I am having trouble deciding who to have write my second letter of recommendation. I am four years out of college and am going to have my direct supervisor at my current job write one. I am unsure who to ask to write my second one. I know coworkers and family members are unacceptable. It seems like asking someone from a former job or my college won't work because they have no insight on my current performance. Can anyone offer any help on this one??

Thanks,

Katie

You can ask someone that you work with in a non-professional capacity. For example, do you lead any volunteer efforts? Anyone (not related to you) who can articulate your strengths, experiences, and goals should be able to write a strong LOR. Avoid generic letters from individuals who are not familiar with your work and/or future plans.

Does the recommender send the letter(s) to each school? Or, does my recommender give me the letter to send? In addition, does the letter of recommendation need to be addressed (in the body of the letter) to the specific school I am applying to?

Depends on the school. Some have a simple, traditional letter requirement, others give specific questions to answer. The trend now is for schools to have what amounts to an electronic survey, where they must answer specific questions as well as provide anecdotal evidence of things like leadership, maturity, teamwork and interpersonal skills. For this reason, it's important for your recommender to know you and your performance very well.