Reference Letter for Chevening by World Bank Executive to an Officer of the Government of Pakistan

Reference Letter

Below is a Reference letter, I would like candid opinion of Holt. Thank You. I am aspiring to get admission in Information Technology Management related Master's Degree program. Also the referee has placed two references of news articles regarding the Management Information Systems that got developed. Is it a good thing to place such footnote referencing in a recommendation letter?

I am pleased to offer my recommendations for Mr. Adnan Munir Rajput with reference to his application for the prestigious Chevening Scholarship. He is known to me in both personal and professional capacity for nearly seven years. The World Bank through Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (erstwhile DFID) funded a project to develop an investor friendly website for facilitating the initiative of Ease of Doing Business and promoting the investment opportunities of Pakistan. Briefly, Mr. Adnan came up with interesting innovative ideas which were incorporated into the development process of the website resulting in numerous interactive and business friendly features. The website was successfully launched by the Prime Minister of Pakistan alongside the President, World Bank on 31-10-2019.

I am witness to Mr. Adnan's resolve, focus, project management skills and ability to converge challenging assignments into result-oriented outcomes. What initially started as a development of new website project soon emerged into a much larger partnership. World Bank agreed to provide further funding for digitization and automation of several services having national impact in the shape of Branch / Liaison Office , Special Economic Zones, Investor Relationship Management System and Projects Portal, to name a few.

As a person Mr. Adnan has a pleasant personality. He is kind, caring, and broad minded. I have always found him proficient with new ideas. In addition to professional & curricular activities Mr. Adnan takes keen interest in extracurricular activities like camping, tourism and music. Professionally, Mr. Adnan possesses excellent analytical abilities and is a quality and result oriented professional. He is a team player with an inbuilt ability to lead whenever the situation demands. Also, he is well versed with sound knowledge of public policies and procedures.

It is a pleasure to know that Mr. Adnan aspires to specialize in the field of Information Technology Management as his professional career has advanced from a team player to a team builder. Also, the Bank is envisaging development of Pakistan Business Portal (PBP) for which Mr. Adnan has been selected as one of major pioneers of the project. I am confident that a specialized Master's Degree from a leading University of UK will equip Mr. Adnan in effective handling of future digitization endeavors of Board of Investment.

Keeping in view his earlier qualifications, his hands-on experience in the Information Technology sector particularly through modernization and automation coupled with commitment and motivation to further his studies, I strongly believe that he has the potential to complete the desired degree within the specified time. However, knowing financial realities a Pakistani Government officer is faced with, the Chevening Scholarship would definitely play a pivotal role in translating his aspirations to an impactful and meaningful reality. Therefore, I wholeheartedly recommend him for the scholarship.

A recommendation letter of any sort does not allow nor accept the recommendation of a person who is a personal contact, relative, or friend of the applicant. Chevening specifically does not allow any reference to a personsonal relationship with the applicant. it will be a disqualification reason for the recomendee. The professional relationship must be based on solely a professional basis. The professional basis means that the last contact he has had with the applicant should be less than 5 years ago. it appears that you have a problem when it comes to that aspect.

The letter is not well edited and does not cover the basic requirements of a Chevening recommendation letter. The recommendee must make quick references to your leadership and networking skills, along with proficiencies that he believes makes you a good candidate. These are not covered in your letter. It would be better if you refer to the Chevening website before you make any revisions to this letter so that you will have a better idea of what information they expect to read about, which will be the basis of the actual recomendee interview should you make it through the first round of considerations. As of now, this is not a recommendation letter, it is just a personal statement. There is no need to mention extra curricular activities or your successful projects. The projects may be mentioned, but not discussed in such detail. The details will be asked for, if you make it to the official candidate list and your recommendee is contacted for information verification and additional questioning.