Detailed recommandation letter 3

[ppata]

My dear friends,

I am in a very strange situation. I am a reservoir engineer with good experience and work results, I have a good position in my company, but I am interested to find something better. My problem is that: I had a couple of phone interviews with a big company, they told me that they are interested in me, but they ask me to send them some recommandation letters. This is something normal, but all my coworkers told me that they do not have any ideea how to do something like that.
If any of you have this kind of letters please post a draft without specific data here.
Thank you.(excuse my grammar)


Best regards,
Andrei

 

[ppata]

Me again.

On "member detail" you can find the way to contact me and my CV if you are interested.

Thanks again.

Best regards,
Andrei

 

[MikeHalloran]

Letters of recommendation are uncommon in the USA, except in the field of education, which exists on a different planet.

I assume they are uncommon because nobody believes them, and that is because it's common for the recommendee, e.g. you, to compose the letter, and ask someone else to sign it. I actually did sign such a letter once, on behalf of a particularly annoying individual, just to make him go away. I have had several top level executives offer to sign any letter that I might compose, so I guess it's accepted practice in some circles.

I might be less suspicious of a letter that was clearly written in a hurry, in someone's own words, so I suggest that you simply ask a few people to write a note in their own words, describing how they know you, and why you would be an asset somewhere, etc. Don't give them a template, or their letters will all look the same.

Given that you've had two phone interviews and haven't gotten a 'no thanks' or a personal interview, my paranoid side might suggest that they don't actually want to hire you, and are just fishing for a defensible position. Did you perhaps imply that you might be litigious?



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[RDK]

People get dozens if not hundreds of responses to any job advertisement. I have heard of responses in the thousands for some of the major job boards.

The person hiring only wants to get this down to a manageable number as quickly as possible. You would throw out any applications with spelling or grammar errors, throw out any that did not fully meet or exceed the position requirements, anything to get the numbers down to 10 or so to start looking at them more closely. Then you may do some phone interviews to cut that down to 5 or so to invite in for an interview.

If you got a phone interview they you were most likely in the top 10 applicants. A second, especially if it was with another interviewer would put you about 6th or so.

Unfortunately only 5 got interviews. Personal "no thanks" are rare. Usually you just get dropped from consideration.


Only one application? The odds are that you should have to submit a hundred or so to get a job, stop feeling sorry for yourself and start sending out application letters by the score. Make them as perfect as possible and don’t give any cause to reject your application out of hand as part of the attempt to get the numbers reasonable.

Buy a mailing list from one of the mailing list companies (they will sell you targeted lists for around $0.50 per name depending on how much info you want and how many names you are renting.). Have your cover letter and resume reviewed by an HR professional. Don’t send e-mails because they will get discarded as spam, send actual snail mail letters on good quality stationary, printed on a laser printer and personalized and signed.

Work your contacts; ask everyone you know in the business and related businesses about possible job leads. Send these a letter and follow the lead up with a phone call. (Or call first and ask if there is a lead and if you can send in a resume if you prefer.)

Finding a job is work so get started and good luck.

Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng

Construction Project Management
From conception to completion

http://www.kitsonengineering.com

 

[fndn]

Separate yourself from the pack. Tell them they you have samples of your work, which you would like to show them and that you want to know which date is best for a job interview.

Their response will tell you if you should put more efforts or walk away. Good luck.

 

[MortenA]

Rick

Reservoir engineering may be slightly different in this aspect that construction

Its a highly specialised area and the people working in this area is quite used having to "dust off" offers!

ppata: If your situation is like this that your current company is the only company you worked for - then i guess that you must tell them that you cant ask them for a "letter of recommandation" since you are currently full time employed with the same company.

PS: You should be carefull when discussing such matters with co-worker. You just never know....

Best regards

Morten

 

[ppata]

I'm in some kind of problem?
Anyway,"danke schön".
A.

 

[EngJW]

Never heard of a company in industry asking for reference letters. The way to do it is to write them yourself and then have people sign them. Otherwise you will get spelling and grammar errors and who knows what else, assuming your contacts will even find the time to write the letters. Any company asking for letters deserves what they get.

While unemployed, I applied to a security company for a part time job. At the very end they handed me 6 forms to have filled out by people I knew, not including the 6 references already put down on the application. When I told them I don't even know that many people, they said just have my wife take them into church and pass them around. So that's how important they are.

 

[RDK]

12 references!!!????

Obviously a company full of CYA mentality with absolutely no confidence in their own judgment.

Not a place where I would like to work.

Remember the interview/job search process works both ways, they are looking for a emp0loyee who is a fit to them and their needs and you are looking for a company that is a fit to you and your needs.

Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng

Construction Project Management
From conception to completion

http://www.kitsonengineering.com

 

[MortenA]

ppata

Trouble - no I just meant that "what goes around comes around". Some people just like to talk and if you are looking for work then your boss might think that you cannot be depended upon?

Best regards

Morten

 

[ppata]

Please alow me to be clear. Do you know someone who can survive with 3000Euro/year? Particularly a reservoir engineer? Probably you don't.
I'm not totaly decided to leave my job and my country, but I have a family, and when food and clothes become a problem, a lot of things are swiching. And belive me, it is very sad for me to write all of that.
That answer was for everybody, but particular for MortenA.
A.


Best regards,
Andrei