如何抓住请别人写推荐信的最佳时机

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正文：

The art of asking or a strong recommendation letter is a timeless skill: it will follow you from the college application process into your first, second, and third internship application and beyond. Here are some essentials for any recommendation letter.

学会如何请别人写一份好的推荐信会让你终生受益。从申请大学到之后的申请实习，你都会用上这些技巧。以下是所有推荐信都需要注意的几个要点。

Before the Letter:

1.       Build relationships. I’m sure you’ve heard that you should always ask for letters from those that know you well and could provide a strong character, academic, and professional reference. But how do you even get there? Asking for a recommendation letter is just one aspect of the relationship you should form with mentors, professors, and employers.  So don’t make your first conversation or interaction around the letter of recommendation. Spend time after class talking about the material; ask a professor for some outside book recommendations; take time to have one-on-one time with your employer asking about their career trajectory. You'll find that these relationships will enrich your academic experience.

准备工作：

1.  与推荐人建立良好的关系。我想你们肯定知道应该请那些了解你、并且对你的人品学术和专业各方面都十分欣赏的人给你写推荐信。那到底应该怎么做呢？你应该先与朋友、老师或者老板建立起良好的关系。请他们写推荐信并不是唯一的目的，所以第一次接触的时候，话题不要总围绕着推荐信。你可以和朋友在课后讨论一下阅读材料，找老师谈谈课外的话题或者找机会单独和老板聊聊职业规划。慢慢地，你会发现这样的关系网会让你的学术道路更顺畅。

The Ask:

1.       Time is relative. Depending on who you ask, you’ll get different answers—from asking two months before to asking a couple of weeks at minimum. However, you’ll come to see that each recommender you encounter will need a different amount of time. When first asking someone for a recommendation, touch base two months before. Slowly you’ll see that you’ll be able to reduce that time down to about two-weeks. Strong recommenders that know you well will eventually be fine with you contacting them in less time.

推荐信进行时：

1.   时间并不是固定的。你需要提前多久与你的推荐人联系取决于你请谁写推荐信。有的人需要提前两个月通知他们，有的人最少提前几周就行了。每个人需要的准备时间都不同。当你初次找一个人写推荐信时，最好提前两个月打好招呼。慢慢地，你就可以把时间缩短到两周左右。越了解你的人，需要的时间越少。

2.       Always give your target recommenders an exit strategy. Afraid of being told ‘no’?—Many chances the reasons someone might say no are actually in your best interest. You want someone who is comfortable writing for and about you, so if someone feels like they can’t say no, you could get an unconvincing letter. Don’t ask, “Can you write a letter of recommendation for me?” Instead, ask “Do you think you have some time to write a strong recommendation letter on my behalf?” This gives a recommender the ability to say they’re busy if they don’t think they’re able to write a great letter on your behalf.

2.   记住，总要给你的推荐人留条后路。担心被拒绝？很多时候，别人拒绝你是为了你好。你要找的是一个了解你，并且为你说好话的人。所以当别人不好意思拒绝你的时候，你拿到的也只是一份没有说服力的推荐信。不要问“你能帮我写推荐信么？”应该问“你有时间为我写一份有说服力的推荐信么？”这样一来，如果对方自认为不能胜任，也能够比较容易地拒绝。

After the hard part's done:

1.       Have back-ups and check-in regularly. Check-in with recommenders. Life can change, leaving less time than previously imagined. Your recommenders will appreciate the gentle check-in to see if they still have time available. Always check-in with enough time to find a back-up recommender if they don’t.

过了这一难关之后：

1.   想好备选方案，经常和推荐人交流进度。人生瞬息万变，准备不足可能导致很多后果。和你的推荐人保持交流，确定他们是否还有时间写推荐信。如果没有，趁早找下一个推荐人补救。

2.       E-mail is nice, but in person meetings are better. In a way, putting together a set of strong recommendations is like crafting a symphony. When asking more than one person for a recommendation, make sure they don’t all write about the same experiences. After studying abroad, I found this particularly helpful when putting together my Rhodes application. With only five days for my recommenders to submit their letters, sitting down with each recommender in person helped us brainstorm how each could contribute a different snapshot of who I was—as a scholar, activist, employee, and person.

2.   发邮件是个选择，但最好是当面交流。某种程度上，把几份推荐信整合起来就像谱写一首交响乐。当你同时请几个人写推荐信时，千万要确定他们没有交集。当我在整合申请罗兹的推荐信时，这种方法帮了大忙。我的推荐人只有五天时间来赶出一份推荐信。我们面对面交流，想想每个人如何展现我作为一个学者、活动积极分子、员工和人的不同侧面。

3.       Say thank you. Every application is a team effort. Your recommenders are many times not just professors and employers, but your biggest cheerleaders. And they want to see you succeed, which is why they joined on this journey with you. Thank them for being part of the process with you, and keep them updated on the results—whether they are good or bad. Give details of what you think went well and what went wrong. Your feedback on the general process (where you stood out and didn't) can help them strengthen their letter for the next round. They’ll want to celebrate or re-strategize with you, and letting them be a part of that process, too, is how you build community.

3.   别忘了要表示感谢。每一份申请都是团队合作的成果，你的推荐人远不止是老师或者老板，他们更是为你欢呼喝彩的人。他们希望你成功，才会和你一起努力。记得要感谢他们与你一路同行，并且无论结果时好时坏，都要告诉他们。详细地跟他们分析一下你认为哪里做得比较好，哪里还有不足。不管你成功与否，你的反思和总结可以帮助他们下次改进。他们愿意为你庆祝或者重新帮你出谋划策。让他们参与这整个过程的同时，你也在建立你的关系网。

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