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WritingLettersofRecommendationforAcademicJobs

Number125,Spring2000

WritingLettersofRecommendationforAcademicJobs
MAURAIVES
INAhighlycompetitiveacademicjobmarket,lettersofrecommendationaresubjecttogreaterscrutiny
thaneverbefore.Searchcommitteesfacedwithlargenumbersofqualifiedcandidatesturntolettersof
recommendationasanindependentmeansofgaugingtheapplicants'characterandrealpotential.Job
candidatesknowthatletterscarryagreatdealofweight,somuchsothatsomeworrywhetherthebenefits
ofconfidentiallettersoutweightheriskofunknowinglyallowingadamaginglettertoremainonfile.1Faculty
memberswritinglettershavetheirownworriesaboutthepossiblelegaldangersofrecommendations,a
topicthatIamnotabletoaddresshere,excepttoremindfacultymembersthatthereisreallynosuchthing
asaconfidentialletter.2
Withsomuchatstake,onewouldthinkthatitwouldbeeasytofindsomeusefulpublisheddiscussionsof
recommendationletters,butthereseemstobeverylittlewrittentoguidefacultymembersinthisdifficult
andcruciallyimportanttask,althoughtheMLAGuidetotheJobSearchofferssoundadvicetocandidates
requestingletters(Showalteretal.2829).3Myattempttofillthevoidhasgrownoutofseveralyearsof
workingcloselywithjobhuntingMAandPhDstudentsandwithfacultymemberswhowerecalledontowrite
lettersofrecommendationforthem.I'vealsoreadafairnumberofdossiersinthecourseofdepartmental
searchesandaskedcolleaguesatmycampusandelsewheretohelpmeidentifywhatmakesaletter
effective(andwhatdoesn't).
MostofthepeopleI'vetalkedwith,thoughbynomeansall,sharemydefinitionofaneffectiveand
appropriateletterasonethathelpsthecandidatewithoutcompromisingthewriter'sprofessionalorpersonal
ethics.Itdisturbsmewhencolleagueslamentthedisappearanceofnegativecommentsinletters,asifa
discussionofacandidate'sflawswouldsomehowassureusofthewriter'shonesty.Areweonlytellingthe
truthwhenwearesayingsomethingnegative?Whatmakesusthinkthattheonlybelievablewaytopresent
thecandidate'sstrengthsistobalancethemwithalaundrylistofweaknesses?Andwhatif,asissometimes
thecase,therereallyarenoweaknesses?Letterwritersarechosenbythecandidate,notthehiring
departmentitseemstomethatwhenweagreetowritealetter,weagreetoproduceadocumentthatisby
definitionpositive,inthatitspurposeistosetforththeapplicant'srelevantqualitiesandskills.(Thereis,of
course,acasetobemadefortheothersideofthisquestionsee,forexample,Malek,whoarguesthat
"lettersofrecommendationareintendedtohelppotentialemployersmakeinformed[thatis,discriminating]
judgmentsaboutapplicants"[35].)Mysuggestiondoesnotmeanthatarecommendationshouldbe
dishonestorofferinflatedpraiseitsimplymeansthateveryoneinvolvedthecandidate,theletterwriter,
andthereadersofthelettershouldunderstandthattheletterwriter'sjobistoexplainwhatanapplicant
hastooffer,leavingthatperson'simperfectionstobediscoveredthroughothermeans.Ofcourse,Iam
merelydescribingthesystemthatisnowinplaceitisnotnecessarilythebestwaytogoaboutthings,but
untilsomeoneproposesausefulalternative,wemustworkwithwhatwehave.
Thefocusonthepositiveinlettersofrecommendationisoneoftheconventionsofthegenreaswenow
knowit,atleastintheUnitedStates.Thereareothers.Thecontentandformatoftherecommendation
letterarestrictlydelimited,dictatedbythesituationandtheaudienceitaddresses.Mostrecommendation
lettershaveaconventionalbeginning(introducingthecandidateandthewriter)andending(anaffirmation
ofthecandidate'scredentialsandapromisetoofferyetmoreinformationaboutthecandidateifitsreaders
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sodesire).Themiddleoftheletteroffersmorevariationbutmustaddressthecandidate'steachingskills,
