Over the course of your training, you will be required to request more letters of reference than you ever thought possible. Beginning with your admission to grad school, and progressing through fellowship and funding applications, postdoctoral positions, and ultimately the job market, those that are involved in your training become a frequent source of insight into the skills, personality traits, and experiences that make you special. What can you expect from this experience and how can you facilitate the drafting and acquisition of reference letters that will get you where you want to be?

What should I contribute to a letter? As you progress through your career, you will also likely write letters of reference for yourself. It is not unusual to provide a draft of a letter to a letter-writer, which allows the opportunity to highlight what you consider to be the most important aspects of your CV and training. At the student level, this often isn’t the case, and most mentors expect that they will have to draft something from scratch. However, for a first-time letter from a mentor, you should provide at a minimum a copy of your CV. In addition, it can be helpful to draft a brief paragraph (even in an email) describing what you think your best skills or traits are, including an example of a situation in which you feel like you have excelled. This is a good time to remind them of your goals and ambitions, and how this letter can help you achieve them (“a fellowship at this stage in my career will significantly advance my goal of being a primary investigator”).

What will be in your letter and how long will it be? Most reference letters are at a minimum two pages long, and some are longer. Generally, they include a section about why that person is qualified to write you a letter of recommendation, including their position and publication history, and their history of mentoring trainees. The letter will also usually include a brief introduction to how you met, how long you have known each other, and the nature of that relationship. It will then go on to state your general accomplishments and strengths, including publications and awards. In addition, the writer may provide a specific example of something that you have done that has impressed them. This could be troubleshooting a difficult protocol, taking a leadership role in a project, or demonstrating engagement and scientific ownership. These specific examples are particularly helpful in providing concrete examples of your excellence; they also underscore that the writer is well acquainted with you and your work. A letter will also include a discussion of your strengths in general, and why you are suited for what you want to do. It may also include a statement about your limitations, although generally most mentors will not write a negative letter without alerting you that they are considering doing so. Some letters may also include a relative ranking of your abilities within your cohort, although these tend to not be perceived as particularly meaningful because they are highly subjective. The letter will generally conclude with a broad statement about how well suited you are for the task at hand. Many mentors take great pride in a well-crafted letter that highlights a trainee that they have worked with and they enjoy having the opportunity to showcase that person. In addition, many have a fairly standard approach to writing letters and can approach the task easily. That being said, timing is everything, and some common courtesies will aid in helping someone who is busy or under stress get you the letter you need in time. So, give your letter writer as much notice as possible and send a polite reminder closer to the date it is due. Be sure to provide all information required for logging in to websites for upload and who the letter should be addressed to. Make your request brief, but polite, and be sure to proofread and thoughtfully edit your email. Put the request in context (what you are applying for), and offer to provide additional information if they agree to write your letter. If they do, thank them briefly. This is a great opportunity to demonstrate professionalism, and you can bet that it will be noticed. Also, don’t stress if it is the last minute for a reason that was out of your hands. It happens, we have all been there. Just acknowledge the extra accommodation and thank them again.