A letter of recommendation is a document written by a competent, trustworthy person (former professor, supervisor, principal investigator, team leader or employer) that aims to support a candidate for an academic post or a job position.
A good letter of recommendation can make the difference when it comes to choosing from the shortlist of final candidates. As a person who has had some occasions to observe what happens during a selection process, I can tell you that some professors focus more attention on the letter of recommendation than on other parts of your application, CV included.
The reason is easy to understand: especially when the selection is highly competitive, with strong candidates with superb grades and an interesting CV, the recommendation letter is a great way for the committee to know something more about the person they are going to select.
The letter of recommendation acts like a special filter that gives three-dimensionality to the candidate. As we say in technical jargon, the letter is mainly about the so-called “intangibles aspects”, e.g. creativity, resilience, social and leadership skills, which can hardly be deduced by grades or a CV. In other words, the letter of recommendation must provide information about the authentic person behind the student, the scholar or the professional.
Who should write your letter of recommendation?
Given these premises, it is clear that a letter of recommendation should be written by someone who knows you well enough. In addition, as stressed in the previous section, the letter has to be written by an individual who is competent and trustworthy. It means that the person you should ask to write the letter must have an official, recognized role within the field related to the position you are applying for.
For example, if you are applying for a Ph.D. position in French Literature, it is assumed that French literature has been one of your major interests during the university years. You have most likely taken more than one course and even written a thesis within this field. It follows that, in this imaginary example, the person who should write your recommendation letter has to be the professor in French literature who has personally supervised you during your university career. Also, let me add that applying for that Ph.D. position without your former professor’s recommendation letter would be perceived by the committee as a red flag on your application.
Last but not least, keep in mind that, sometimes, more than one letter of recommendation is required. Always ask someone you worked with and who genuinely appreciated you. A good recommendation letter is in fact about authenticity and a certain attention to details (we will return to this point later).
Is it normal to write your own letter of recommendation?
Here we are moving in a gray area, writing your own recommendation letter is the kind of thing everyone in academia does but no one admits (like picking your nose). In fact, as strange as it might sound, it is quite common that a professor asks the students to draft the recommendation letter on their own.
Obviously, this does not mean that you have carte blanche to do whatever you want. Indeed, once you have drafted the letter, you will have to give the document to the professor so that it can be reviewed, approved, and officially signed.
While such a way of doing is not without criticism, the reasons behind such a custom are numerous and, in part, reasonable. You have to consider that many other students and scholars are likely to need a letter of recommendation from the same professor and that all these requests usually arrive at the same time, during a specific period of the academic year. Keep also in mind that a letter of recommendation is a document that must be tailor-made not only to the candidate but also to the specific position the latter is applying for. It is an activity that requires time and a certain effort and it would be rather impossible to write ten or even more letters in a couple of months.
So, when a professor is asking you to draw your own recommendation letter, we can assume that it is for your own good… or, at least, you can try to turn this situation into a positive opportunity.
How to write a letter of recommendation
Well, if you are looking for information on how to write a letter of recommendation, there are two possibilities:
- You are a novice researcher who finds himself to write a letter for a student;
- You are a student who was asked by a professor to write the letter of recommendation by yourself.
Whatever your situation is, do not worry: Ludwig is here to help you.
First, you have to keep in mind that a good letter of recommendation is mainly about authenticity. You can of course search online for templates or examples to take inspiration from. Yet, this is one of those cases in which to be original is everything. Above all, avoid copying sentences taken from documents found on the internet. Trust me, it is really embarrassing when the committee finds two documents – practically identical – written by two different professors for two different students belonging to two different institutions… Definitely, that’s not the kind of thing that makes a good impression.
Where to start?
The letter of recommendation must make the candidate stand out and the writer has to inspire reliability and trustworthiness to the committee. Here are some tips on how to proceed:
1. Introduction
In the incipit of the letter, the writer has to briefly introduce himself/herself and how he/she knows the candidate. The tone and style must be objective and clear. Here you are an example:
“As a full professor at the University of Ludwig Guru, I supervised Mary Huang during her MA thesis. I was also able to test and appreciate her professional qualities when the candidate joined my laboratory…”
Obviously, if you are writing your own letter, keep in mind that you have to write the document as if it were the professor speaking in the first person. It is certainly a bit strange and even uncomfortable, but keep in mind that you have been authorized to do so and that your supervisor will have to approve the document once finished.
