Writing my first letter of Rec....questions.

[AXiDTrish]

Hello All!
I am writing a letter of recommendation for a PNM today and this is the first one I have ever written. A few questions:
1. Is it protocol to give the PNM a copy or no?
2. I'm not certain what she put on her application, but I do know of leadership positions she has held. If she did not include these on her app and I reference them, will that have negative consequences?
3. Just in general, are there certain items to focus on in a letter of rec?

I have known her since she was 6 months old, so I have all kinds of great information. She goes to a school were recs are not super important.
Thanks
-Trish

[FSUZeta]

i have never given a pnm a copy of a rec. that i sent.

i would list all the information you have about the pnm. it would be of interest to the chapter that she has held leadership positions before. don't worry if she didn't list them on her recruitment application. one luxury of the letter of recommendation is that we can be more elaborate in our descriptions of the pnms accomplishments than space will allow on the standard recruitment application.


anything that would set her apart from the pack, would be good to highlight in your recommendation. philanthrophies that she donated her time to, the leadership positions that she held, any accolades that she won outside of school, how she would fit into the chapter and how she would be an asset to the chapter would be good things to include. good luck to your pnm!!

[TxGirl]

She doesn't need a copy. Be sure to put stuff that might NOT be on her application so that it will set her apart from the rest.

[adpiucf]

Your letter should include any relevant information about the PNM to support her candidacy as a potential member. For any letter of recommendation, whether for a job, sorority, college admissions, etc., it is standard that the candidate is not privvy to the contents of the letter. However, you may feel free to show it to her, if you would like. That's entirely up to you.

If you include positive character information about her on the rec that was left off her app, it won't be taken negatively-- it will show yet another positive facet of her candidacy.

Good luck to you and your PNM!