Playing From a Different Tee: How Not to Write a Recommendation Letter

As Mark recently mentioned, we are deep in recommendation letter season. I've been in the biz long enough that I've probably written at least a hundred letters (estimating more than ten a year for more than a decade), and read far more than that. After you read enough letters, they can start blend together. But, in a big stack of applications, there are usually a few letters that stand out as risible, causing a good chuckle and round of comment from the committee. And they are almost always letters written on behalf of women. In a standard letter of recommendation at the postdoc/faculty level, there is frequently a comparison to other successful scientists. The letter usually reads something like "reminds me of person X, Y, or Z at a similar level of their career" or "shows the same persistence and insight as person Q, and stronger big picture thinking than ...