What If Your Grad School Recommendation Is Missing

What If Your Grad School Recommendation Is Missing Recommendation letters are a vital part of your application to graduate school. All applications require multiple letters of recommendation from professionals, typically faculty members, who evaluate your capacity for graduate-level work. Selecting faculty to approach and soliciting recommendation letters is challenging. Applicants usually breathe a sigh of relief once several faculty  members have agreed to write on their behalf. Asking Is Not Enough Once you have obtained your letters, do not rest on your laurels. Stay aware of the status of your application, particularly whether each program has received your recommendation letters. Your application will not be read- not one word will pass the admission committees eyes- until it is complete. Your application is not complete until all recommendation letters are received. Most graduate programs notify students of the status of their applications. Some send emails to students with incomplete applications. Many have online tracking systems that permit students to log in and determine their status. Take advantage of opportunities to check up on your application. Recommendation letters do not always arrive on time- or at all. Now What? With admissions deadlines rapidly approaching, its up to you to ensure that your application is complete. If a recommendation letter is missing, you must approach the faculty member and give a gentle nudge. Many students find requesting recommendation letters difficult. Following up on late letters often is petrifying. Dont be afraid. Its a stereotype, but often true: Many faculty  members are tardy. They are late to class, late returning student work, and late in sending recommendation letters. Professors may explain that graduate programs expect faculty letters to be late. That may be true (or not)- its your job to ensure that your letters arrive on time. You cant control the faculty members behavior, but you can offer gentle reminders. Email the faculty member and explain that the graduate program contacted you because your application is incomplete as they have not received all of your recommendation letters. Most faculty will immediately apologize, perhaps say that they forgot, and promptly send it. Others may not check their email or reply to your message. If the professor does not answer email, your next step is to call. In many cases, you will have to leave a voicemail. Identify yourself- clearly, state your name. Explain that you are following up to request a recommendation letter be present because the graduate program has not received it. Leave your phone number by speaking slowly and clearly. Thank the professor, then leave your phone number and name again (speak slowly and clearly). When you speak to the professor, be factual (e.g., the admissions coordinator says the letter has not been received) and be courteous. Do not accuse the faculty member of being late or of trying to undermine your application. The fact is that he or she probably simply forgot to Remember that you want your professor to be a good move and think highly of you as he or she writes your letter, so be polite and deferential. Follow Up After you have reminded faculty your job is not done. Follow up with the graduate programs. Its up to you to ensure that your application is complete. Some faculty might tell you that they will send the letter soon, but they again may fall victim to tardiness. Check up. You might find a week or two later that the letter still has not arrived. Again remind the professor. This time email and call. It isnt fair, but the reality is that some faculty, though they mean well, do not send recommendation letters on time. Be aware of this and do your best to ensure that your graduate application is complete and on time.

