Recommendations letters are often the most challenging aspect of the applications process for many applicants. The dynamics of asking your supervisor for a favor is often tricky, and often asking for a recommendation is an applicant's first disclosure that they are even considering leaving their current job. Add to that the fact that many recommenders have not attended business school themselves, and have not gone through the application process, and it is no surprise that many applicants wait until the last minute to address their recommendation letters. How can you avoid this?

I recently had the honor of hosting a career panel at the “Bridging Your Career with Asia” event, with participants from:

• China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) in Shanghai

• Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)

• Indian School of Business (ISB) in Hyderabad

• Nanyang Business School (NBS) in Singapore