INSTRUCTIONS

What to submit

This is your chance to let someone else tell us how great you are! Please solicit two letters of recommendation for your MBA application.
One recommendation from your current direct supervisor (or next best alternative) at work
One recommendation from someone else who has supervised your work
Notify your recommenders which type of letter of recommendation they will be completing for you (Current Direct Supervisor or Other) and in which round you will be applying.

We do not allow letters of recommendation from family members and current or former direct reports.

Your recommenders must be the sole authors of your letters of recommendation. Drafting, writing, translating, or submitting your own recommendations, or having any outside party review or edit them, even if asked to do so by a recommender, is a violation of our application terms. You are responsible for informing your recommenders of this policy.

Technical advice: Please ask your recommenders to set their email filters to allow emails from @stanford.edu and @gsb.stanford.edu.

How to submit

Your recommenders are required to submit their letters through our online form by the deadline of the round in which you apply. Register your recommenders by clicking the Add Recommender button below.
Provide the name and contact information of each person who will be recommending you. Check the email address for each recommender carefully. You cannot change it later. If there is an error, Exclude the recommender and add their information again. It is essential that you enter the recommender’s email address correctly so that your recommender can access the instructions and recommendation form.
Read the waiver statement for each letter of recommendation and determine whether or not you will waive your right to review each recommendation. You cannot change this later.
Click on the Send to Recommender button. We will send an email to the recommender with instructions on how to proceed. Check with your recommender to make sure they receive it.
Your recommender completes and submits their recommendation.
You and your recommender receive an email confirming the recommendation has been submitted.
You can check the status of your letters of recommendation anytime by logging in to your application or your applicant status portal once you have submitted your application. Your recommenders must submit their letters of recommendation through an online form. They may not email, mail, or fax letters of recommendation. Both letters of recommendation must be submitted by the deadline of the round in which you apply.

Ready to submit your application? Wait! Read this first.

You will not be able to submit your application until you have notified two recommenders.
You don't have to wait until both letters are in before submitting your application. Go ahead and submit when you are ready, but remember to follow up and make sure your recommenders submit their letters by the deadline.
If a recommender hasn't submitted a letter yet and you would like to remind them, click on the recommender's record and then click Remind Recommender.
If you need to change recommenders after notifying two, you must first exclude a recommender by clicking on their name, then clicking on Exclude. You will then be able to add a new recommender.

Your letters of recommendation should provide specific examples and anecdotes that illustrate what you have done and how you have done it.

We require two letters of recommendation: one recommendation from your current direct supervisor (or next best alternative) at work and one recommendation from someone else who has supervised you. We do not allow letters of recommendation from family members and current or former direct reports.

Both letters of recommendation must be submitted by the deadline of the round in which you apply. You must not have read or had any involvement in the drafting, writing, translation, or submission of the letters, including having any outside party review or edit the letters before they are submitted.

First Recommendation

Current Direct Supervisor or Next Best Alternative
You must obtain at least one recommendation from your current direct supervisor. We understand, however, that you may be in a situation that prevents you from providing a recommendation from your current direct supervisor. For example, you may:

Be self-employed
Work for a family business in which a family member is your supervisor
Have begun a new position where your direct supervisor does not know you well
Have not notified your direct supervisor that you are applying to business school
Be a student
If you are unable to provide a letter from your current direct supervisor, use your judgment in finding an alternative source for your recommendation: a previous supervisor, an indirect manager, a client, a member of your board of directors, or any other individual who supervises your work.

If you don't have full-time work experience, you may use a direct supervisor from a summer, part-time, or internship position. Alternatively, you may ask someone who managed you in an extracurricular, research, volunteer, or community activity.

Second Recommendation

Someone Else Who Has Supervised You
The strongest recommendations typically come from your workplace. You may select a recommendation from your professional, community, or extracurricular experiences. Having two recommendations from the same organization is fine. We recognize that work environments are fluid, so we give you the option of choosing the individual who can best represent your potential impact.

