Beacon is the PBA’s elite student program that occurs once a year during the International Salon + Spa Expo. The program accepts the best and brightest of the beauty industry’s next generation to come together for 3 days to learn and grow from industry leaders and mentors. The application process has a few steps, and in this blog post we’ll be learning more about how to go about asking for a letter of recommendation.

Your letter of recommendation can really be what sets you apart from everyone else. While your resume shows your accomplishments, a letter of recommendation shows potential employers that past mentors and teachers also think you have what it takes to tackle a new job or opportunity.

Here are a few things to consider before asking someone for a letter of recommendation:

• Decide which employer or educator (they must be a professional contact) you want to ask to write you a letter. Be sure to share with them the purpose of the letter and always provide a date that you’ll need your final version. The sooner you ask, the better!
• Provide your employer or educator a copy of your resume, and any key achievements or qualities you think they might need to write the letter.
• Request that the letter be written and signed on company or school letterhead and ask that your employer or educator physically signs the letter before sending it back to you.
• Always thank your employer or educator for writing your letter of recommendation for you!

Next up, we’ll be talking about preparing your Instagram for your Beacon application!