Use E-Mail Notes as References[?]

Here's a suggestion that has worked for me: After leaving an employer, send your former boss and some co-workers very polite and thankful e-mails. Mention how much you enjoyed being there, knowing them, how much you learned and so forth. | Most of the time, you will get a reply. Bingo! There's your letter of reference, header and all, indicating where it came from. | Print it and place it into your portfolio. --K.K., writing in to Joyce Lain Kennedy's career advice column --Use E-Mail Notes as References[?] (Job Center, Dallas Morning News)

Most people who use e-mail professionally do understand that e-mail is anything but private, but asking permission before reusing somebody else's words in another context is at the very least a matter of common courtesy. (In fact, some companies, including my own university, require employees to append to every message legalese that explicitly prohibits the forwarding or sharing of e-mail upon which K.K.'s suggestion depends.)

Were I to learn -- from a potential employer, perhaps -- that a student had not even offered me the opportunity to revise a personal note for a more formal audience, I would wonder why the student felt it necessary to trick me into writing a letter of reference. My doubts would affect the enthusiasm I would be able to muster when called out of the blue to assess the skills and attributes of a student I might not have seen in years.

On the other hand, I would be pleased and flattered if the student who receives an informal e-mail of praise from me were to foward my own words back to me, with an enthusiastic note saying something like, "Thank you so much for these kind words. I know you are very busy, and probably get requests for letters of recommendation all the time... but would you mind if I used this e-mail as a letter of reference?"

Such a request -- particularly if it were accompanied by a subtle bulleted list reminding me of the student's accomplishments and updating me on his or her activities since our last contact -- would probably motivate me to block out a bit of extra time and reach for the official letterhead.

The student who demonstrates professionalism and a mastery of communication skills -- especially when making polite, subtle requests for recommendations -- will get a much better letter from me.