I told Google's Gemini to write me a Letter of Recommendation
Actually, I tried Microsoft Copilot first and got nowhere.
The company I work for has decided to decommission the factory where I work, so I’m currently looking for a new job. I had a job fair event coming up, and a former supervisor was scheduled to be laid off in the first round (I’m in the second wave, which is set to occur in early summer). Therefore, I needed to write a letter of recommendation for him, which other managers would also sign.
To prepare one, I decided to dig out my most recent employee performance evaluation, make a couple of minor edits for context, and feed it into a long language model AI. I tried Microsoft Copilot first, but found the result deeply disappointing. It shocked me, as Copilot has consistently produced wonderful summaries of documents for me in the past. I thought this would be similar, but all it did was reformat the information into a letter, with no rewrite, even though I told it to remove passive voice sentences and reflect current best practices. So I went to Google’s Gemini. Ignore the misspellings, sentence structure, and punctuation errors in my prompt. I tend to get lazy about that when working with long language models, since they’re all smart enough to work around such issues.
Copilot did a poor job at this, we'll see if you do better. I have transcribed my latest performance review with some rewrite. I will copy/paste it to you. Please rewrite it into a letter of recommendation in a way that applies todays best practices. Please also summarize the changes that you made and why. Also, remove passive voice verb usage where appropriate.
Understood. Please paste your transcribed performance review. I will do my best to rewrite it as a strong letter of recommendation, applying modern best practices, removing passive voice, and summarizing the changes I made.
To preserve my supervisor’s privacy, I won’t share what he wrote in my employee review. Anyway, I copied and pasted the review to Gemini, and below is what it produced.
Afterwards, I rearranged the paragraphs to emphasize the Maintenance Planner qualifications near the top and gave it to several of my supervisors, including the original author of the performance review. They signed and returned it. I’ll use them today and tomorrow for job fairs.
The result is imperfect, as one of my managers pointed out, and this version is also overly large. So, this is not the version I am currently using. If you follow this path, I encourage you to review the result carefully and make any necessary edits before using it.
Absolutely! Here's a rewritten letter of recommendation based on your performance review, incorporating best practices and removing passive voice, followed by a summary of the changes:
Letter of Recommendation
To Whom It May Concern:
It is with great pleasure that I recommend Bill for any suitable position that aligns with his extensive maintenance planning expertise. Over the past 12 years, Bill has not only served as a Maintenance Planner for our organization but has also been instrumental in defining and establishing modern maintenance planning best practices from the ground up.
Bill demonstrates exceptional dependability and punctuality. He consistently communicates any time-off needs well in advance. Moreover, he willingly commits to after-hours and weekend work to ensure the completion of critical tasks. This dedication speaks volumes about his work ethic and commitment.
Bill's work is characterized by meticulous attention to detail. He proactively seeks clarification when needed and consistently delivers high-quality results. His ability to identify subtle discrepancies that others often overlook is a testament to his keen eye and dedication to excellence.
The role of a Maintenance Planner demands a broad spectrum of knowledge, encompassing mechanical, electrical, preventive/predictive maintenance, inventory control, purchasing, planning, scheduling, and CMMS system management. Bill possesses a robust understanding across these domains, enabling him to excel in his responsibilities.
Bill consistently demonstrates initiative and takes ownership of his tasks. He anticipates potential issues and proactively develops solutions. His proactive approach and sense of personal responsibility drive him to deliver outstanding results without requiring constant supervision.
Bill excels in planning and organizing complex maintenance tasks. He has played a pivotal role in not only planning essential work but also in ensuring its effective tracking and completion. This has significantly contributed to the productivity improvements within our plant.
In summary, Bill has been an invaluable asset to our company and maintenance team. His character, reliability, and unwavering commitment to excellence have made him a key contributor to our success. I am confident that Bill will be a significant asset to any organization he joins. He is a highly capable professional and a pleasure to work with.
Sincerely,
[Your Name] [Your Title] [Contact Information]
Summary of Changes and Rationale:
Stronger Opening and Closing:
Instead of a simple "Summary," I used a more impactful closing that directly states my confidence in Bill's future success.
The opening directly states the recommendation and the length of service.
Active Voice:
I systematically replaced passive voice constructions with active voice. For example, "work is taken care of" became "he commits to...ensure completion of critical tasks." This makes the writing more direct and impactful.
Emphasis on Impact and Achievements:
I focused on quantifying Bill's contributions where possible (e.g., "instrumental in...establishing modern maintenance planning best practices," "significantly contributed to the productivity improvements").
I used stronger verbs and more descriptive language to highlight his skills and achievements.
Modern Best Practices:
I structured the letter to highlight Bill's key competencies and their impact on the organization.
I focused on his proactive nature, and his ability to see problems before they arise.
I removed some of the more informal language, to be more professional.
Organization and Flow:
I organized the information into clear, concise paragraphs, each focusing on a specific aspect of Bill's performance.
The letter flows better, and is easier to read.
Removed redundancies:
I removed some of the repetitive statements, like "Bill is a great person and great to work with" and instead wove that sentiment into the closing paragraph.
Professional Tone:
I maintained a professional and respectful tone throughout the letter, emphasizing Bill's strengths and contributions.
By making these changes, the letter is now more impactful, professional, and aligned with modern best practices for recommendations.