Communication Farrago

Requesting letters of recommendation from your professor

2010-06-07T17:37:00.000-04:00

Seeing former students excel is one of the aspects of teaching I enjoy the most. And, I enjoy helping students achieve their goals. I am often asked to write letters of recommendation for scholarships and graduate school and while I am happy to do this most of the time, I have had to turn down requests for a lack of time on my part or what I view as a lack of commitment on the part of the student.

I've pulled together a few tips for requesting letters of recommendation not just from me, but from all of your professors:

1.) Request early
Avoid waiting until one week before the deadline to request the letter of recommendation from your professor. Give at least 30 days notice.

2.) Provide complete details
Including all of the information needed to write the letter should be included in the request. Be sure to include:

Your name
The course you had with the instructor and when you took it and the grade you received
If possible, the subject of a paper you wrote or details of a project you worked on
Specifics for what you are applying

if it is a graduate program, include where it is and details about the program
if it is a scholarship, include details about it

What is needed from the professor

is it just a letter printed on letterhead?
is there a form that needs to be completed?
is there a website where the professor needs to upload the letter?

Information the professor can use to write more accurate and effective persuasive letters

Why you feel you are qualified for the program or scholarship
A statement about your scholastic and extracurricular successes and your career goals
A copy of your transcript
A copy of your resume'

The deadline

3.) Provide postage
If your request will require the professor to send a hard copy of the letter, mail them a stamped envelope addressed to the appropriate party.

4.) Follow-up
Sometimes we get busy and distracted, or we just procrastinate. A week or so before the due date, don't hesitate to send a gentle reminder asking if any additional information is needed to complete the letter.

5.) Let us know the outcome.
We love hearing good news.

Limiting your flaps

2009-04-06T16:59:00.003-04:00

Flutter - SlateV's parody of Twitter. Hilarious.

Conference call primer

2009-04-06T15:07:00.003-04:00

A couple of quarters ago I asked students to let me know if there was anything they felt they needed to know more about before entering the professional world. A few of them indicated an interest in how to use social media professionally, a few wanted more tips on developing relationships with the media, but a surprising number of students wrote to me their interest in basic business etiquette. I crafted a lecture on the topic and coupled it with the lecture on ethics. This quarter, I will definitely add some of these pointers on conference calls from Richard Laermer at Bad Pitch Blog.

Probably not the most valuable tip, but my favorite discusses dramatic pauses: "Nobody wants to conference with Kenneth Branagh."

Finding your place

2009-04-03T16:39:00.000-04:00

Todd Defren over at PR-Squared posted a great article about HOW great careers get built. The focus of the article is PR, but I find it applicable to any strategic communication career.

Defren says:

"My advice is to find the place where you feel confident that you can achieve greatness. Realize that this process is always a quest, never a coup. And then settle in for the long slog to glory."

Internship opportunities abound

2009-04-02T14:07:00.000-04:00

Several of you have asked me for places to look for internships.

A great starting point is the Internship Program within the School of Communication. And, do not forget about the OSU chapter of PRSSA. PRSSA gives you an opportunity to network with fellow students and local PR/marketing practitioners. Sometimes the old adage is true: it's not what you know, but who you know.

Another source is columbusinternships.com created by the Columbus Chamber to help college students find meaningful internships with local businesses. Posted opportunities are for both paid and unpaid positions.

And, remember, you can add value to almost any organization. If you know of a local company that could possibly benefit from your marketing/PR expertise, just ask them. Several small businesses and non-profits are in need fresh, new ideas and individuals with your skill set. Although most can not provide you with a paycheck, the experience and knowledge from working with these organizations is priceless.

Want some tips on your internship interview? Check out these from Intern Queen.

First post

2009-01-05T13:50:00.001-05:00

The basics.

I'm Natalie Boyne.

I teach strategic communication courses at the Ohio State University.

This blog is designed to provide tips, contacts, resources, and shameless farrago for my students.

Enjoy.