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1. I have received outstanding annual performance reviews from both my employers (and both companies are regarded as brand leaders in engineering applications). I was wondering if including a copy of my official reviews as an electronic attachment sound like a good idea? Or if it is a big mistake that I should avoid...

2. Also, is it valid to include emails from senior management and customers personally thanking me for my contribution in some high-profile projects?

I would love some feedback regarding this...

chaudhry wrote:1. I have received outstanding annual performance reviews from both my employers (and both companies are regarded as brand leaders in engineering applications). I was wondering if including a copy of my official reviews as an electronic attachment sound like a good idea? Or if it is a big mistake that I should avoid...

2. Also, is it valid to include emails from senior management and customers personally thanking me for my contribution in some high-profile projects?

I would love some feedback regarding this...

I wouldn't do either.

Get an LOR from your employer if you want to highlight this aspect of you

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capitalacq wrote:

chaudhry wrote:1. I have received outstanding annual performance reviews from both my employers (and both companies are regarded as brand leaders in engineering applications). I was wondering if including a copy of my official reviews as an electronic attachment sound like a good idea? Or if it is a big mistake that I should avoid...

2. Also, is it valid to include emails from senior management and customers personally thanking me for my contribution in some high-profile projects?

I would love some feedback regarding this...

I wouldn't do either.

Get an LOR from your employer if you want to highlight this aspect of you

This. If they're giving you strong perfromance reviews, they should give you a strong LOR. If you've been in the real world for at least a couple years it's a good idea to have one employer LOR anyway.

Thanks all for the feedback, unfortunately I was hoping it wouldn't come back to LOR.

I am getting LORs from senior team members/leads that I have maintained good relations with, but I cannot ask my managers for LORs. I left the first company to work for the direct competitor (didn't go over so well) and there is no way I would ever disclose my law school aspirations to my current management!

But the confidentiality issue is a good point too... I had not considered that

no, actually it was the opposite... I even stayed an extra week to help my team meet a major deadline.
I guess you have to know how competitive and bitter software industry rivalries can be...

so then does it look really bad that my LORs are from team leads and not direct managers?

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jayzon wrote:

chaudhry wrote:no, actually it was the opposite... I even stayed an extra week to help my team meet a major deadline.
I guess you have to know how competitive and bitter software industry rivalries can be...

so then does it look really bad that my LORs are from team leads and not direct managers?

As long as the team lead and write directly to your abilities and contributions, it shouldn't hurt.

This. Anyone who is considered "above" you in the employment food chain and can talk directly about who you were and what you did at the company will work. I actually had to get an LOR from someone other than my manager at my last job, because he was such a hands-off manager and I worked on so many side projects for other departments that there were other people who were much better at actually saying things about me and how I behaved on the job. Get someone who can talk easily about you, and you'll be fine.