ask if you would write me a letter of recommendation for this internship.

I have attached my resume and a cover letter to make sure you can understand more about my background and interests. You can see that I have some experience in writing already.

I have also attached a writing sample so you can understand my abilities.

If you feel like you are willing and can write a letter of recommendation for me, the deadline is June 1 and you can send the letter to the address below. Further, it is going directly to John Doe at xyz. I have waived my interest in seeing the letter of recommendation so no need to send it directly to me and I won’t have access to view it later either. It is confidential.

Please email me back and let me know if you can accommodate this request. If you could let me know by May 10 if you can complete this, I would appreciate it.

And if you need anything else, please let me know as I am happy to discuss further.

Sincerely,

Your student.

Critique of this email

First, you identified yourself and your interests. You also let the professor know how their class has impacted you and contributed to your future career. You gave them a little information about the internship and how important it is to your career.

Further, you attached a copy of your resume, cover letter, and a sample writing piece to show your qualifications. You really can't give too much information here.

This just gives them a little more information to boast about you.

Finally, the due date was specified. You gave them sufficient time to complete your request.

You told them exactly where to send it, and you specified your waiver of interest in seeing the letter. This is helpful to just let the professor know that what they write is confidential.

Lastly, you asked them to reply confirming their agreement to complete it for you. This is important because you might need to get one from someone else if they don’t think they can do it for you and you'll need plenty of time to coordinate that.

Something to remember, make sure you ask weeks before it is due. Do not expect a professor to write a letter in a week. They need more time because they are busy people too. Please make sure you have at least a two-week notice, and more if possible.

How long does it take for a professor to prepare it?

A professor will usually need a minimum of two weeks to prepare your letter of recommendation so please make sure you give them adequate time to complete your request. The more time you can give them, the better. This can especially true if your professor doesn’t know you well enough and they have to review a lot of materials.

I always told my students that they should ask me at least two weeks prior to the deadline. If you give your professor less than a week, you are asking a lot.

So, while it will take me about 2 hours TOTAL to review all the materials and type it up, I like a few weeks notice to make sure I have enough dedicated time in my schedule to do this task for students.

However, I would never deny a student, unless they only gave me a day or two to complete it.

And if you didn’t get a response, it’s okay to reach back out again and find out if they received your request.

What if I don’t have a professor who can write me a letter of recommendation?

If you don’t have a professor who can write you a letter of recommendation, you could start to try and build a professional relationship with a professor first. If you don’t have time, think about professors who you took multiple classes with or classes where you did exceedingly well.

I know it can be really tough to think about how you are going to get to do this for you if you don’t really know anyone.

You’re probably thinking that no professor could vouch for you because you didn’t personally talk to them and get to know them enough during the semester.

However, a professor can learn a lot about you through your written communication, the supporting materials you send, and your grades.

While it’s better to ask a professor that knew you well, if you have no one like that, you are going to have to ask a professor who knows the most about you.

• Did you take a professor for multiple classes?

• Did you do exceedingly well in a professor’s class?

• Did you have any outside interaction with any professor?

• Did you speak during class discussions?

And once you have someone in mind, you really need to write a detailed email explaining why you think they’d be able to write you this for you.

Even better than sending an email, take the time to go in person.

This is really your best chance. You’ll need to sit down and give them your spill. And hope for the best.

There is likely some professor who will oblige. You may have to ask more than one though.

What to do after you receive the letter of recommendation?

After your professor writes you a letter of recommendation, you should follow-up with them and let them know how much you appreciate their time. Finally, communicate with them about the outcome and let them know if you got accepted or received the job.

This is important. Follow-up with the professor to thank them. It might even be best to send a thank you card to their work address. But an email will suffice too. You never know if that will be your last request so it’s good to set yourself up for a later request.

You’ll normally come back to the same professor time and time again for similar requests.

Finally, communicate with them about the outcome. They want to know if their efforts helped their students succeed. Just send them a quick handwritten note letting them know if you snagged the internship or position. Or send them a quick email to let them know how everything worked out.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema / Unsplash

Is it rude to ask a professor for a recommendation?

It is not rude to ask a professor for a letter of recommendation because it is part of their job duties to support and advise their students. They should be flattered that you have asked for their recommendation.

As long as you have selected the right professor and given them plenty of time to complete the letter of recommendation, it is not rude to ask your professor for this favor.

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