Reference letters come in many different shapes and forms, so don’t think that one size fits all. I’ve written in the past about how to request reference letters in different situations, be it from ...

Shortly after becoming a full professor, I asked a colleague who had held that rank for years to name the greatest challenge she had faced in this ultimate chapter of faculty life. Her instant reply: ...

Who hasn’t had to ask for a letter of recommendation at some point, whether it was for an internship, a graduate school application, or a new job? If you have, did you think strategically about which ...

You never know when you might get a request to write a reference letter. In many instances, you will need a letter of reference when applying for a job. Either way, it’s vital to understand the ins ...

Here is a common scene: A supervisor agrees to write your letter of recommendation with one condition—you draft it. Shocker. We, too, were surprised the first time this happened to us. We assumed ...

Undergraduates need them for graduate-school applications; PhD students and postdocs use them to apply for fellowships and jobs; senior scientists often have to have them to apply for awards and ...

Over the decades that I’ve worked in universities, I’ve watched academic letters of reference become increasingly inflated. And letter inflation goes beyond the academy; friends who hire in business ...

A character reference letter can make or break an applicant’s chances. Here’s how to write a great one. A character reference letter can make or break an applicant’s chances Before the days of ...

Letters of recommendation are very important in our decision-making process. These letters should come from individuals who know the candidate well and who are in a capacity to objectively judge the ...

A new email arrives in your inbox and you see it's from one of your former employees. You quickly glance over the subject line and your eyes catch on one word: recommendation. Immediately, your ...