researchpotential,andcollegiality,sincetheseareessentialqualificationsforthejob.Ifitcannotdiscussall
ofthese,itacknowledgesandexplainsthelapseofprotocol.Byadheringtotheseunwrittenrules,theletter
writerestablisheshisorhercredentialsasapersonwhounderstandstheneedsandexpectationsofthe
hiringdepartment(andwhocanthereforebetrustedtojudgeacandidate'ssuitability).Yetsomeoriginality
isnecessarytoconveywhatisdistinctiveaboutthecandidate.Aletterthatsoundsjustlikeeveryletterin
thepileisacertainfailure.
Itis,anditshouldbe,hardtowriteagoodrecommendationletter,andthisiswhyitisimportantforusto
refusesometimes.Lastminuterequestscannotalwaysbehonored,thoughmostofuswilldowhatwecan.
Butnoamountoftimewillenableustowriteagoodletterforsomeonewedon'tknowwell.Ofcoursemany
ofthecrucialthingsaboutacandidatecanbediscoveredbyreadingthevitaandawritingsample.Thatmay
ormaynotbeenoughitdependsontheotherlettersinthedossierandthekindsofjobsthecandidateis
applyingfor.Still,therearesituationsinwhichNoistheonlyanswer.Ifacandidate'scredentialsarenot
appropriateforthekindofjobbeingsoughtorifyoujustplaindon'tlikethecandidate'swork(orthe
candidate),youshouldnotwriteforthatperson.Thecandidateisnotlikelytogainanythingfromaletter
writtenunderthesecircumstances.Apolitebutlukewarmletterwon'taddanythingtothedossiera
negativeonecandogreatdamage,eveninanotherwisepositivefile.Ifatallpossible,however,
accompanyarefusalwithanhonestexplanationofthereasonsforit.Acandiddiscussioniscalledforifyou
thinkacandidate'sexpectationsareunrealistic.
Asimilarconversationisnecessaryifyouareaskedtowritealetterforsomeonewhosebackgroundor
currentsituationisatypicalorotherwisetroublesome.Ifyoucannotaddressanunusualsituationinyour
letterwithoutinjuringthecandidate,itmaybebetterforyounottowritetheletter.Somesituationsthatcall
forexplanationmightincludeaPhDstudentwhohastakenanunusuallylongorshorttimetocompletethe
degreeorajuniorfacultymemberwhoisleavingjustbeforeorshortlyaftertenurereview.Inthelatter
instance,youmightquotepositivecommentsfromthetenurerevieworexplainanycircumstancesthat
mitigateorthrowlightonanegativeoutcome(suchaslatepublicationofafirstbook).Ifyousaynothing
aboutacandidatewhoserecordinvitesquestions,thesearchcommitteemaywellassumetheworst.You
shouldtakecare,however,nottorevealanyinformationthatthecandidatewouldprefertokeep
confidential.Neverofferdetailsofpersonalhardshipsorworkplaceconflictswithoutseekingpermission
fromthecandidate.Inthesecasesitisaparticularlygoodideatoshowthelettertothecandidate.
Whenyoudoagreetowritealetter,bepreparedtoinvestsomerealtimeandeffort.Beginbyrequesting
thatcandidatesprovideyouwithdetailedinformationabouttheirjobsearch,includingadraftcoverletter,a
vita,ateachingportfolio,andawritingsamplethenscheduleatimewhenyoucantalkaboutthejobsthey
areapplyingfor.Thisenablesyoutoprovidesomeextrafeedbackandoftenallowsyoutodiscovernew
informationthatcanbeusefulinyourletter.Althoughitiscommonforfacultymemberstocomplainabout
inflatedrecommendations,packedfullofemptysuperlativesandcleverphrases,suchlettersareeasyto
write,easytospot,andjustaseasilydiscounted.Butitishardtoignoretrulygoodwriting,inlargepart
becauseitsignalsthewriter'ssincerecommitmenttothecandidate.Themostimportantoverall
characteristicsofaneffectiverecommendationletterarecarefullychosenwords,wellconstructedsentences
andparagraphs,and,aboveall,thoughtfulanddetaileddiscussionofthecandidate'sstrengths.
Shortcutscastabadreflectionontheletterwriteraswellasonthejobcandidate.Recommendationletters
mustnotshowsignsofhasteorsloppiness.Alwaysasksomeonetocheckaletterformechanicalerrorsand
stylisticglitchesbeforesendingitonitsway.Mostoftheproblemsthatariseinrecommendationlettersare
