Sample MBA Recommendation Letter (Version 1)
April 28, 2009
” I believe that all men, black and brown and white, are brothers, varying in time and opportunity, in form, gift and feature, but differing in no essential particular, and alike in soul & the possibilities of infinite development” - W.E.B Dubois.
I have known Joseph de Plumber (Joe) since April 1960, when I was the Chief Executive Officer of Black Herald International Bank (BHIB) Washington, DC, when he was assigned by the consulting firm of Blackinsey & Company to help with our pre-merger monitoring program. During his four months assignment to BHIB, Joe directly reported to me on a daily basis. He was responsible for monitoring the controls surrounding our wire transfer transactions, deposit operations and physical and system access prior to our merger with XYZ bank. He also helped us in preparing reports which were presented to our Audit Committee.
I have a bachelor’s degree from the Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania and obtained my MBA degree from Oxford University. I am a Certified Public Accountant, Professional Risk Manager and a Chartered Financial Analyst and have worked in the banking industry for 25 years, including a leadership role with a another global bank. In my experience, Joe is clearly one of the most talented consultants that I have ever known.
Joe is a highly competent and goal-oriented person, so I can describe him only in complementary terms. Joe has talked about the Pegasus MBA as his program of choice since I first met him. He is very knowledgeable about the school, curriculum and leadership opportunities, and sees himself as a part of the community. It gives me great pleasure to write this recommendation in support of Joe’s candidacy.
2. What do you consider the applicant’s most outstanding talents or characteristics?
Joe is one of the best consultants I met since we have been working with Blackinsey & Company and stands out in my mind as a dedicated and talented young man. His performance overall and in each individual performance factor (teamwork, timeliness of deliverables, taking ownership of work and client relationship management) is excellent. This assessment is based on Joe’s ability to provide a high quality work product, work independently and in a team, and complete all his projects in a timely manner. His prior experience as bank auditor in Congo Democratique enabled him to quickly become acquainted to our business processes and operations. He was able to earn the respect of the individuals he was consulting for despite being new to this assignment and facing a work environment that was challenging, because most of BHIB’s staff were being laid off as a result of the merger.
He developed and implemented the audit programs used to test the controls surrounding our business processes and documented his work in a clear and concise manner. As control weaknesses were detected in the systems, Joe, unlike others, communicated his findings and gave recommendations on the best way to resolve the problems. I enjoyed working with him and appreciated the fact that he was very willing to assist with work beyond his original assignments. His contributions to the success of our pre-merger monitoring were immense, have had a lasting impact on the business operations and were highly appreciated throughout the organization.
3. What are the applicant’s chief liabilities or weaknesses?
Joe has a great understanding of the different accounting areas of business. He needs to understand the different areas of finance necessary to fulfill his short and long term ambition in investment valuation and management. I have no doubt he will pick up these skills at a top B-School such as the Pegasus MBA program.
4. You may also include any additional comments you may wish to?
Joe has an amiable personality and carries himself with dignity. From my experience with him, I believe he is focused, enthusiastic, highly respective of his co-workers both his superiors and subordinates alike and very sensitive to other people’s beliefs and culture. He takes full accountability for his work, takes a pride in a job well done and has great managerial and leadership abilities. Joe acts with utmost integrity and honesty in the execution of his projects and constantly exhibits the courage to make hard decisions and stand by them. Because of his attitude to work, I would gladly hire Joe to work for me after his graduation if he so desires, but also believe that he will excel wherever he goes to after his graduation. Joe genuinely cares about his team members and constantly makes sure that the team members are doing well. He inspires trust and confidence in others and constantly strives to make changes both at work and in the community.
I am aware of his membership in professional bodies such as the Institute of Management Accountants, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the National Association of Professional Risk Managers where he participates in various community and charitable events in the DC Metro for the organization.
I am convinced that Joe will be a successful and enthusiastic student and eventually a great ambassador of the MBA program. I highly recommend him for further studies at your university and I am confident that both his instructors and fellow students will benefit significantly from his input. Please contact me at 777.888.9999 or ceo@BHIBglobal.com if you have further questions about his candidacy or this recommendation letter.
NOTA BENE: This is a draft and designed to help you with your MBA applications. Created under the Creative Commons rule and it is copyleft. Use as a guide for your essays. I plan to collate and refine the essays I have posted on Black Herald and publish a book of MBA essays in the future.
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[...] recommendation letters to share? My list so far, with comments on usefulness in brackets.Joseph de Plumber, format: Q&A (will include it, best I’ve [...]