5 Simple Steps to Snag Book Endorsements from a Marketing MBA

5 Simple Steps to Snag Book Endorsements from a Marketing MBA 5 Simple Steps to Snag Book Endorsements from a Marketing MBA Growing you book sales isnt easy. In fact, youre probably doing it incorrectly already.This post will show you how to market your book for growth.But if you want to know  all the ins-and-outs of self-publishing a book, including how to write, market, and publish your book within 90 dayswe highly recommend watching your free training first.How to get book endorsementsEndorsements are a very powerful form of social proof and trust-builder for potential readers of your book.Endorsements alone might not make your book a bestseller, but they’ll give you an advantage over other books that don’t have them.I was able to leverage my endorsement by a top influencer to promote my book on social media, on my website, and even on webinars and speaking engagements.You could place endorsements or â€Å"blurbs† on the back cover of your book, the praise sheet, or even the front cover, as you can see from my endorsement example below.But, how do you get top influencers to suppo rt your book? Here are five simple steps to get endorsements for your book.#1 Find the right influencersThe most powerful endorsements are those given by people who are well-known in your field. To select the right influencers, find out who your ideal readers admire. Post the question on targeted social media groups or ask them directly.Also, ask yourself what top influencers you follow and respect. Add their names to the list.Focus on quality over quantity, but if you don’t have enough names, search for bestselling books similar to yours and check out who endorsed them.It’s important that the influencers have a style and values similar to yours. That way, your ideal reader will be likely to be attracted to them and be familiar with their work.How do you figure out the style and values of potential endorsers? Start by visiting the â€Å"About Me† page on their website and pay attention to their branding and message. Then, visit their social media pages and focu s on the style of their posts and the content they share. You’ll get a good idea of whether the person’s values and style might be a good match for you or not.#3 Deliver value firstBecause its much easier to get a yes from someone who has already received value from you, its important that you start planning your request for endorsements in advance.For blurbs by top influencers, you might need to start the outreach process several months ahead of the publication of your book.Regardless of where you are in your journey, there’s always a way for you to bring value to the influencers and start a relationship with them.Something as simple as sending them a handwritten note about how much their message means to you, posting a video review of their book on Amazon, or recommending them on LinkedIn will help you stand out.Here are other examples of powerful ways to stand out: becoming an active member on the influencers’ social media groupsattending one of their conferencesjoining one of their paid programsYou should do this because you truly enjoy their message and not just because youre seeking endorsements. Your true intentions will come through in your communications and behaviors.Avoid going straight to the ask without having taken the time to deliver value first.#4 Prepare to askBefore you reach out to potential endorsers, do everything you can to make it as easy as possible for them to say yes.Prepare well in advance so you can find the best opportunities to ask for the endorsement, and give yourself enough time to get through gatekeepers.For example, if the influencer will be speaking at an event in your town, you could grab a ticket and introduce yourself. However, local events aren’t your only choice. One of my friends was interested in building a relationship with an influencer who would be speaking three thousand miles away.But that didnt stop her. By following the influencer on Instagram, she learned that this person l oved brownies and would be attending the event with her husband. My friend ordered a dozen brownies to be delivered to the event with a customized note that read, â€Å"Best wishes during your presentation. Hope you and your husband enjoy these treats!† That was the start of their friendship.As part of your preparation, write a sample endorsement for each influencer. Blurs usually hover around 50 words (never more than 100). If you know their work well, you will be able to create blurbs that closely match their writing voice. #5 Ask for the endorsementIt might feel nerve-wracking to ask, but never wrong. If youre hesitant, it might be too soon in the relationship, especially when it comes to top influencers. If you ask too soon, they will either ignore you or reject your proposal.Rushing might mean that you’ll have to start the process all over again and find someone else to endorse your book.Never send a mass request to a group of influencers. You’ll waste you r time, and hurt your chances of ever building a relationship with them. Customization is key.Send the influencers a copy of your book along with a well-crafted message asking for the endorsement.Ideally, you’ll send them a physical copy. It doesnt have to be the final version, and it doesnt have to be perfect. It can be a printed PDF.That said, you must ensure that whatever you send to the influencer is professionally packaged. If sending a physical version of your book is not possible, you can send them the PDF or ebook, but you’ll have to ask in a way that stands out. You could achieve this by customizing your message in a unique way, creating a video specifically designed for them, or preceding your email with a handwritten note.Think outside the box! A video card or a note written on a balloon would be clever ways to stand out, too.Be succinct. Remember that time is a high-price commodity for influencers (for everyone!) so you dont want to make it a chore to under stand what youre asking.Start by expressing why you feel theyre the right person to endorse the book and why you respect them so much. Be sure to mention that you’re eager to make your readers aware of their work. Next, specify the length of the blurb youre seeking as well as by when you need it done. Dont make your deadline too far in the future so that its put in the back burner, but dont make it so soon that the influencer will immediately say no. I personally chose 3-4 weeks to collect the blurbs.Be prepared to negotiate an extended due date, and allow for extra time in your planning.When you share the blurb that you wrote, explain that youre just trying to make things easy for them.Express how much you appreciate their time and attention, and close with the promise to follow up in a week or two.Following Up for Book EndorsementsIf you dont hear back from the influencers, its easy to assume theyre not interested in writing the endorsement and be tempted to give up. Howeve r, its important to realize that they might have not received your message yet.Emails go to spam folders. Gatekeepers delete emails and toss out mail. You never know!When you follow up, try a different way to reach the person. If you used email first, follow up with a handwritten note or a message on social media.If you find out the name of the influencers’ gatekeepers, reach out to them directly. Build a relationship with them as well, and you will have a great chance of success.My rule of thumb is to follow up three times. If you dont hear from them, it might be time to move on.As you can see, with a well-written manuscript, proper planning, and a great dose of authenticity, its possible for you to get endorsements from top influencers in your field.The most important step is to take action. Its easy to be sidelined by fear of rejection, but if you think about it, the worst thing that can happen is that they’ll say no. If youre confident in the quality of your book, you have nothing to fear. Take the first step today to gain powerful social proof and make your book a success!