Rec letter and laid off.

[ketnet1]

Hi,

If I just got laid off today, when is the best time to ask the manager for a recommendation letter and in what way of asking? Should I ask 2-3 weeks from today or wait a little longer?

For example, since i'm not sure if I will get a gmat score that meets the school's 80% range, I am not sure which schools I will apply to. In this case, should I have the recommender write a generic letter and keep it on hand or should I just verbally ask the recommender? ie. "In case I don't find a job and I might be considering applying to schools in the coming months (5-6 months from now), would you be able to write the recommendation letter for me?"

Once I get verbal confirmation- then it is safe to say that the manager will write it? And when I am ready to apply, I will just have the manager actually write the letter.

In summary:
1) Verbal confirmation from manager
2) Ask few months down the line when ready to apply.

Thank you!

[Eliot]

Ketnet1,

Thanks for your note. I am sorry to hear that you might be laid off.

Keep in mind that a good recommender is a supervisor who:
1)knows you well in a business context
2)likes you/respects your work
3) writes well - he can clearly convey in written form that they know you and like you.
4) supports your admissions positioning - he is willing to support your application strategy for business school.

Thus, as long as your supervisor meets the above criteria, then you are fine. Of course, if you are laid off due to performance issues, then you may have trouble getting a good letter of recommendation from your supervisor.

There is no need to get a generic letter written now - you should just approach your recommender when you are ready to apply and you know your admissions story. Meaning, plenty of applicants contact former supervisors whom they haven't worked with for a few years.

Feel free to contact me for a free initial assessment if you have any further questions.

Sincerely,

Eliot Ingram
Clear Admit LLC