Asking for a Recommendation
by ResumeEdge

5. PROVIDE THE LETTER WRITER WITH ALL THE NECESSARY MATERIALS

Most applications include specific forms for letter of recommendation writers. They often ask for both a written-out statement and a series of ranking or short questions. If you are asking your instructor for several versions of the letter -- for instance, if you are applying to a number of schools -- you might remind him/her that the statement need not be written directly on the sheet itself; it can simply be stapled to the form. 

Always provide your letter of recommendation writer with stamped envelopes. If you are asking for multiple letters, it's a good idea to organize all the forms in one folder and include a cover sheet with a list of the schools for which you are requesting letters. Remember to include envelopes of the appropriate size, and overestimate the value of stamps (remember that the instructor might attach extra pages to the form).

Some applications require the instructor to return the letter to you in a sealed envelope. Don't forget to ask the writer to sign across the flap of the envelope. 

Finally, you might consider providing the letter writer with a diskette for saving a copy of the letter. Chances are the letter writer saves these letters on his hard-drive anyway, but a new diskette might serve as a reminder of the importance of keeping a backfile. Letters, after all, have been lost in the mail before -- not to mention in admissions offices, which are flooded with mail around each application deadline -- and there's always a chance you might have to ask for a second copy to be sent out.