Choosing Your Recommenders

We are impressed by what a recommendation letter says, not by the title or background of the individual who wrote it or the writing skills of the recommender. You should choose individuals who:

Know you well through significant, direct involvement with you within the last three years
Will provide detailed anecdotes and examples to support their assertions
Are sufficiently enthused to spend time writing a thoughtful letter

Deferred Enrollment

If you are currently a full-time student, we encourage you to select recommenders who have supervised your extracurricular activities or work, such as internships or part-time jobs

QUESTIONS

Recommender Information

• First Name (Given)
• Last Name (Family)
• Organization
• Job Title
• Location
• Country
• City
• Phone

May we contact you at work regarding this applicant? Yes/No

Additional Details

How long have you known the applicant? (select)

During which period of time have you had the most frequent contact with the applicant?
From:
To:

You have been registered by the applicant as providing this type of Letter of Recommendation.
Current Direct Supervisor
Other

Are/were you the applicant's direct supervisor?
Yes
No

Comment briefly on the context of your interaction with the applicant. If applicable, describe the applicant's role in your organization. (textbox, 320 characters)

If you are a Stanford GSB alumna/alumnus, enter your degree class year. If you are not, leave blank. ___________________
How many candidates are you recommending to Stanford GSB this year? ___________________

Leadership Assessment

Listed below you will find a number of competencies that contribute to successful leadership. Within each category, mark the one button corresponding to the behavior that the candidate most typically exhibits. We acknowledge that all candidates have both areas of strength and areas of development. If you select the highest rating, provide specific examples in your letter.

Initiative

No basis for judgment
Reluctant to take on new tasks; waits to be told what to do; defers to others
Willing to step in and take charge when required to do so
Takes charge spontaneously when problem needs attention
Volunteers for new work challenges; proactively puts in extra effort to accomplish critical or difficult tasks
Proactively seeks high-impact projects; steps up to challenges even when things are not going well

Results Orientation

No basis for judgment
Focuses on fulfilling activities at hand; unsure how work relates to goals
Takes actions to overcome obstacles to achieve goals
Independently acts to exceed goals and plans for contingencies
Documents activities and outcomes to learn from past; introduces incremental improvements to raise the effectiveness of team
Invents new approaches with measurably better results; works to deliver best-in-class performance improvements

Communication, Professional Impression & Poise

No basis for judgment
Struggles to get point across; neglects to understand audience’s input or perspective; lacks confidence and gets flustered under pressure
Works to get point across; acknowledges feedback; reframes statements when necessary to make them clearer; speaks politely; remains composed in known circumstances
Presents views clearly and logically structures content for a broad audience; listens and responds to feedback; prepares in advance to appear confident; leaves a positive and professional impression; responds confidently in unfamiliar situations
Uses tailored language that appeals to specific groups; restates what others have said to check for understanding; comes across as confident; responds rapidly and strongly to crisis; looked to for advice and guidance
Maintains composure when challenged; solicits opinions and concerns, discusses them openly and adjusts communication; when in strong conflict or crisis, remains cool under pressure; channels strong emotion into positive action

Influence and Collaboration

No basis for judgment
Does not seek input and perspective of others
Accepts input from others and engages them in problem solving
Seeks first to understand perspectives of others; takes actions to gain their support for ideas and initiatives
Uses tailored approaches to connect with others, influence, and achieve results
Uses tailored influence approaches to create and leverage a network of strategically chosen individuals to improve collective outcomes

Respect for Others

No basis for judgment
Unwilling to acknowledge others’ points of view
Open to considering others’ views when confronted or offered
Invites input from others because of expressed respect for them and their views
Praises people publicly for their good actions; ensures that others’ opinions are heard before their own
Uses empathy and personal experience to resolve conflicts and foster mutual respect; reinforces respect with public praise when individuals solicit and use input from others

Team Leadership

No basis for judgment
Struggles to delegate effectively (e.g. micromanages); does not organize activities or provide appropriate information to complete tasks
Assigns tasks and tells people what to do; checks when they are done
Solicits ideas and perspectives from the team; structures activities; holds members accountable
Actively engages the team to develop plans and resolve issues through collaboration; shows the impact of individual/team contributions
Recruits others into duties or roles based on insight into individual abilities; rewards those who exceed expectations; provides strong organizational support

