Malvika Patil
- Apr 5
- 7 min read

Northwestern Kellogg MBA Recommendation Questions 2023 - 2024

Northwestern Kellogg looks for leaders who can influence and collaborate with people to discover innovative opportunities. This collaborative spirit is the cornerstone of Kellogg’s culture, and the stories are true: Kellogg students are known for their willingness to mentor each other, develop lasting bonds, and pay it forward.

Kellogg’s supportive network is also equally diverse and inclusive - a key value that the AdCom looks for in MBA applicants, both through the application essays and the letters of recommendation.

How Many Letters of Recommendation Does Northwestern Kellogg Require?

Kellogg requires two letters of recommendations in your MBA application. Your first preference recommender should be a current supervisor or manager. The second should also come from someone in a professional capacity, ideally someone who can assess your work performance and leadership promise, like a former supervisor or manager, a client, or a previous employer.

In addition to the GMAC Common letter of Recommendation questions, Kellogg has one additional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion recommendation question that recommenders need to submit for the application to be considered complete.

Northwestern Kellogg MBA Recommendation Questions

Recommender Information

Context of Relationship
Highest Degree Earned
Are you a Kellogg Alumnus?
Have known candidate since:
Please comment briefly on the context of your interaction with the applicant and his/her role in your organization. (250 characters)
What has been the candidate’s most significant contribution to your organization? Provide measurable impact if applicable. (250 characters)

Leadership Assessment

Listed below you will find a section listing some competencies and character traits that contribute to successful leadership. For each item, please select the response corresponding to the behavior that the candidate most typically exhibits. Your candid, honest appraisal of the candidate will be helpful to the Admissions Committee.

Please assess the candidate on the following skills/qualities.

Results Orientation

Invents and delivers best-in-class standards and performance
Introduces incremental improvements to enhance business performance using robust analysis
Exceeds goals and raises effectiveness of organization
Overcomes obstacles to achieve goals
Fulfills assigned tasks
No Basis

Strategic Orientation

Implements a successful strategy that challenges other parts of the company or other players in the industry
Develops insights or recommendations that have shaped team or department strategy
Develops insights or recommendations that have improved business performance
Identifies opportunities for improvement within area of responsibility
Understands immediate issues of work or analysis
No Basis

Team Leadership

Recruits others into duties or roles based on insight into individual abilities; rewards those who exceed expectations
Actively engages the team to develop plans and resolve issues through collaboration; shows how work fits in with what others are doing
Solicits ideas and perspectives from the team; holds members accountable
Assigns tasks to team members
Avoids leadership responsibilities; does not provide direction to team
No Basis

Influence and Collaboration

Builds enduring partnerships within and outside of organization to improve effectiveness, even at short-term personal cost
Brings others together across boundaries to achieve results and share best practices
Generates support from others for ideas and initiatives
Engages others in problem solving
Accepts input from others
No Basis

Communicating

Presents views clearly; solicits opinions and concerns; discusses them openly
Presents views clearly and demonstrates understanding of the response of others
Presents views clearly and in a well-structured manner
Is generally to the point and organized
Sometimes rambles or is occasionally unfocused
No Basis

Information Seeking

Involves others who would not normally be involved including experts or outside organizations; may get them to seek out information
Does research by making a systematic effort over a limited period of time to obtain needed data or feedback
Asks a series of probing questions to get at the root of a situation or problem
Personally investigates problems by going directly to sources of information
Asks direct questions about problem at hand to those individuals immediately available
No Basis

Developing Others

Inspires and motivates others to develop by providing feedback and identifying new growth opportunities as well as supporting their efforts to change
Gives specific positive and negative behavioral feedback and provides unfailing support
Gives specific positive and negative behavioral feedback to support the development of others
Points out mistakes to support the development of others
Focuses primarily on own abilities
No Basis

Change Leadership

Builds coalition of supports and coordinates change across multiple individuals; may create champions who will mobilize others to change
Promotes change and mobilizes individuals to change behavior
Defines positive direction for change and persuades others to support it
Challenges status quo and identifies what needs to change
Accepts status quo; does not see the need for change
No Basis

Respect for Others

Uses understanding of others and self to resolve conflicts and foster mutual respect
Is respectful to all and generous with praise; ensures other opinions are heard
Is humble and respectful to all
Generally treats others with respect; usually shares praise and credit
Is sometimes self-absorbed or overly self-interested
No Basis

Trustworthiness

Is reliable and authentic even at some personal cost; works to ensure all members of the organization operate with integrity
Is reliable and authentic even at some personal cost; acts as a role model for the values of the organization
Acts consistently with stated intentions even in difficult circumstances
Generally acts consistently with stated intentions
Shows occasional lapses in trustworthy behavior
No Basis

Based on your professional experience, how do you rate this candidate compared to her/his peer group?

