Is this the worst "Letter of Recommendation" ever, or am I just being too picky?
Posted Mar 6, 2009, 3:58 PM UTC
411
I was laid off recently, along with a number of fellow employees. This is the letter of recommendation I got in the mail yesterday. Is it just me, or did my boss waste a grand total of 5 seconds on me here? This is a lot of appreciation for a guy who worked hard for the company for 8 years, isn't it?
_____ __, 2009
____________ was a very good employee who was committed to his job description, was timely in his work habits and was timely on being on time at work.
______ would be an asset to your company
Sincerely,
13
Also, ____ showered nearly every day, and rarely shat in his desk chair.
14
You're not being too picky. If you need his/her recommendation see if they'll sign a letter you write.
12
According to his/her records, ___ showed up at work regularly. He/she apparently did whatever he/she was supposed to do. A++ would hire again.
8
Sadly, reading between the lines, I think your boss may have struggled (and I mean struggled) with that letter for a lot longer than 5 seconds.
I hope he's not being kept on for his people skills.
6
was timely on being on time at work
Obviously your boss was a Nobel laureate of some kind? It sounds like a fifth grader wrote it.
6
Hah, that;s exactly what I thought! Bit reassuring to hear it echoed back from someone else.
1
(To JS/07/M/378 This Marble Monument Is Erected by the State)
He was found by the Bureau of Statistics to be One against whom there was no official complaint, And all the reports on his conduct agree That, in the modern sense of an old-fashioned word, he was a saint, For in everything he did he served the Greater Community. Except for the War till the day he retired He worked in a factory and never got fired, But satisfied his employers, Fudge Motors Inc. Yet he wasn't a scab or odd in his views, For his Union reports that he paid his dues, (Our report on his Union shows it was sound) And our Social Psychology workers found That he was popular with his mates and liked a drink. The Press are convinced that he bought a paper every day And that his reactions to advertisements were normal in every way. Policies taken out in his name prove that he was fully insured, And his Health-card shows he was once in hospital but left it cured. Both Producers Research and High-Grade Living declare He was fully sensible to the advantages of the Installment Plan And had everything necessary to the Modern Man, A phonograph, a radio, a car and a frigidaire. Our researchers into Public Opinion are content That he held the proper opinions for he time of year; When there was peace, he was for peace; when there was war, he went. He was married and added five children to the population, Which our Eugenist says was the right number for a parent of his generation. And our teachers report that he never interfered with their education. Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd: Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard.
-- W. H. Auden
3
It's possible that your boss was hamstrung by company laywers who don't let them say much (good or bad) in letters of recommendation. It's stupid.
3
Actually, it was a form letter. Talked to a couple of former co-workers who also were laid off, and they got the same letter. Especially startling that he didn't even bother to fix for gender - the ladies I worked with also were recommended as being "committed to his job description."
1
Come again?
EDIT:: My mistake, I posted before your good self.
1
I have found being a boss myself... unless the employee was exceptional, I found it hard to find time to write up a good letter of recommendation.
So I would ask the employee to write it, I would review/edit it, sign it and send it back. I already work 14+ hours a day 6-7 days a week...
Do I need to work even more for employees who no longer work for me?
EDIT: But ya, that letter sucks. Like you want to include that while applying for a new job...