inadvertent(anomittedwordanunintentionaldoublemeaning).Boilerplatelettersarealsodeadly.Ifyou
arewritingforseveralcandidates,makeaspecialefforttokeepyourletters(andthecandidates)from
soundingalike.Don'tstarteveryletterwiththesameintroductorysentencedon'tcarrystockphrasesfrom
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onelettertothenext.Anyonewhohasservedonasearchcommitteecantellthestoryofthecommittee
chairwhowrotethesame(oralmostthesame)letterformultiplestudents,allofwhomendedupapplying
forthesamejob.
Somecircumstancesmaycallforshort(oneortwoparagraph)letters.Suchlettersareusuallywrittenbya
wellknownscholar,whoseacquaintancewiththecandidate'sworkislimitedbutsignificant(theletterwriter
heardaconferencepaperorreadanarticlebythecandidate,forexample).Thereasonfortheletter's
brevityshouldbemadeclear,sothatthelengthisnottakenasanindicationofweaksupport.Inmost
circumstances,arecommendationlettershouldbeoneandahalftotwopageslong:longenoughtopresent
thecandidate'squalificationsindetail,butshortenoughforthecommitteetoreadfairlyquickly.
Somespecialattentionshouldbepaidtothetoneoftheletter.Theextremesoficyformalityandoffthe
cuffcolloquialismscangiveabadimpression.Moreimportant,however,istokeepthefocusoftheletteron
thecandidateandawayfromtheletterwriterasJamesMalekcomments,"Somerefereesseemtoforget
thatreferencelettersaresupposedtobeabouttheirstudents"(36).Stateyouracademicrankaswellas
yournameintheconcludingsignature,sothatthesearchcommitteehasasenseofyourexperienceand
theperspectivefromwhichyouevaluatethecandidate.Elsewhere,anyreferencetoyourownresearch,
teaching,oracademicserviceshouldbedirectlyrelevanttothecaseyouaremakingforthecandidate.
Youshouldprovideaclearpictureoftherelationshipbetweenyouandthepersonyouarerecommending.
Oftenthefirstparagraphwillexplainhowandwhenthewritergottoknowthecandidate,howlongthey
haveknowneachother,thekindsofresearchprojectsandcommitteeassignmentstheyhaveworkedon,
andsoon,butanydiscussionofthecandidate'spersonalityandcharacterneedstorelatespecificallytojob
performance.Emphasizepersonalitytraitsthatmakethecandidateagoodcolleagueandteacherora
successfulresearcher.YourpurposeistoaddresswhatIcallthemailroomfactor:thatis,toexplainwhy
thispersonissomeoneyouwouldwanttoseeinthemailroomeverymorningforthenextfewdecades,
someoneyoucouldassigntothedepartment'smostdifficultcommittee,someonewhosolvesproblems
insteadofcreatingthem,someone,inshort,whocangetalongwithpeopleandhelpthemgetalongwith
eachother.
Whileitisgoodtoprovidethekindofdetailthatgivesthecommitteeasenseofthecandidate'spersonality,
makesurethatanythingyousayaboutsomeone'spersonalcharacteristicsreinforceshisorherstatureasa
potentialcolleague.Notsayinganythingispreferabletosayingtoomuchaboutyouracquaintancewitha
candidate.Ifyouareinthehabitofpayinggraduatestudentstohelpwithpersonalerrands,rememberthat
aletterofrecommendationisnottheplacetodiscusssomeone'sbabysittingskillsorabilitytomove
furniture.Andwhileitisgoodtoindicatethatjobcandidatesaresociable,itisunwisetodwellonthe
nonacademicaspectsofyourrelationshipwiththemortoreferpointedlytoacandidateasafriend,
especiallyifthecandidateisacurrentorformerstudent.Atworst,suchreferencescansuggestan
inappropriaterelationshipatbest,theycalltheletterwriter'sjudgmentintoquestion.
Indiscussingthecandidate'squalifications,alettershouldhelpthecommitteeplaceapersonamonghisor
herpeers.Wheredoesthecandidatestandincomparisontothisyear'sgroupofPhDs?Whataboutthelast
fiveortenyears?Isthispersononeofthetop1%,5%,or10%ofallthestudentsyou'vetaught?Such
statementswhentheyrepresenthonestandcarefulconsiderationandwhentheyareexpressed
