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<p>The advice I give to my candidates is to NOT mention the LOA until the END of the interview. I stress the importance of making a good first impression, conducting a strong interview, letting their record stand on its own merit, and letting the nominating committee come to its own conclusion that this candidate merits a nomination. At the end of the interview, when the questioning has ceased, I encourage them to mention that there is an additional piece of information they would like to share, and use that opening to inform the committee that they are in receipt of a LOA. </p>
<p>What I also make sure is that the candidate fully understands, themselves, what a LOA means- inevitably, there is someone that sits on the nominating committee that is not aware of LOAs; as such, the candidate should be able to explain what it means.</p>