Urgent Question About Recommendations Forum

[lawjag2015]

I am an engineer, and over the last few days I have discovered that engineering companies are dead against using their letter head for anything other than official business, and school recommendations in their opinion is unofficial business.

So, is it okay for my boss, an engineer, to give me a recommendation on plain paper, i.e., not on a letterhead?

[BillsFan9907]

I wouldn't worry. I had a former boss write me a letter of recommendation. He had retired (hence did not have letterhead available to him). I think schools understand that not everyone has letterhead available to them.

[lawjag2015]

I wouldn't worry. I had a former boss write me a letter of recommendation. He had retired (hence did not have letterhead available to him). I think schools understand that not everyone has letterhead available to them.

Thanks a lot! I am relieved!

[SPerez]

A surprising number of LORs we get don't come on formal letterhead, even from current university professors. I always wondered if it had to do with the electronic submission system. That by itself, for me at least, isn't enough to raise red flags.

Dean Perez
Texas Tech Law

[lawjag2015]

A surprising number of LORs we get don't come on formal letterhead, even from current university professors. I always wondered if it had to do with the electronic submission system. That by itself, for me at least, isn't enough to raise red flags.

Dean Perez
Texas Tech Law

Dean Perez,

Thanks for allaying my fears!

[IsThisForReal]

Yeah I don't think it's a huge deal for law. Seemed like a big problem for business schools when I was completing apps, but law schools don't seem to care as much.

ETA: And its interesting that you say that about engineering. I am an engineer and my supervisor (a PE) did his rec on letterhead.

[lawjag2015]

Yeah I don't think it's a huge deal for law. Seemed like a big problem for business schools when I was completing apps, but law schools don't seem to care as much.

ETA: And its interesting that you say that about engineering. I am an engineer and my supervisor (a PE) did his rec on letterhead.

Interesting! I have asked three different people, and all of them were told by their HR to not use the letterhead for recs. These are people I have worked with at different points of time, and now they work for different companies, with one of them working with me at present.