SMU Letter of Recommendation Questions
- How long and in what capacity have you known the candidate? (No word limit)
- If this is a work-related reference, in what position is/was the candidate employed and for how long? (No word limit)
- What do you consider to be the candidate’s principal strengths/talents? (No word limit)
- What do you consider to be the candidate’s weaknesses or areas that need improvement? (No word limit)
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SMU Letter of Recommendation Example – 1
1. How long and in what capacity have you known the candidate?
I have known Steve for just over two years, during which time he reported directly to me in his capacity as Manager – Retail Sales at ONGC-MRPL, a downstream subsidiary of India’s national oil company. Our working relationship was hands-on, particularly during the organization’s regional expansion efforts in the retail fuel segment. I supervised Steve during a period of intense operational transformation and had the opportunity to observe his leadership style, strategic decision-making, and problem-solving skills up close. Our collaboration often extended beyond regular reporting lines, as Steve frequently took initiative on cross-functional projects requiring coordination with supply chain, finance, and technical teams.
2. If this is a work-related reference, in what position is/was the candidate employed and for how long?
Steve served as a Manager – Retail Sales from 2020 to 2022. In this role, he oversaw retail business development, feasibility assessments for new fuel outlets, dealer network expansion, and operations stabilization in one of our most dynamic and logistically challenging regions. Despite the disruption caused by the pandemic during this time, he led the team to not only meet but exceed business development targets by a significant margin. Notably, under his leadership, the number of operational retail outlets in the region grew by over 150%, making it the largest in the company’s network by footprint.
His broader background within ONGC-MRPL—ranging from project engineering and plant instrumentation to a substantive stint in corporate vigilance—gave him a multifaceted perspective that enriched his performance in retail operations. This was especially valuable when evaluating business feasibility or troubleshooting supply chain bottlenecks; his ability to view challenges from multiple functional angles gave him a distinct advantage.
3. What do you consider to be the candidate’s principal strengths/talents?
Steve’s greatest strength lies in his ability to bridge strategy with execution—he is someone who not only sees the big picture but also knows how to mobilize people and systems to achieve tangible outcomes.
His analytical approach to problem-solving stood out early on. For example, while conducting feasibility studies across six regional zones, Steve personally led field visits and synthesized data across technical, commercial, and logistical domains. This resulted in identifying 80 feasible retail locations, outperforming expectations by 80% and accelerating our regional development cycle.
Another major strength is his resilience and turnaround mindset. One of the more challenging assignments involved addressing chronic underperformance in several rural outlets. Instead of recommending closure or standard corrective measures, Steve initiated a completely new model involving transportation tie-ups with nearby dealers and modified operating models. The result was a turnaround from a net loss of INR 21 lakh p.a. to a net profit of INR 30 lakh p.a., which was a remarkable recovery.
Steve also has strong interpersonal and mentoring abilities, demonstrated through the creation and rollout of a customized training program for over 80 dealer personnel. This was particularly crucial during new outlet commissioning, where he was able to reduce the average go-live time by one week, while simultaneously improving customer experience metrics.
Beyond operational efficiency, Steve consistently upheld integrity and ethical conduct, likely shaped by his earlier role in vigilance, where he identified policy gaps and process inefficiencies leading to recoveries of over INR 60 Cr. His ability to operate with both performance and compliance in mind is rare, and immensely valuable.
4. What do you consider to be the candidate’s weaknesses or areas that need improvement?
Steve is a driven and capable professional, but one area of growth for him is learning to delegate more effectively. His instinct—especially during complex or high-stakes projects—is to dive deep and personally oversee every detail to ensure quality and risk mitigation. While this has ensured excellent results, it occasionally limits team autonomy and scalability of operations. That said, I have seen marked improvement during his final months in the role, where he began empowering mid-level team members and giving them greater decision-making latitude.
Another developmental area is navigating ambiguity in external stakeholder environments. While Steve is very comfortable in structured environments with defined processes, early in his retail tenure he needed some adjustment when dealing with ambiguous dealer expectations or politically sensitive approvals. However, to his credit, he was quick to adapt and by the end of his tenure had built effective relationships with a range of external stakeholders including government liaisons, contractors, and dealers—often resolving local disputes without escalation.
Overall, any shortcomings are far outweighed by his learning orientation, discipline, and ethical grounding. Steve is not only self-aware but actively seeks feedback, making him a very coachable and upwardly mobile professional.
SMU Letter of Recommendation Example – 2
1. In your opinion, what is the candidate’s potential career advancement or contributions in his organization/industry/society in the next five years?
In these last ten years, Nadim has become a valuable asset in our organization. He is very pragmatic in his approach and has a strong analytical acumen.
Nadim is responsible for conducting due diligence meetings, analyzing a huge amount of information. He leverages his ability to evaluate data, facts, and observable phenomena along with his aptitude to think on his feet, drawing reasonable conclusions and thus making an informed investment decision, which is of great benefit to our team.
Last year his decision to invest in precious metal and his timely decision to sell, netted the return on the investment of more than 50% in one year, this is the 2nd year in a row that we have achieved the return of more than 50% by timely investing in precious metal.