2. The importance of going into details and the average length
It is important to be very specific while writing a letter of recommendation. Above all, one has to avoid writing a too short document. In this regard, it is important to take into consideration some cultural differences among countries. While in the UK and in the USA the letters of recommendation are usually longer and more detailed (and tendentially more enthusiastic), in other countries – such as Italy or Germany – this kind of documents are usually shorter, less detailed, and a little soberer. If you are going to apply for a position abroad, both you and your supervisor must be aware of these cultural differences and keep in mind that a letter which is too short and with few details may be a major disadvantage for the candidate.
Nowadays the world of research is increasingly internationalized and the best choice is to adopt the British/American style. Otherwise, the risk of going unnoticed is realistic and it would be a pity. As regards the length, a good letter of recommendation must be no longer than one page, but should not exceed the two pages.
3. The importance of being specific: anecdotes and quantification
In order to be competitive, it is allowed to use one or two sentences that make the candidate stand out. However, these statements must be explained and supported by anecdotes. It is also important to “quantify” the qualities and the skills of the candidate. Let’s do an example:
Mary Huang is certainly a talented scholar with a strong aptitude for research. She is strong-willed and determined. During her research period in my laboratory, she has shown to be an enterprising scholar. She made a valuable contribution to the isolation process of a gene involved in the XAB disease. For this reason, an article – of which Mary Huang is the first author – is about to be published in the Journal of ABCD. There are 19 students in my laboratory and I rank Mary Huang in the top 5%.
As the example clearly shows, the sentence that states the outstanding skills of Mary Huang is supported by solid arguments and anecdotes (highlighted in the text). Moreover, the writer quantifies the skills of the candidate by comparing her to other students.
The same procedure must be applied also for the so-called “intangibles”. If you, for example, want to say that Mary Huang has proven to have excellent leadership skills, you have to justify this sentence by narrating a fact that supports your claim:
Mary Huang has proved to be an autonomous and independent scholar. She loves working in a team and has demonstrated uncommon leadership skills. Thanks to her problem-solving skills and her extrovert genuine personality, she has quickly become a point of reference for her colleagues. Everyone in the laboratory has a good opinion of her. She also spontaneously took charge of organizing some recreational activities – such as apéritifs and pick-nicks – that really improved the team spirit among colleagues.
Obviously, if you are writing your own letter of recommendation, it would be a good idea to organize a meeting with the professor and try to choose a sentence together that can make you stand out. Ask your supervisor also about your ranking. This may be a bit embarrassing. On the other hand, especially if you are going to apply to a top university, this could be of vital importance.
5. Be honest and avoid omissions
As stressed before, a letter of recommendation is above all about authenticity and if the candidate has some weak points the best thing to do is to be honest about it. A letter in which good qualities are balanced with some weakness is sometimes more appreciable than an overly enthusiastic document. Keep also in mind that to make an omission is worse than a realistic description of a weak point. For example, let's assume that Mary Huang doesn't have great leadership competence. If the author of the letter completely omits the aspect of social skills, this will send a not too positive signal to the reader. Instead, describe Mary Huang's social skills for what they are will make the picture of the candidate more human and likable. For example:
Mary Huang is a quiet, thoughtful person with an independent and humble attitude. Although she is not an outgoing personality, she is able to work in a team and she is not afraid to take matters into her own hands when necessary. Despite her reserved aptitude, I can confidently say that the other members of the laboratory really appreciate and esteem her.
If you have to write a letter of recommendation by yourself, this will be the most difficult part. It is definitely awkward to write about your weak points, while pretending to be your supervisor. To overcome the impasse, ask some colleagues and friends worthy of your trust for an honest opinion and try to do your best. Keep also in mind that the document that you are writing is just a draft and that the professor has the obligation to check text and modify it if necessary. If you are in trouble, you always have the right to contact your professor for help.
6. Conclusions
It is important to conclude the letter with an enthusiastic sentence to support the candidate, for example by explaining how the candidate’s skills fit well with the job position. It is mandatory that the author of the letter provides an email and phone number to be contacted if the reader needs more information. In this regard, it is of crucial importance to provide the official email of the institution and not the personal one. Otherwise, the risk is that of appearing unprofessional and not being taken seriously.
Ludwig's wrap up
That said, I hope you have understood that writing a letter of recommendation is not easy. So, if you are planning to apply for the position of your dreams, the best choice is to contact your supervisor or the person who has to write it, well in advance. If your professor has asked you to write a draft copy of the document, make sure to discuss some key points of the letter, above all your ranking, and the skills that you would like to emphasize.
Good luck!