The best I’ve encountered in my career
Outstanding (Top 5%)
Excellent (Top 10%)
Very good (well above average)
Average
Below Average
No Basis

If needed, please explain any rankings above. (250 characters; optional)

Do you recommend this candidate for Kellogg?

Recommend the candidate
Recommend the candidate with reservations
Do not recommend the candidate

Are you willing to speak with an admissions officer about this candidate?

Recommendation Questions

Kellogg has a diverse student body and values students who are inclusive and encouraging of others with differing perspectives and backgrounds. Please tell us about a time when you witnessed the candidate living these values. (300 words)

How does the candidate’s performance compare to those of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? Please provide specific examples. (300 words)

Describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the candidate. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant’s response. (250 words)

(Optional) Is there anything else you would like us to know?

Analysis

Leadership Assessment

Here’s what Kellogg's Leadership Assessment rating scale looks like:

Kellogg's leadership assessment consists of 10 broad skills/qualities. For each of these skills, your recommender will rate you on a unique 0-5 rating scale, with 0 being 'No Basis', and 5 being the highest.

Your recommender should read the scale for each skill/quality carefully. Guide them to rate you according to your strengths and weaknesses. That means that they shouldn't simply give you the highest rating for each skill/quality, but aim to provide a balanced view. It's best to select 7-8 skills/qualities where you get the '5' rating, 2-3 where you get the '4' rating, and 1 where you can be marked '3'. If they mark you '3' in any skill, it should be explained in the 250 character optional essay below.

Overall, they should select ‘Recommend this candidate’.

Recommendation Questions

1. Kellogg has a diverse student body and values students who are inclusive and encouraging of others with differing perspectives and backgrounds. Please tell us about a time when you witnessed the candidate living these values. (300 words)

This question is unique to Kellogg. Your recommender is asked to provide a specific example of a time when you demonstrated your commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Like the EQ question in NYU Stern, think of this as a team/community story. The example that your recommender provides should demonstrate how you identified the need for a more inclusive space, action, or policy and how you worked to make it happen. Your recommender should include how your actions impacted others positively and helped you grow personally.

2. How does the candidate’s performance compare to those of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? Please provide specific examples. (300 words)

Here, your recommender will assess your performance at work, strengths, and personal qualities relative to their interactions with your peers.

Given the word limit, your recommender can discuss 2-3 brief anecdotes, each highlighting a distinct strength or quality. It's best if these strengths align with Kellogg's values:

A high-impact, low-ego perspective
Creativity and innovation
Collaboration with empathy
Intentionality and purpose
Empowered network of support

Lastly, we recommend using the SCAR method (Situation, Challenge, Action and Results) to structure your anecdotes and make them clear for the AdCom member reading your recommendation.

3. Describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the candidate. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant’s response. (250 words)

For this answer, your recommender should select a personal or professional weakness that you have worked to overcome. This should be demonstrated in the form of an anecdote (again, in the SCAR format) where your weakness presented a challenge, how you received feedback from your recommender, and what actions you took to improve in this area. Ensure that this weakness isn’t too generic or ‘fake’, like “being too attentive to a project”. Your weakness should show self-awareness, your ability to learn from a situation, and your receptiveness to constructive criticism.

Kellogg looks for candidates who can learn from their colleagues and managers, and in turn mentor others. Guide your recommender to show your fit with these values.

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

Don’t ask your recommender to fill this field out just because they can! Reserve the Optional Answer for any important information that isn’t covered in the above questions, or to further explain a point made previously. Recommenders typically leave this blank.

Our complete Recommender Guide course on MBAConsultant.com has all the advice (and sample letters based on real applicants) you need to create a compelling letter of recommendation.