I feel Nadim portrays a promising capability, and I believe that in the next five years he will be well ready to fill in a more challenging role.
2. From what you understand of the applicant, what are his / her main motivations or interests in life?
The important things that stand out with Nadim are that he puts a great emphasis on personal development and he likes to contribute to the community.
His curiosity and desire to get better have made him an avid learner. From time to time, he enrolls himself in courses to enhance his knowledge and skills. In his quest to learn further and grow, we sponsored him to attend an executive program in company valuation, from Oxford. He is an adventurous individual with a knack for physical fitness. I have learned about his stories, whether hiking a 14er, rock climbing or rafting in the Arkansas River.
I myself am a member of the Lions Club of Denver and a board member of Rude park school, and I put great importance in giving back to the community. Over the years I have liked this quality in Nadim as well, he devotes his free time volunteering for various local organizations that support the needy and underprivileged individuals.
3. The Selection Committee would appreciate your candid assessment and comments on the applicant’s strengths & weaknesses, ability to complete a serious programme of graduate study and potential to become a responsible and successful industry leader.
In my opinion, there are two qualities that are key strengths of Nadim: his ability to communicate complex ideas into layman terms for easy understanding and his problem-solving skills.
Working as a VP, Nadim’s responsibility involves often communicating with different stakeholders on a daily basis: clients, prospective clients, fund managers, brokerage houses, and various research firms. One instance that comes to mind, when Nadim skillfully handled a client and managed to get that client to add more money to his portfolio for us to manage. He explained to the client the importance of active management and the art of going defensive at the right time, during a period of high uncertainty. He provided the client with proper hypothetical numbers with different scenarios, and the opportunity cost and return associated with each, establishing a great rapport and trust with the client.
Additionally, Nadim’s problem-solving skill shines as one of his other important skills. Nadim joined our firm after the big financial market meltdown, unfortunately, we also had lost quite a bit of our investor’s money. We were under immense pressure to find a solution to improve our strategies. I assigned Nadim a challenging project to study our models and strategies and to find areas that needed attention, with the goal to have a healthy return on our investments and to shield ourselves during market downturns. Nadim was able to uncover several shortcomings in our models, which had exposed them to severe risks in the past. He not only came up with different ideas and suggestions to fill those gaps but also created an overlay out of his own volition, for our main signals, flattening the tight up and downswings in the market.
The results were drastically better. For instance, during this year’s downturn, our performance was very different from the last market crash, as we did not just protect but also the spread between benchmark indexes and our strategies were more than 25%.
However, one area I would like Nadim to improve upon is to be diplomatic in his approach while debating on contentious issues or giving directions. Nadim has a strong personality and can be stern when giving directives or while discussing. Even though his ideas and suggestions are valid but at times it can be misconstrued as harsh. I would like to suggest to Nadim that the ideas and suggestions are important, but it is also crucial to present them in a more acceptable manner, which will help the others to see his ideas in a better light and be more receptive to it.
I believe Nadim is well suited for the Executive MBA program, because of the breadth of his knowledge and skills. Plus, he is very task-oriented and has an innate desire to learn. There is not a doubt in my mind that he will do great.
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SMU Letter of Recommendation Example – 3
1. How long and in what capacity have you known the candidate?
I have known Frenil for approximately five years in a professional capacity. We first crossed paths when he joined Shetty & Dsouza Chartered Accountants as a Partner in Audit & Assurance, and I had the opportunity to closely observe his evolution into a well-rounded finance professional. Our interaction deepened when he transitioned to Senior Partner at ASCA, where I worked alongside him on multiple audits and consulting mandates. Throughout this time, I’ve had the chance to assess not only his technical capabilities, but also his leadership, integrity, and initiative—qualities that have become defining features of his career. Frenil is someone I have relied on for critical projects and leadership decisions, particularly those involving high-stakes clients and complex audit environments.
2. If this is a work-related reference, in what position is/was the candidate employed and for how long?
Frenil was employed as a Partner – Audit & Assurance at Shetty & Dsouza Chartered Accountants from February 2018 to December 2023, and currently serves as a Senior Partner at ASCA Chartered Accountants, a role he assumed in January 2023. Across both firms, Frenil has played a central role in leading statutory audits, forensic investigations, and tax consulting services.
What sets him apart is his ability to consistently expand the firm’s service offerings. At Shetty & Dsouza, he didn’t just handle audits—he built a startup advisory practice from the ground up, helping early-stage ventures secure over $12 million in tax exemptions and funding. At ASCA, his contributions scaled to a national level, where he now manages a team of 35 professionals across audits, technology consulting, and forensic reviews. He has worked with clients across sectors including banking, fintech, agri-tech, and SaaS, and his advisory has had tangible fiscal and strategic impact for them.
3. What do you consider to be the candidate’s principal strengths/talents?
Frenil is a rare mix of analytical depth, leadership maturity, and social consciousness—qualities not often found together in one individual.
