What letters of recommendation really say--3 questions

[Deborah Ray <debray -at- RAYCOMM -dot- COM>]

Hi, all,

We've recently been hiring for a (non-writing) position and came
across something interesting. An applicant who came in for an
interview submitted two letters of recommendation (we didn't
request them, but she gave them to us along with her resume)
at the beginning of the interview. After she left, I was looking
over the two letters, which contained the following (snipped)
text:

---------------

LETTER 1 (names & dates changed; grammar, etc. appears as is):
Jane Doe has been employed with ABC Company since 5-28-97.
We require an inservice training program and Jane was able to
complete the first four tests required in the first month
of employment. She, also, was able to complete the inservice
which consisted of nine more tasks.

Jane has been to work at her scheduled times unless she has
prearranged for time off. Jane has worked well with other
staff. <snip> She is dependable and will to take responsible for
given tasks. She is a hard worker and learns very quickly. I
highly recommend her for any position that you may be considering
her for. <snip>

LETTER 2 (same here):
<snip> Jane did a bit of teaching in my classroom. My classroom
consists of a 8 students with variety of behaviors and abilities.
Most students require one-on-one and small group instruction.
Like most classrooms, mine is quite demanding. Jane handled the
demand of the classrooms in a professional manner.

Jane was at work on time and on the days that she couldn't
make it, she called and made sure we knew that she was unavailable.
Jane was very patient and appropriate with each student. <snip>

------

Granted, these are not letters of recommendation for a tech.
writer seeking a tech. writing job, but it got me thinking about
what hiring managers *really* look at in the letters we do submit.
So, assuming you consider letters of recommendation when hiring
technical writers or related positions (some don't, I realize),
my questions are these:

* What omissions or subtleties do you look for when considering
  a letter of application? For example, although these letters
  basically include positive information, I was more concerned
  about what the letters *didn't* specifically say. The most
  significant thing I gathered is that she probably frequently
  requests time off--not one, but both letters allude to this.
  I figure if a work habit is enough of a problem to even
  mention in a letter of recommendation, then it probably
  occurred fairly frequently.

* What considerations do you give to a letter that's poorly
  written or polished? In this case, we're not hiring for a
  writing position, and the letters were not written by
  professional writers. To me, though, it says a lot that the
  authors did not take the time to edit their work to help the
  applicant make the best impression possible.

  (I realize that most of this list's references would come from
  people who are skilled writers, but a lot of us have worked for
  managers who *aren't*.)

* As a TW hiring manager, if you do receive letters of
  recommendation written by a non-writer, do you consider
  that the positive message intended may not be as strong
  just because the author couldn't express him/herself?
  That is, would you consider that the author really did
  think the person was fabulous in all areas but just couldn't
  express that on paper?

Of course, all of this begs other questions, such as should
we even submit poorly-written letters or should we even ask
a non-writer boss for a letter...but those could be another
thread entirely!

Just some things to ponder...looking forward to your replies!

Deborah


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