Developing Others

No basis for judgment
Focuses only on own growth; critical of others’ efforts to develop
Encourages people to develop; points out mistakes to help people develop and praises them for improvements
Gives specific positive and negative behavioral feedback to support the development of others
Provides overarching practical guiding principles and recommendations that are applicable in multiple situations to direct or focus efforts on specific areas of development
Identifies potential in others; inspires others to develop by providing feedback, mentoring/coaching, and identifying new growth opportunities as well as supporting their effort to change

Trustworthiness/ Integrity

No basis for judgment
Follows the crowd; takes path of least resistance; gives in under pressure
Acts consistently with stated intentions, values, or beliefs when it is easy to do so
Acts spontaneously and consistently with stated intentions, values, or beliefs despite opposition
Initiates actions based on values or beliefs even though the actions may come with reputational risk; demonstrates the values of the team or organization publicly
Demonstrates high personal integrity even at personal cost; holds people accountable to the team or organizational values

Adaptability/ Resilience

No basis for judgment
Prefers existing ways of doing things; fears failure; becomes anxious under challenging situations
Adapts to new methods and procedures when required to do so; remains calm in unfamiliar situations until confronted with obstacle
Champions adoption of new initiatives and processes; exhibits calm in unfamiliar situations until confronted with obstacle
Seeks out disruptions as an opportunity for improvement; remains optimistic and forward-looking in difficult situations that may result in failure
Energized by projects with high uncertainty but potential for high reward; seeks to be the first into unknown or unfamiliar situations; welcomes learning opportunities created by failure; learns from mistakes and rebounds quickly from setbacks

Self Awareness

No basis for judgment
Lacks awareness of how they are perceived; denies or offers excuses when confronted
Acknowledges fault or performance problem when confronted with concrete example or data
Describes own key strengths and weaknesses accurately; welcomes feedback from others and discusses opportunities to change with select individuals
Actively seeks out feedback to explicitly address desired improvement areas or build on strengths; explores reasons for problems openly, including own faults
Seeks out challenging and potentially risky experiences to improve; identifies and engages with resources – people, processes, or content – to maximize strengths or mitigate weaknesses

Problem Solving

No basis for judgment
Avoids problems; when faced with problems, sticks to what worked before, or chooses an obvious path
Offers solutions when the risk is low; focuses on immediate, short-term implications instead of the big picture
Looks beyond the obvious; identifies and focuses on the critical information needed to understand a problem, identifies root cause(s), and comes up with reasonable solutions
Gathers and analyzes key information using complex methods or several layers deep; integrates perspectives from a variety of sources to arrive at unexpected but practical and effective solutions
Applies logic to break complex problems down into manageable parts or sub-problems; solves tough and interconnected problems and can explain how the pieces are connected

Strategic Orientation

No basis for judgment
Focuses on completing work without understanding implications
Understands immediate issues or implications of work or analysis
Develops insights or recommendations within area of responsibility that have improved near-term business performance
Develops insights or recommendations within area of responsibility that have shaped team/organization strategy and will have impact on long-term business performance
Develops insights or recommendations beyond area of responsibility with impact on long-term business strategy and performance

Feel free to comment if you need to clarify the ratings you have assigned. (textbox, 500 characters)

Summary

• Based on your professional experience, how would you rate this candidate compared to their peer group? (select)
• Overall, I (select)

Recommendation Questions

The most helpful recommendations provide detailed descriptions, candid anecdotes, and specific evidence that highlight the candidate's behavior, actions, and impact on those around them. This kind of information helps distinguish the very best individuals from a pool of many well-qualified candidates. Write your answers to the following questions in a separate document and submit it through our online form.

Questions:

1. How does the applicant's performance compare to that of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? Provide specific examples. – Up to 500 words

2. Describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Detail the circumstances and the applicant's response. – Up to 500 words

3. (Optional) Is there anything else we should know?

Do not include graphics or icons such as company letterhead.

Save your recommendation form before uploading your document by clicking on the Save for Later button below. To upload your document:
Click on the Choose File or Browse button.
Locate your document and click on Open in the pop-up window.
Once uploaded, the name of your document will appear to the right of the Choose File or Browse button.

Upload Letter of Recommendation