One of his most outstanding strengths is his forensic and investigative acumen. In multiple high-stakes forensic audits, Frenil uncovered financial irregularities totaling over $3 million, demonstrating not only a mastery of accounting standards but also a deep understanding of human behavior and organizational dynamics. His findings have had long-lasting consequences for clients and stakeholders—often triggering systemic reforms in internal controls and compliance frameworks.
Equally impressive is his ability to drive innovation in traditional sectors. At Shetty & Dsouza, he foresaw the shift to cloud-based accounting well before it became mainstream and initiated a partnership with Zoho to migrate over 100 clients to digital platforms. This move alone not only modernized the firm’s operations but also opened up an entirely new international clientele from the US, UK, and Germany.
His passion for education and training is another hallmark. Whether he’s leading digital transformation workshops for rural banks or training students in CA and CFA courses across India and the Gulf region, Frenil demonstrates a remarkable ability to simplify complex concepts and inspire learners. The fact that he’s authored academic textbooks and trained over 15,000 students speaks volumes about both his knowledge and his commitment to societal impact.
Finally, he is a natural leader and mentor. He has groomed junior professionals into confident auditors and consultants, structured internal training frameworks, and instilled a culture of ethical practice and continuous learning. I’ve personally seen how his mentorship has transformed young team members who previously lacked direction into high-performing professionals with purpose.
4. What do you consider to be the candidate’s weaknesses or areas that need improvement?
Frenil’s high standards for quality and accountability, while admirable, sometimes lead him to take on more than necessary, especially in situations involving tight deadlines or sensitive deliverables. His instinct to personally review or involve himself in all final outputs—whether it’s an audit report or a client proposal—can occasionally stretch his bandwidth and delay delegation. It stems from a genuine desire to ensure the best outcomes, but as his team size grows, I believe trusting his well-trained second line more consistently will allow him to focus on strategic growth.
Another area for development is his preference for structured environments. In unstructured or politically nuanced stakeholder settings—such as negotiations with government officials or startup founders in flux—he initially preferred to retreat to facts and frameworks. However, I’ve seen him work consciously on this through both exposure and feedback, and he’s grown remarkably more comfortable navigating ambiguity and informal power dynamics. His work with startup founders and rural banks is evidence of this progress.
That said, Frenil’s greatest strength may be his self-awareness and willingness to grow. He doesn’t shy away from constructive criticism, and he treats every project and challenge as a learning opportunity. It’s this mindset that makes me confident he will continue to evolve as a dynamic, ethical, and effective leader in the financial sector.
SMU Letter of Recommendation Example – 4
1. In your opinion, what is the candidate’s potential career advancement or contributions in his organization/industry/society in the next five years?
I have known Nadim for 10 years now, I am a client of Mission Control Investments and Nadim is my point of contact. In our 10 years of working relationship, I have seen Nadim grow from an Analyst to a Vice President. He took great interest in learning about my investment goals and understood that I prefer a long-term investment path. He values my interest and is always very careful to keep me on track of my investment goals.
There are two particular instances that come to my mind when I wanted to invest in Citi Bank and CVS pharmacy, but Nadim advised me against it. Since then the Citi bank has lost more than 60%. On the other hand, CVS pharmacy, Nadim explained that even though the company is in good shape looking at the fundamentals, but as per his research there is a great risk to the prescription business in the future from online platforms, especially from Amazon’s online business expansion.
I am glad that I took Nadim’s advice, and realized that he always has my best interest in mind. He has earned my trust, and I do value his ideas and suggestions. I believe with his personable nature, diligent attitude and capabilities, in the next five years he has a great potential to grow further in the financial investment field, taking on bigger roles and endeavors
2. The Selection Committee would appreciate your candid assessment and comments on the applicant’s strengths & weaknesses, ability to complete a serious programme of graduate study and the potential to become a responsible and successful industry leader.
There are two things that I really like while working with Nadim. First, he is extremely courteous and reliable, and the second he is very proactive while managing my portfolio.
Over the years that I have known Nadim, I have communicated with him numerous times. Our business relationship has grown, because of the trust he was able to establish. He is very attentive and courteous in his approach, giving me assurance that I could rely on him. Any concerns or issues that I have, he always makes sure to listen and understand, and he meticulously addresses those. In a situation where he doesn’t have the solution, he asks for some time and always comes back with the answer in a timely manner.
Another of his skills that have caught my attention is that he is proactive and always keeps abreast of the current economic trend and market potential. I often communicate with Nadim, either when I need evaluation done on any companies that I am interested in investing in or when he comes across any good opportunities to give me options for investments. Recently, he helped me invest in Microsoft and in the oil. As per his analysis, Microsoft has great financial strength and growth prospects, with very attractive fundamentals. Because of the recent downturn, it was trading at a 30% discount price, making it a very attractive investment. On the other hand, the oil price is down to more than two decades now, as per Nadim’s analysis this price is not sustainable in the long run, due to the huge impact it has on the budget of most of the OPEC countries and the indirect impact of it on the developed nations. The current oil price is going to be detrimental to the world economy if this price persists, making oil another attractive long-term buy, with immense potential for a tremendous gain.
