When the request comes in, there is usually a face to face conversation with the student where we can clarify the extent to which it's possible to address specific aspects of their academic training or skills/interest. Being honest with the person regarding their ability in an employment setting may be beyond the scope of academic engagement. The student more often than not has already received feedback throughout their academic program regarding skills and training.
The most important aspect is being honest about the limitations of the reference. Unless we've known each other for 1-5+ years, it might be hard to comment. That said, some academic and or professional associations just click and the person's clearly stated objectives align with their performance in a course or as a professional. It's a case by case scenario with little training provided other than what we may experience ourselves as an example.
In general, the suggestion is to be fully transparent and open with the requestor / student / human about the limitations of the reference based on the relationship (set expectations) and also provide a digital copy! This goes a long way and personally makes life a bit easier for the requestor if they're conducting a wide employment search.
When the request comes in, there is usually a face to face conversation with the student where we can clarify the extent to which it's possible to address specific aspects of their academic training or skills/interest. Being honest with the person regarding their ability in an employment setting may be beyond the scope of academic engagement. The student more often than not has already received feedback throughout their academic program regarding skills and training.
The most important aspect is being honest about the limitations of the reference. Unless we've known each other for 1-5+ years, it might be hard to comment. That said, some academic and or professional associations just click and the person's clearly stated objectives align with their performance in a course or as a professional. It's a case by case scenario with little training provided other than what we may experience ourselves as an example.
In general, the suggestion is to be fully transparent and open with the requestor / student / human about the limitations of the reference based on the relationship (set expectations) and also provide a digital copy! This goes a long way and personally makes life a bit easier for the requestor if they're conducting a wide employment search.