Ants, Bees, Genomes & Evolution @ Queen Mary University London

Reference Letters

Current or former students very regularly ask me for a reference to help them apply for a job or a new study program. The process is facilitated & the letter is improved by the following advice.

If you need a reference letter from me, I need you to write a first draft. First, you are best positioned to know what makes you great for what you’re applying for. Second, you’ll end up with a better letter if my time is spent revising something than if I try to create something from scratch.

Your draft should in the form of a letter from me about you (yes, it can feel awkward to write like this). You basically need to say that you are a great and justify why). Some general tips:

Please respect the style guidelines given by Strunk & White’s “The Elements of Style”.
Keep things concise.
Use a spell-checker and a grammar-checker (on strict mode!).
It’s better if the examples you use are relevant to the degree you’re applying to.
Don’t highlight weaknesses. E.g. if you have a “C” in something don’t mention it.
Whatever you do, don’t lie. Any lies will come back to hurt you 1000-fold (karma).
Send it as a document I can edit (not a PDF).

** 2015 update: a much more exhaustive list of writing tips here.** ** 2020 update: ** please use an automatic grammar and style checker such as Grammarly or Microsoft Word’s grammar checker. They aren’t magical solutions, but can help you a lot!

Structure

Introductory paragraph. This should include:

Why I am writing
Why I know you well (e.g., I am your academic advisor/tutor/supervisor/lecturer since at Queen Mary since xxx when you started your degree in XX).
Which degree you are doing and when you are expected to graduate.
The last sentence should be a small list of ideas (see below), summarizing why you are great for the opportunity you’re applying to. This also announces the structure of the subsequent pre-conclusion paragraphs (i.e., it should end with a list of 2 or 3 or 4 items as below).

One paragraph per idea (no ping-ponging back and forth!). Some examples of ideas:

academic achievements (e.g., coursework or overall grades, predicted final grade (“first?”))
evidence that you are dedicated/serious/hardworking/intelligent/creative (e.g., based on your project, punctuality, behavior in tutorials).
evidence that you have a good personality (e.g., social intelligence, teamwork, helping others).
extra-curricular activities (jobs, volunteering)

Conclusion: a quick summary stating that you’re great for the degree/program/job because of the 3 or 4 ideas.

Overall, the reference should not take more than 1 page - people are unlikely to read anything that is longer.

Thanks to Rob Hammond for telling me about The Elements of Style years ago.

January 27, 2014