Letter of Recommendation (LOR) for MBA Programs with Samples

Creating an impressive Letter of Recommendation for MBA can be a daunting task for most recommenders, who would want to use an MBA recommendation letter template. However, by assisting your recommender in the right manner can help you get a well-written MBA LOR, which can enhance your chance to get a place at the B-school of your choice. If you have seen any professional LOR samples for MBA, you must be aware that they are slightly different from academic LORs, which are written by college professors or lecturers. 

As evident from any MBA recommendation letter sample, professional LORs are typically written by your manager, seniors at your workplace, or supervisor, to talk about your strengths as a prospective student and recommend your candidature for the program. Hence, the letter of recommendation for MBA can talk about your management, mentorship or leadership skills with demonstrated examples/instances, as seen by the recommender. 

When applying for an MBA program, any positive trait you mention in your letter of recommendation must be supported with relevant instances. Additionally, all your key contributions and achievements at the workplace can be mentioned as well. However, in your MBA LOR samples, the recommender should ideally talk about how each positive quality and the professional experience you possess can help you during the MBA program.

How to choose a recommender for an MBA Application?

When you are in the process of selecting a recommender for your MBA application, your instincts may guide you to choose someone with a better designation. You may think that getting a letter from a CEO or the owner of the company will improve your chances of selection. Sadly, you are wrong! A letter of recommendation for MBA is not about the designation, but about someone who has observed your work closely and can provide genuine feedback for the same. So, following can be good choices for recommenders:

1. Your immediate supervisor is your best choice for recommender as they must have seen your progressing during your tenure in the company.
2. You can ask your team leader for a recommendation letter as they can showcase your performance in a project and highlight specific traits.
3. If you are in a family business, you can get a recommendation letter from a client who has a positive relationship with you.
4. You can even approach your supervisor from a previous organization, if you think they can help you create impressive recommendation letter.
5. If you do not have a professional experience, you can get a recommendation letter from your project guide who can highlight about your managerial skills and leadership ability through various examples.

Related Links:

• Academic LOR Format
• Common Errors in an LOR
• How to Choose Your Recommenders
• Recommendation Letter Samples

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

A letter of recommendation for MBA should be drafted in a certain manner and the ways to do this are as follows:

Paragraph 1:

The recommender must outline their professional relationship with the student, specifying how long they have known each other and in what capacity. They also include their job title in the introduction of the reference letter. They must briefly mention about applicant’s abilities and compare them with their peer group.

Paragraph 2:

The recommender should highlight the applicant’s strengths, providing specific examples from the student’s academic or professional experiences. Highlighting any instance where he/she showcased leadership ability can be a good example of MBA recommendation letter being used to strengthen applicant;s worthiness for the program.

Paragraph 3:

Discuss the candidate's particular technical skills observed during a specific project, and how out of the box thinking helped in achieving any cost cut, increased revenue or any other big or small achievement. Innovative approach and our of the box thinking are considered valuable traits for an MBA applicant.

Paragraph 4:

Focus this paragraph on soft skills and any extracurricular achievements throughout their academic or professional journey. This can help in demonstrating a wholesome personality which is considered highly for a role that requires strategic management and leadership.

Paragraph 5:

Conclude the letter by strongly supporting the student’s application for the chosen program.

Do not forget to end the letter of recommendation for MBA with a signatory close, mentioning the recommender’s name, designation, department, organization’s name and contact details.

Tips for Writing Effective LOR for an MBA

1. Arranging a detailed discussion with your recommender before he or she write the LOR can help in reminding them the instances and traits you wish them to incorporate in the letter.
2. Approach your recommender well before the deadline so that they can enough time to write and rework on the recommendation letter.
3. You can even share MBA recommendation letter template with the points you want your recommender to highlight.
4. Example of MBA recommendation letter can also be shared so that they can get a reference of how to write a letter of recommendation for MBA.
5. You must get this letter edited or proofread for better structuring and error free version.

Sample for MBA Recommendation Letter

The following sample letter of recommendation for MBA program is written by a company supervisor. Most often, professional LORs or LOR from a Supervisor or a colleague are asked for by the Admissions Committees (Ad Com) for MBA applicants, where work experience is necessary. Shiksha.com strongly recommends that applicants use this letter of recommendation for MBA sample as a point of reference only.

“As Chief Manager, Marketing, in the XXX department, at Tribal Fusion Private Limited, NOIDA, I am happy to write this letter of recommendation for Mr ABC, a highly suitable prospective research student, who should undoubtedly be given a chance to prove his mettle in his desired field of study. I have known ABC for over two years now, during which time, he has been a vital part of my team at this organisation. He is my subordinate in various projects and reports directly to me.

ABC is a professional software developer of the highest calibre, whose meticulous implementation of projects has earned him praise from all his teammates as well as seniors. He possesses strong analytical and programming skills. During his tenure, he developed projects like X, Y, and Z for the company EFG. He also possesses in-depth knowledge of analysis, design, and development in Java, J2EE technologies, as well as backend algorithm developments in MS SQL Server and Oracle.

Moreover, ABC single-handedly implemented various reports and data-fetching algorithms, which effectively generated automated reports for more than 100,000 records, and also helped in enhancing the performance of the record management team. I have received positive and noteworthy feedback from clients, who were impressed by his helpful nature and professional approach.

ABC has the innate ability to handle pressure well. He voluntarily works overtime and rarely misses any deadlines. He was even recognized as the Best Performer of the Quarter within three months of his joining. Another example of his excellent time management skills was when he ..............................

Based on our interaction, I am certain that ABC will prove to be an invaluable asset to any organization/ institution he joins. He is a sincere and skilled professional who gives his best to any project/assignment he is involved in. Thus, I highly recommend Mr ABC for admission into the graduate course at your esteemed university and wish him the best for his future.

Yours sincerely,

John Smith

Chief Manager, Marketing

Tribal Fusion Private Limited, NOIDA, Uttar Pradesh

Contact No: 91-12345-XXXXX

Email ID: xxx@gmail.com

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