appropriatelycanbeveryhelpfultothecandidateandtothesearchcommittee.Butdon'toffera
quantitativeevaluationifyouaren'twillingorabletobackitup.Howmanygraduatestudentsdoyouwork
withinthecourseofayear?Afacultymemberwhoteachesarequiredcourseandwhothereforesees
manyifnotallofaprogram'senteringstudentsusuallyhasagoodbasisformakingcomparisonssomeone
whorarelyteachesgraduatestudentsdoesnot.Ifyouaregoingtocallsomeoneyourbeststudent,explain
whatthatmeans(thebestinthedepartment?thebestinaparticulararea?thebestthisyear?thebest
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ever?),andbecarefulthatyoudon'tmakethisclaimformorethanonestudent,assometimeshappens
(Malek36).
Theheartofanacademicrecommendationisitsdiscussionofacandidate'steachingandresearch,in
whateverorderseemsmostappropriatetothecandidate'sprofileandthekindsofjobsthatheorsheis
seeking.Commentsaboutresearchmustbedetailedenoughtoconvincethesearchcommitteethatthe
refereeisthoroughlyfamiliarwiththecandidate'sscholarship.Praisingthegivensofaresearchprojectits
soundness,competence,ormasteryofexistingscholarshipwillnotdomuchgood.Focusinsteadonwhat
setseachcandidate'sresearchapartfromthatofothersindicatehowtheworkcontributestothefieldtalk
aboutadditionalprojectsthatarelikelytospringfromanindividual'sresearchprogram.Assurancesthat
"thisdissertationwillchangethewaywethinkabout[fillintheblank]"shouldbebackedupbyspecific
reasonswhytheworkisimportant.
Noteveryletterwriterisabletodiscussacandidate'steachingexperienceifyouabsolutelycannotaddress
thistopic,sayso(andmakesurethatyouadvisethecandidatetosolicitaletterfromsomeonewhocantalk
aboutteaching).Ifyouignoreorglossoverajobcandidate'steachingability,youmightgivetheimpression
thatteachingisn'tvaluedinyourdepartmentor,worse,thatthepersonyouarewritingaboutisadismal
failureintheclassroom.Ifyouhaven'thadachancetoseethecandidateteach,asktositinonaclassand
makesuretomentionyourclassroomvisitinyourletter.Detailisimportantherealso:discussthe
candidate'sspecificskillsandindicatewhatspecialtraitsmakethispersonstandoutasateacher.Whatcan
yousay,forexample,aboutthecandidate'sabilitytodesigncourses,tocomposeeffectiveandinteresting
assignments,toconveydifficultmaterial,toholdtheinterestofavarietyofstudents(notjustEnglish
majors),tofosterdiscussion,tomanagelargesections?
Allthesethingsstudyingcandidates'recordsbeforewriting,focusingontheirqualifications,identifyingtheir
particularstrengthsanddescribingthemindetailarenecessarytoproduceastrongletterof
recommendation,aletterthatanswersthequestionsasearchcommitteeislikelytohaveaboutthe
candidatewithoutraisingthesortofquestionsthattheyoughtnottohave.Yettomakealettertrulystand
out,youmustaddsomethingtothemix:adetailoraphrasethatdescribesthis,andonlythis,candidate.If
youdrawablank,itmaybethatyouaretryingtowriteanoutstandingletterforsomeonewhoisonly
competent,inwhichcaseitistimetoquit.Theverybestlettersoughttobewrittenfortheverybest
candidates.Doasmuchasyoucantosupportthepeopleyouhaveagreedtowritefor,butdon'toverreach.
Icouldsumthisallupbysaying,Don'twritealetterifyoucannotputyourselfintheplaceofthecandidate.
ButIshouldn'thavetosaythat,becauseinaveryrealway,wearealwayswritingforourselves.Ourown
professionalismisonthelineeverytimewesignournamestoapieceofwriting,whetheritisanarticlefor
anacademicjournaloraletterofrecommendationforacolleagueorstudent.Still,unlikeajournalarticle,a
goodletterwillonlybeseenbyafewpeopleitwon'tmakeyoufamous,itwon'tgetyouaraiseorevena
patontheback,andittakestimeawayfromthethingsthatwill.Butitmaystillbeoneofthemost
importantcontributionsthatyouwillevermaketothecareersofyourcolleaguesandstudents.

