Letters of recommendation should be sent when an employer or school expresses an interest in receiving them. Recommendations should not automatically be sent when you first apply for a position or are making initial inquiry, unless you are extremely interested in a certain position. Before requesting release of your letters, check to be certain your file is complete and recommendations have been received by the Career Center.
Letters of recommendation are released only upon your written request
Career Center staff cannot honor telephone requests for security reasons. You may send written requests to the Career Center or may stop by and complete a Request to Release Recommendations form.
When requesting the release of your letters of recommendation, be certain to:
Submit your written request to release recommendations well in advance of deadlines set by prospective employers or graduate/professional schools. Every effort will be made to process your request as soon as it is received. During busy periods, however, there may be a brief delay. Letters of recommendation are mailed first class, and records are kept of when and where your letters are sent. The first set released at your written request will be mailed at no charge, and any additional written requests will be processed for the fee of $3.00 per address. You can facilitate the process by making certain you have a signed Registration Agreement in your file, as no recommendation can be sent without this.
Your recommendations file may be transferred to another college or university if you go on for graduate work. As your graduate/professional school will be more likely to receive notification of job openings in your graduate field of study, you will probably want to utilize its career office. Upon receipt of your written request and the $3.00 fee (if applicable), copies of your letters of recommendation will be sent to the career office at your graduate/professional school. The original letters will remain in the Lawrence University Career Center according to the stated policy (see section entitled “Maintenance of Recommendations File”).
Candidates may obtain copies of their own non-confidential recommendations for their own use. It is necessary to complete a Request to Release Recommendations form and submit the $3.00 fee (if applicable).
Note: Transcripts are not maintained by or sent out from the Career Center. They should be requested directly from the Registrar’s Office. There is a $5.00 fee for transcripts.