Wharton
Example Letters of Recommendation
Prompt 1
How do the candidate’s performance, potential, background, or personal qualities compare to those of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? Please provide specific examples. (500 Words)
Example
Aakash’s performance at Stonehaven has been outstanding. Having been at the firm for 8 years, I can say he is among the top 5% of his peers.
He communicates effectively, learns quickly, and remains calm when directing his junior analysts in times of stress.
As a great example, when our team was given only 2 days to complete a due diligence project to unlock $8m of investor debt financing, I made Aakash point-person for managing the requirements from his juniors, including financial modeling and SWOT analysis. The analysis was completed in time to an exceptionally high standard and the funds unlocked.
This strength also came up in Aakash’s 360 feedback sessions, where all three of his analysts reported that they've developed a close bond with him and look up to him as a mentor.
By taking on these responsibilities, Aakash has grown immensely and become adaptable to any environment. He has fine-tuned his communication skills by serving as the direct contact for lenders, investors, law firms, auditors, and others.
For example, he became the point-person for communications with Star Partners, the office of a high net worth individual that invests in our fund. Particularly impressive is his ability to communicate data from his technical work in a clear manner in management reports and dashboards. Clients like Star rely on him to explain what is going on, and to advise them in a way they understand. Creating models is important, but communicating them in an easy-to-understand way is also crucial.
The next skill I want to highlight is Aakash’s ability to multitask. This includes completing monthly valuation updates and closing transactions on time and to a required standard. I've worked with other analysts who struggle to multitask so well. This is especially challenging because of the breadth of businesses and esoteric assets that our firm handles. Aakash absorbs new information quickly, learning at a fast pace and earning responsibility for complex projects that are normally handled by more senior staff.
I'm so confident in his work that I maintain he could take his abilities a step further. I've been encouraging him to contribute suggestions to upgrade our existing processes and develop more effective operational protocols, a responsibility that is way beyond his pay grade and not a task I have given to any other analyst.
Prompt 2
(Optional) Describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant’s response. (500 Words)
Example
Dummy feedback example
Aakash’s performance at Stonehaven has been outstanding. Having been at the firm for 8 years, I can say he is among the top 5% of his peers.
He communicates effectively, learns quickly, and remains calm when directing his junior analysts in times of stress.
As a great example, when our team was given only 2 days to complete a due diligence project to unlock $8m of investor debt financing, I made Aakash point-person for managing the requirements from his juniors, including financial modeling and SWOT analysis. The analysis was completed in time to an exceptionally high standard and the funds unlocked.
This strength also came up in Aakash’s 360 feedback sessions, where all three of his analysts reported that they've developed a close bond with him and look up to him as a mentor.
By taking on these responsibilities, Aakash has grown immensely and become adaptable to any environment. He has fine-tuned his communication skills by serving as the direct contact for lenders, investors, law firms, auditors, and others.
For example, he became the point-person for communications with Star Partners, the office of a high net worth individual that invests in our fund. Particularly impressive is his ability to communicate data from his technical work in a clear manner in management reports and dashboards. Clients like Star rely on him to explain what is going on, and to advise them in a way they understand. Creating models is important, but communicating them in an easy-to-understand way is also crucial.
The next skill I want to highlight is Aakash’s ability to multitask. This includes completing monthly valuation updates and closing transactions on time and to a required standard. I've worked with other analysts who struggle to multitask so well. This is especially challenging because of the breadth of businesses and esoteric assets that our firm handles. Aakash absorbs new information quickly, learning at a fast pace and earning responsibility for complex projects that are normally handled by more senior staff.
I'm so confident in his work that I maintain he could take his abilities a step further. I've been encouraging him to contribute suggestions to upgrade our existing processes and develop more effective operational protocols, a responsibility that is way beyond his pay grade and not a task I have given to any other analyst.