TheauthorisAssociateProfessorofEnglishandAssociateHead,DepartmentofEnglish,atTexasA&M
University,CollegeStation.

Notes
IoweaspecialdebttoJimBarcusofBaylorUniversity.Althoughpriorcommitmentspreventedhimfrom
acceptingmyinvitationtocowritethisarticle(whichwasinspiredbyremarkshehadmadeatapanel
discussionorganizedforgraduatestudentsseekingacademicjobs),Jimofferedhelpfulsuggestionsonan
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earlydraftandpointedmetosomeusefulsources.IwouldalsoliketothankmycolleaguesintheEnglish
departmentatTexasA&M,especiallyDennisBerthold,DouglasBrooks,MaryBucholtz,BedfordClark,Kate
Kelly,JimmieKillingsworth,LarryMitchell,LarryOliver,NancySmall,andLarryReynolds,whoresponded
generouslywithcommentsandsampleletterswhenIaskedthemforhelpwiththisproject.
1Nakamurasuggeststhatstudentsaskanadviseror"administratorfriend"to"lookat[their]fileandgive

[them]anhonestassessment"(1920).Morethanafewjobcandidatessimplyhavethefilemailedtoa
friendorfamilymemberandreaditthemselves.
2AccordingtoHeibergerandVick,"Theproperhandlingoflettersofrecommendationisdictatedbylaw,and

letterssometimesplayakeyrolewhensuitschargingemploymentdiscriminationarebrought.Asaresult
recommendersarebecomingmorecarefuland,tosomeextent,morepositiveaboutallcandidates."Smith
alsosuggeststhat"legalcontroversies"haveledto"evaluationevasion"and"evaluationinflation."
3Showalteretal.advisedepartmentsto"warnagainstvaguegeneralitiesandunduestressonminor

weaknesses"inlettersandevensuggesthandingout"anonymousandsuitablyeditedlettersfromthe
department'sfiles,illustratingbothvaluableanduselessrecommendations"(70).

WorksCited
Heiberger,MaryMorris,andJuliaMillerVick."HowImportantAreLettersofRecommendation?"CareerTalk:
TheChronicleofHigherEducationCareerNetwork.25Sept.1998.
Malek,James."CaveatEmptoror,HowNottoGetHiredatDePaul."ADEBulletin92(1989):3336.
Nakamura,Lisa."TheApplicationProcess."OntheMarket.Ed.ChristinaBoufisandVictoriaC.Olsen.New
York:Riverhead,1997.1721.
Showalter,English,etal.TheMLAGuidetotheJobSearch.NewYork:MLA,1996.
Smith,Carl."BewarethePitfallsofLettersofRecommendation."ChronicleofHigherEducation20Mar.
1998:56.

2000bytheAssociationofDepartmentsofEnglish.AllRightsReserved.
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