If you’re active in the workforce then you don’t operate in isolation: you’ll have undoubtedly gained advantages from colleagues, bosses and mentors in the past, and you can pay that forward for ...

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 ...

In today's job search climate, applicants are looking for ways to stand out from the crowd more than ever. Because hiring managers can use the internet to research candidates and wade through their ...

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 ...

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: ...

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 ...

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 ...

Question: I’ve just submitted my Ph.D. and will start the job search shortly. The problem is that I had a particularly difficult relationship with my supervisor (Prof X) and I am unable to trust ...

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 ...