Those of You Who Are Older, Who Do you Get Letters of Recommendations From?

[JohnClark]

I'm 27 years old and I honestly have no idea who to get letters of recommendations from. When your young it's easy. You have baseball coaches, teachers, etc. At 27 everyone kind just becomes an acquaintance in life.

There is one older guy I attend stick and puck with. He's a retired Maj. in the Army. I don't know him super well and only seem him about once a week for an hour and a half. We make small talk and I have told him about becoming an officer. He tells me about what it was like being an Officer in the post Vietnam years.

A good friend of mine owns a successful graphic design business in the Netherlands. I've done some freelance writing work for him and we have been good friends for 6 years or so through Skype and PSN. Would he be good choice? He could as the owner of the company write a letter saying I've worked hard and am an excellent writer.

I did work as an Automotive Journalist for a car magazine for three years from 2012-2015. Out of the blue before Thanksgiving me and a whole bunch of staff were laid off in late 2015. The job was based in California and I'm on the East Coast. I've tried hunting down my old editor in the past. We only communicated through our old work emails (no longer have access to the account) and through a work phone number. He was an older baby boomer and as far as I know he doesn't have Facebook.(I've tried looking for him). He would have been the best option for a letter.

[N730]

I’m your same age and recently got picked up. It’s a difficult spot because a lot of people can’t ask their boss. I am in a pretty unstable industry so I couldn’t ask my boss for a recommendation without concern that it would impact my work.

I ended up asking a good friend from college that is an AF officer, my flight instructor who worked with me through my PPL, and I was lucky enough to have a family friend who was a retired fighter pilot and B-course instructor.

If I could have asked my boss though, he definitely would have been one of my first picks


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[DifferentViper]

I got a couple co-workers that i trusted to keep their mouths shut. I worked for one on a big project for around 2 years. The other is a family friend that got me the job here. I trusted both wouldn't say anything. My company is a defense contractor so not that worried about it getting out since i know there are several people in the guard here. I didn't ask my boss because i knew he would hold it against me. 

[JohnClark]

14 hours ago, N730 said:

I’m your same age and recently got picked up. It’s a difficult spot because a lot of people can’t ask their boss. I am in a pretty unstable industry so I couldn’t ask my boss for a recommendation without concern that it would impact my work.

I ended up asking a good friend from college that is an AF officer, my flight instructor who worked with me through my PPL, and I was lucky enough to have a family friend who was a retired fighter pilot and B-course instructor.

If I could have asked my boss though, he definitely would have been one of my first picks


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I understand what you mean by not wanting your boss to know, they probably assume you will leave right away. I understand unstable industries too. I was in Auto repair as a lube tech for awhile. I started a new writing job only a few months ago and I don't really know my editor very well yet.

I'll try my Dutch friend who owns his own graphic design business and I may try the one Army Major I play hockey with. It can't hurt to ask.

[Leon17]

On 3/14/2019 at 7:47 PM, N730 said:

I’m your same age and recently got picked up. It’s a difficult spot because a lot of people can’t ask their boss. I am in a pretty unstable industry so I couldn’t ask my boss for a recommendation without concern that it would impact my work.

I ended up asking a good friend from college that is an AF officer, my flight instructor who worked with me through my PPL, and I was lucky enough to have a family friend who was a retired fighter pilot and B-course instructor.

If I could have asked my boss though, he definitely would have been one of my first picks


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Bump on this thread.  Same boat here as far as not being able to ask my boss despite it being a potentially strong recommendation. I'm 27 as well. 

 

As a side question, did you guys format your letters as a typical civilian/industry letter would be formatted?  Also did you address someone at the unit specifically, or just a general "hiring board" type of address.  

[N730]

3 hours ago, SLeon_17 said:

As a side question, did you guys format your letters as a typical civilian/industry letter would be formatted?  Also did you address someone at the unit specifically, or just a general "hiring board" type of address.  

I used a civilian format. And I addressed it however the job announcement requested. Sometimes to a specific person, sometimes to the board. If it didn't say anything, I asked the POC. And if they didn't care, I addressed it to the squadrons UPT selection board.

If you want to see the format I used, message me and I'll get it to you.

[iRobot]

Been a few months, but maybe my experience can help. LOR are very beneficial, especially when coming down to the wire on a interview or hire basis. Having someone of significance in an industry or who can attest to your piloting and/or professionalism is great. Thankfully I was and am fortunate enough to have met some very helpful people within the community (prior/current military aviation). If you can get a hold of someone who flew (or currently flies) in the AF and build a great relationship with them, then ask for a LOR. Being an older candidate doesn't make it more difficult, in fact, I think it's been beneficial to network and build relationships with people who may lead me in their flight formation someday.

Key take-away: Don't let the age thing be a looming factor, especially with letters of recommendations, just get yourself out there.

@SLeon_17 Agree with what @N730 stated, unless it was asked otherwise, I kept a generic "Dear Sir/Ma'am," so I didn't have to request a signed copy from my recommenders every time I applied to a new squadron.