Letter of Recommendation for MBA with Sample

Many indian students aspire to study MBA abroad, and supplementing your study application with some strong references can significantly increase your chances to get into your desired university. By including an outstanding recommendation letter from a respected figure and presenting a strong resume, you can project yourself as a promising MBA candidate. A Letter of Recommendation or LOR, as it is commonly called, holds the power to enhance your chances of securing admission into a prestigious MBA program prominently. Therefore, it is crucial that the letter is composed meticulously by a seasoned professional who has had a direct association with the applicant, lending the LOR both genuineness and reliability.

What is a Letter of Recommendation for an MBA?

A LOR is considered one of the most vital documents in your MBA admission application to a university abroad. This is because you, the applicant, write a Statement of Purpose or SOP on your own, highlighting your potential skills and achievements. However, a reference letter is the only document in your application that you do not write yourself. Instead, it is written by a third party highlighting your skills and strengths. This way, a Letter of Recommendation for an MBA is more powerful and impactful than an SOP in every sense, giving the university authorities a clear picture of the candidate’s academic and professional past.

How to Write a LOR for MBA?

A good LOR must present the course applicant in the best light before the selection committee’s eyes. For this, you must choose the right recommender to write you a Letter of Recommendation for your MBA application. Here are some essential guidelines on how to write a LOR:

1. A good LOR must not only bring out the good in the course applicant but also subtly touch upon their areas of improvement. At the same time, the recommender must refrain from indulging in over-criticism or nitpicking of the candidate.

2. The recommender should always remain transparent in communicating information about the student. In addition, it helps to have a fair idea of what the student is sharing in their SOP for MBA application so that the LOR is more or less on the same page as the SOP.

3. It is also vital that the candidate’s future goals are clearly defined in the LOR, along with a mention of how an MBA would help the former achieve that vision smoothly.

4. If you are currently working, asking your current supervisor/employer to share a Letter of Recommendation for your MBA application would be helpful. Talking about your strengths, achievements, and skills helps add more weight to your application than highlighting your past personality.

What is the Structure / Format of the Recommendation Letter for an MBA?

A well-crafted LOR must be categorically divided into short and clear paragraphs (at least 4-5), and each paragraph should contain a unique set of information about the candidate. Most importantly, there should be a clear progression in how information flows from one paragraph to the next. The ideal Letter of Recommendation format for an MBA dictates that the letter is a one-page document of roughly 400-500 words. However, it is always a good idea to check the specific requirements of the university you are applying to regarding the LOR for an MBA.

Detailed below is the standard MBA recommendation letter format for your recommender’s reference:

Paragraph 1: The recommender specifies the exact professional relationship with the student, defining the duration for which they have known the student and in what capacity. The recommender also mentions their designation in the introduction of the reference letter.

Paragraph 2: The recommender touches upon the applicant’s positive attributes, citing concrete examples from the student’s academic/professional journey.

Paragraph 3: Highlight the specific technical skills of the applicant that you may have come across as part of the candidate's work on a specific project. Also, take the opportunity to talk about the student's soft skills and any extra-curricular achievements during the span of his/her academic/professional journey.

Paragraph 4: Summarise the letter by advocating the student’s candidature for the applied course.

Tips for Writing a Letter of Recommendation for an MBA

A well-written LOR has the potential to increase your chances of acceptance for an MBA into a university of your choice abroad. Likewise, a poorly presented LOR can set you back in the race for the right applicant for the MBA course.

The following tips for writing a Letter of Recommendation for an MBA course can help a great deal:

Sample for MBA Recommendation Letter

Considering the immense value of a Letter of Recommendation in the application process of a student applying for an MBA abroad, we share a sample of an MBA Recommendation Letter for your easy reference. However, we strongly advise against using the content of this letter verbatim.

As the Vice President, Corporate Finance at Sun Capital Advisory Services Pvt Ltd in Mumbai, India, I have had the pleasure of supervising and guiding Nishant Chaudhary for a running term of 4 years at the firm. This makes it extremely easy and delightful for me to write this letter of recommendation for Nishant, who worked in my team for 4 years and directly reported to me as such.

Nishant comes across as an extremely sincere, hard-working, and honest individual who lends a positive and no-quit attitude to every job or responsibility he assumes. He is meticulous in his observations and keenly interested in helping his fellow team members face challenges head-on. The one trait that particularly struck me while working with Nishant all these years is that he is not a quitter. Once he takes up any task, he will complete it until the very end and with complete honesty.

This positive trait of his came to my notice when I asked Nishant to prepare an audit report of a leading financial firm in Mumbai. The report was strikingly error-free and also carried a positive yet impactful tone. Not only does Nishant portray exemplary skills at work, but he is also well-acquainted with SQL technology, which is valuable know-how in the field of Finance. Moreover, Nishant's analytical skills are particularly noteworthy, and his methodology to Stop, Observe, Analyse, and Proceed will surely take him a long way in his career trajectory.

Teamwork and open communication are two of the best assets that Nishant possesses and brings to the table. I have absolutely no doubt in sharing that he would showcase the same positive attributes at your esteemed university, to which he has applied for admission to the MBA. Furthermore, I have always known Nishant to be a go-getter, and I believe that this next step in his career trajectory is aimed at upgrading himself with the skills of the times. Hence, he has chosen to pursue MBA in Corporate Finance from your privileged institution.

I proudly recommend Nishant for admission into Stanford University to pursue the two-year MBA graduate course in Corporate Finance from the US. I wish Nishant all the best in his new endeavour and hope you find his skills worth considering for admission into your prestigious institute. For any more information, please feel free to contact me at the details below.

Yours truly,

Siddharth Khanna
Vice President, Corporate Finance
Sun Capital Advisory Services Pvt Ltd
Tel: +91 xxxxx xxxxx
Email: siddharth.khanna@suncapital.in

Note that this is just for reference purposes only, and plagiarising the content of this letter may result in the rejection of your application.

FAQs

1. Why are recommendation letters important for MBA?

The most crucial reason for submitting a Letter of Recommendation for an MBA is that this letter showcases the strengths and abilities of a prospective candidate for the course through the eyes of a third party who has spent enough time with the applicant in a professional capacity.

2. Who should write a recommendation letter for MBA?

Your current manager or supervisor in the company that you work for is an excellent choice for writing a recommendation letter for an MBA course. However, without a direct supervisor, you may also choose a Manager or colleague to write the LOR.

3. How long should a letter of recommendation for an MBA be?

A LOR is about one page and around 400-500 words.

4. Is it ok to write your own letter of recommendation for an MBA?

No, you should ideally avoid writing a LOR on your own. Instead, you must always choose a recommender who know you well and shares your experiences.

5. What things should you not include in a letter of recommendation for an MBA?

Following are some of the mistakes to avoid while writing a LOR for an MBA:

1. Avoid keeping the content generic and too casual. Instead, the tone and language of the LOR should be formal and professional.

2. Avoid mentioning points that are not backed by the appropriate data.

3. Avoid choosing the wrong person to recommend you for your application.

6. How many recommendation letters should I submit to boost my acceptance chances?

Most universities abroad are happy to accept a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 3 LORs.

7. Can you submit an MBA application before the letter of recommendation?

It would be better to apply for MBA admission along with the Letter of Recommendation attached to it. This prevents any unnecessary delay in the admission review process by the concerned university authorities.

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