Admission to a Master of Business Administration (MBA) program often requires students to submit a letter of recommendation from a supervisor or professor. You can support a student's application by writing an MBA recommendation letter focusing on the student's aptitude for success in the program. Writing a strong recommendation letter for an MBA student can be easier if you know what to include.
A letter of recommendation, or LOR, analyzes a student's performance in both academic and extracurricular areas. Students must submit both academic and professional LORs for an MBA, compared to those applying for Master of Science (MS) degrees.
The majority of international universities usually ask for two to three LORs, one of which must be submitted by an employer or supervisor. It should be mentioned that recommenders should work directly with you for two to three years in any professional position.
This table summarises all the important details regarding the MBA recommendation letter that you would discover from this article.
LOR for MBA Key Highlight |
|
Section |
Key Points |
Components of a Strong Letter of Recommendation for an MBA |
Formal Greeting, Your Qualifications, In-depth Character Description, and Summary |
Tips for Selecting and Preparing Your Recommenders |
Choosing the Right Recommenders, Providing Background Info, and Expressing Gratitude |
MBA Recommendation Letter Template |
Introduction, Your Skills and Experiences, Conclusion with Summary, and Contact Information |
MBA LOR Recommended Word Limits* |
400 to 500 words |
Writing a LOR for an MBA requires you to follow certain writing rules. It should be carefully written by someone who can describe the student's achievements and qualities using appropriate examples and facts. The following rules are important to note:
The first paragraph of the LOR should identify the relationship with the MBA applicant. It is also important to provide the recommender's title, relationship with the MBA student, and organisation.
The recommender should then discuss the student and his or her job responsibilities at this organisation, as an excellent MBA LOR sample will show. It is important to highlight his or her performance, any important achievements, and relationships with other teams and colleagues.
The long-term goals of students and how MBA schools will help them should be spelled out in LORs. The LOR should also address the student's objectives.
Without being overly critical, LORs should also discuss the student's areas for improvement. It is appropriate to gently bring out the person's problems while discussing how the MBA will allow them to overcome them.
The LOR should ideally be written by a current employer or supervisor.
If that is the case, students can use the optional essay to explain why their current supervisors are unavailable.
Talk about your vision, objectives, and duties with the recommender in advance.
Always give the supervisor or employer who is writing the LOR clear information. Verify the recommender's knowledge with the MBA's Statement of Purpose.
MBA letters of recommendation often contain several paragraphs highlighting the student's skills, achievements, and qualifications. The usual size of an MBA recommendation letter is one to two pages. Standard parts of an MBA letter include:
Salutation
Use a kind greeting or salutation to start the letter. The letter should be addressed "To the selection committee" or "To whom it may concern." If the admissions counsellor's name is available, use it.
Introduction
Write a paragraph describing your background and credentials. Describe your relationship with the student, including whether you were one of their teachers or their professional career supervisor.
Body paragraphs
After that, write a few paragraphs describing the various aspects of the student that make them a strong fit for the program. Give examples to back up their skills, qualities, and achievements.
Conclusion
Summarize the main points of your recommendation letter in a brief paragraph to round out the letter. Give the student your recommendation and let the reader know how to get in touch with you if they would like to talk more about the student's application.
Signing and closing
End with a formal salutation like "Sincerely." Include your contact information, such as your phone number and email address, along with your name.
The following example LOR for MBA students will give you a sense of what to expect.
Date:
Address of Recipient:
Salutation,
This is about (applicant's name), who wishes to be admitted to your institution's MBA program. I've known him/her for (number of years) since he/she joined the organization (name of the organization). In the (name of department) to which he or she was first assigned, I was their supervisor.
He/she worked hard and was promoted to the (position or rank name) within (number of years or months) of work. The role requires at least (tenure) years of experience, because of his or her hard work, leadership abilities, creativity, and teamwork, the management created an exception to allow the promotion in advance.
Working under my direction and guidance in this new role, (applicant's name) achieved a new accomplishment by guaranteeing over 40% returns for the company in just one year in the (department name). Given his or her basic dedication and determination, I can confidently guarantee that he or she will succeed academically.
Yours faithfully,
(Recommender’s Name)
(Designation of Recommender)
(Contact Information)
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