Letter of Recommendation Email Request Assignment Intro: : At some point in your college or work career, you will need to ask someone to provide you with a letter of recommendation for a scholarship, admission to another college, a job application, a promotion, or other related occasions. When these requests are sent via email, two common mistakes can occur: sometimes people think the requests can be informally written and/or be informal and that the request will always be met with a "yes" response. After more than 20 years of teaching and many years as a retail manager before that, I can assure you that neither is necessarily true. Your request for a letter of recommendation is a persuasive document designed to provide the person with all the information he or she needs to write you a terrific letter, but also to explain why that person should do so. Goal: The goal of this assignment is for you to write a persuasive email request for a letter of recommendation. These are your choices: 1. Request a letter from a professor with whom you have completed a class (so not me unless you took a class before this one with me) for a grant or scholarship that actually exists. 2. Request a letter from a professor with whom you have completed a class (so not me unless you took a class before this one with me) for admission to a transfer institution. 3. Request a letter from your boss/manager/supervisor for a promotion within your current company. 4. Request a letter from your boss/manager/supervisor for a job with another company. It is acceptable to make up some of the details if you need to do so, but whatever you create needs to be believable. So, for example, if you are not ready to be transferring to another institution, pretend that you are, or if you are not aware of a scholarship that would be applicable to you for next semester, you can pretend that one is. Details: Provide all the relevant information needed to persuade that person not only to say yes, but also write an excellent (not mediocre) letter. Make the up any details you need in order to address the situation (like the job title or scholarship title). Make sure to do the following: Write a specific and informative subject line Be judicious with language-your request should not be longer than one screen Use short paragraphs Include all the relevant information required to write the letter Avoid abbreviations and emoticons Use a professional sounding email . Organization: For this assignment, you will focus on the direct mode of organization (See lecture in module 1). See the mini-lecture in the assignments folder for details. Consult the Workplace Communication reading and lectures for formatting and content reminders. Attach: your assignment as a word doc Grading: this assignment is worth 20 points. See rubric following the assignment for grading details. Format: Most of you know what an email looks like because you use it regularly, but for a professional email, this is what you should include: TO: always make sure you have the right email address! TO is the only section you will have for this assignment. The CC and BC are for info only CC: Stands for Carbon Copy; use only if you need to send someone else a copy of your message BC: Stand for Blind Copy: use sparingly and only if you don't want the receiver to know you sending a copy to another person DATE: Subject line is important! Be consistent about caps; RE: Sample Email format whatever program you are using will add date, but because you are not actually creating the email in an email program, you will have to include it. Greeting goes here, Body of the message in short paragraphs. Closing which includes your name, title and contact information The following rubric will be used to grade your assignment: Excellent Average Approaching Average Failing Format and subject line is -subject line Structure interesting, adequately accurately describes describes message message content content -greeting is present and professional -subject line is absent subject line is or unrelated not included -greeting is informal -no greeting -closing is missing included multiple elements -no closing -paragraphs are too long and may be disorganized -paragraphing is not present -closing is present, -greeting is professional, and appropriate and includes name, title, professional company, and -closing is contact information professional but -paragraphs are may not include all short and expertly elements focused -paragraphs are short and adequately focused Persuasive -includes all Content relevant ideas and details -expresses all information expertly -organization is logical and purposeful -uses transitions appropriately -lists, if employed, are used expertly - includes all -ideas and details are missing relevant ideas and irrelevant, missing, or significant details though may confusing content not be expressed as organization is -organization clearly as excellent confusing or absent prevents example -lists, if included, are understanding -organization is confusing/inconsistent logical -lists, if employed, are adequate and clear Language -uses professional and formal language throughout -demonstrates control of the conventions with no errors -uses professional -language is informal and formal language or inappropriate throughout -demonstrates - demonstrates basic emerging control, control exhibiting exhibiting frequent occasional errors errors that make that do not hinder comprehension comprehension difficult or indicate a lack of understanding of conventions of grammar -language is informal or inappropriate -demonstrates minimal or no control of conventions