Originally Posted by
ToiletDuck
When you receive LORs you should not know what they say. I hadn't read a single one of mine until they showed me in the interview.
Only if you want to get burned in the end. You should ALWAYS know what your letters of recommendation say.
Employers know that any letters of recommendation that are submitted by you (as well as references) are going to be positive in nature. That's why most won't put a whole lot of weight into them, unless they come from an internal reference.
When I'm interviewing, I'm going to read the letters and see how "glowing they are", but in the end, it's the blind calls to former employers (and people that I know that might be acquaintances with the applicant) that have more of an impact.
IMHO, having somebody send in a "blind" letter is asking for trouble. At the very least (and if you must insist on a "seal copy), you should be allowed to look over a draft to ensure that there are no grammatical or spelling errors and that all of the information being submitted is accurate. Remember- even if they are submitted on your behalf by another person, a poorly written recommendation (even if it's good intended) can reflect poorly on you as an applicant.