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Yale SOM MBA Recommendation Questions

Yale SOM MBA admissions brief

The Yale MBA recommendation questions for the Yale School of Management MBA Class of 2027 are below.  Yale uses the Common Letter of Recommendation from GMAC. Two professional recommendations are required, and ideally, one of your recommendations should be from your current supervisor. In the event that is not possible, there is an opportunity to explain your choice of recommenders in the Work Experience section of the application.

2024-2025 Yale MBA Recommendation Questions

Recommender Information

  • Did you graduate from the Yale School of Management?
  • Context of Relationship
  • Nature of relationship

Leadership Assessment

In this section, you will find 12 competencies and character traits that contribute to successful leadership. The competencies and character traits are grouped into five categories:
–  Achievement
–  Influence
–  People
–  Personal Qualities
–  Cognitive Abilities
For each competency, please select the one button that corresponds to the behavior that you have seen the applicant most consistently exhibit. We acknowledge that all applicants have both areas of strength and areas of development. Your candid and honest appraisal will assist in evaluation of the applicant.  Please assume that each level builds upon behaviors of the previous level.

Achievement
1. Initiative: Acts ahead of need/anticipates problems

2. Results Orientation: Focuses on and drives toward delivering on goals, objectives, and performance improvement

yale mba recommendation questions

Influence
3. Communication, Professional Impression & Poise: Delivers messages and ideas in a way that engages an audience and achieves buy-in; uses listening and other attending behaviors to reach shared understanding; remains calm and measured even in time of crisis or conflict

4. Influence and Collaboration: Engages and works with people over whom one has no direct control

People
5. Respect for Others: Acknowledges the value of others’ views and actions

6. Team Leadership: Manages and empowers a team of formal or informal direct reports, including virtual teams

7. Developing Others: Helps people develop their performance and ability over time

Personal Qualities
8. Trustworthiness/ Integrity: Acts consistently in line with or follows explicit values, beliefs or intentions

9. Adaptability/ Resilience: Adapts to changing demands and circumstances without difficulty. Maintains calm optimism in the face of challenge, problems, or apparent failure

10. Self Awareness: Aware of and seeks out additional input on own strengths and weaknesses

Cognitive
11. Problem Solving: Frames problems, analyzes situations, identifies key issues, conducts analysis on the issues, and produces acceptable solution

12. Strategic Orientation: Thinks beyond one’s span of control and into the future to reshape the approach or scope of work

Based on your professional experience, how do you rate this candidate compared to her/his peer group?

  • Unable to assess
  • Below Average
  • Average
  • Very Good (well above average)
  • Excellent (top 10%)
  • Outstanding (top 5%)
  • The best encountered in my career

  • Do not recommend this applicant
  • Recommend this applicant, with reservations
  • Recommend this applicant
  • Enthusiastically recommend this applicant

Letter of Recommendation

Please write an assessment of the applicant that addresses the prompts below. We are looking for your candid and accurate assessment of the applicant’s potential to be a successful leader and the specific traits the applicant possesses that evidence this potential. Please be as specific as possible and use concrete examples where applicable. Do not incorporate anything drafted by the candidate in your recommendation or have the candidate submit the recommendation on your behalf.

Please note that letters of recommendation must be written in English. If English is not your native language, rest assured that your applicant will not be at a disadvantage. We welcome you to write your letter in English regardless of your level of proficiency, or to write in your native language and use a translator or one of many free translation programs available. If you have used a translator or translation program, please indicate that above.

  1. Please provide a brief description of your interaction with the applicant and, if applicable, the applicant’s role in your organization. (Recommended word count: 50 words)
  2. How does the performance of the applicant compare to that of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? (E.g. what are the applicant’s principal strengths?) (Recommended word count: 500 words)
  3. Describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant’s response. (Recommended word count: 500 words)
  4. Are you in a position to know whether the applicant is sponsored for the MBA by his or her current employer? If so, please comment.
  5. (Optional) Is there anything else we should know?