Recommendation Letter - How to break the news

[money9111]

Hello All,

So this is my predicament... I've been at my current job for a year... I just found out this week that my manager will be leaving. She's the only know who knows my capabilities and what I've been doing for a year. When it's recommendation time, I will still be asking her for a rec. I will be asking her how I should go about trying to get her job, as I should be the next in line internally.

Question - how do you go about asking a manager/boss(es) for a recommendation for business school? I'm thinking that once you have the conversation with them, they know that you'll be leaving the following year. Hopefully I get this new position and wouldn't expect to get a promotion before going off to B-school. But if I don't get this position or a new one before the time when I should ask for a rec... how should I do it? Has anyone had any difficulty in asking for a rec?

[money9111]

can anyone offer any insight?

[sars72]

try dancing to her ego. You could start off with something like "Rose, may I have a word. I've had the pleasure of working with you for the last two years and during this time I have learnt so much under your tutelage and have come to think of you as my mentor. Now that you are leaving, I hope to fill in your shoes and put all that I've learnt from you to use. I realize that one can only impart so much knowledge and that there is still so much that I have to learn. For this reason, I wish to pursue an MBA. Hopefully, post MBA, I can be as confident as you are when it comes to making the decisions."

^ that's one way to go about it - i hope

[money9111]

Sars thanks for the response. Let me clarify though, maybe I gave too much background information about my current situation rather than the one I'll be facing in the future. I'm 99% positive I'll be able to get a rec from my manager that's leaving. But the issue comes with her current boss... aka .. my future boss - should I get this promotion.

I'm just feel like once you tell a manager/boss that you need a recommendation for B-school... they immediately say to themselves "ok well this person will be leaving next year - lets start finding their replacement"

[Mr_T]

When exactly are you planning to do your MBA? Fall 2010 or 2011?

If it's Fall 2011, then you have plenty of time to ask for a recommendation letter after you get the promotion.
If it's Fall 2010, then I would tell your future boss your situation unless you think your future boss would fire you upon hearing this news. He would probably appreciate your honesty and maybe he would put you as an interim for the position.

Myself, I told my boss that I was planning to do my MBA and he accepted to write the recommendation letter on the condition that I give him a call once I finish.

mr T

[money9111]

Mr_T I will be applying Fall 2010 to enroll fall 2011... but I want to apply as early as possible for all schools