After completing the candidate’s section, distribute forms to employers, professors, and others who will write recommendations for you. You may sign the waiver of your right of access to each recommendation before it is distributed to a letter writer. THIS IS NOT REQUIRED. Waiver of your right of access indicates to the writer and the recipient of the recommendation that you have not seen it and will not see it. Many graduate/professional school officials and some employers believe that writers are more honest if they know their statements will be kept confidential. However, if you feel the security of knowing the contents of your recommendations is important, you should NOT waive your right to view them. If you solicit confidential letters, be careful about selecting who will write them. Try to select people who know you well and will write positive evaluations.
It is wise to cultivate relationships with your recommenders beginning early in your college career. Let them get to know you. Be courteous in requesting a letter of recommendation. Never just drop off a recommendation form with a note unless you have previously spoken with a potential recommender and have been requested to do so. It is your responsibility to discuss with the writer the purpose and content of the recommendation. Remember to ASK if a recommender feels knowledgeable enough to write a POSITIVE recommendation. If the answer if negative, ask someone else. Give a stamped envelope (addressed to the Career Center) to those recommendation writers who do not work on campus.
It is your responsibility to make certain that completed recommendation forms are sent directly to the Career Center by the recommender, whether or not they are confidential. Give the writer ample time to complete your recommendation before checking to see if the Career Center has received it. If the letter is not yet on file, you would be wise to contact the writer.
In the event that a recommender wishes to make changes in or update a letter of recommendation previously placed in your file, he/she will be required to submit an entirely new letter. If the letter writer wishes to substitute a new letter for the one previously written, he/she may do so. You will be notified that a new letter has been added to your file, and the original letter will be maintained as an inactive part of your file. It will not be destroyed until the entire contents of the file are destroyed, and it will not be available for disclosure. Since you have the option to waive your right of access to each letter of recommendation, you will need to sign the waiver for the new letter prior to its being written if you wish to have it be a confidential letter. In keeping with the stated policy, the new letter will only be disclosed upon your written request.