The in-between parts of my letters mostly list academic credentials and the usual suspects or markers for future success (e.g., abstracts, papers, grants, teaching, mentorship, awards and honors, service to community), mixed in with how this person compares with others in our field. If the letter is for a promotion, I lean heavily on academic metrics. If the letter is for an award of distinction, say for the ACR/ARP, I include more anecdotes of the candidate’s personal steps toward the distinctive outcomes.
I typically end my letters with reflections on the person’s potential for the next step in their career. For some, it leans toward the Nobel Prize. For others, it’s securing a fellowship slot at the best institution. I also give my own personal Likert scale of recommendation (i.e., stellar/outstanding, high/great, worthy, or just plain ol’ good).
I do like to put the best foot forward in a letter, so those few letters with a plain ol’ good as my recommendation usually are accompanied by comments on the person’s promise for the future and how many very-good-but-not-currently-stellar people go on to have extraordinary futures.
One non-human example is the 1950’s canine movie star, Rin-Tin-Tin, a rescue dog in rough circumstances who went on to have his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (or for more current social media dog reference, check out Tuna on Instagram; he also started out not stellar, but now has 2 million followers and his own book). Although my letters are not often written for dogs, they serve as an easy example of how not to judge a book/dog/letter candidate solely by today’s cover. It’s rare that a career path is linear. In fact, I hope for exponential and stellar growth in most careers.
After I write a letter, I wait a day or two. I reread the letter and edit for clarity. I think of better and more personal examples of how great the person truly is in real life that will matter to the readers of my letter of recommendation. The audience, or readers of my recommendation letter, is a key consideration for my examples.
For letters written for ACR/ARP awards, a strong flavor of rheumatology ices the cake. In our professional society we know what the key facts and features are for the rheumatology readership:
- ACR Convergence—✔
- Workshops/abstracts at ACR Convergence—✔
- Committees and work for the ACR/ARP—✔
- Friendships and collaborations—✔
- Advancing science and patient care—✔
- Supporting the next generation of ACR/ARP members—✔✔
The letters I have written are my stand-in for the real person in determining an individual’s future. It feels grand to be part of someone’s journey toward greatness (or even greater-ness). It is incredible to see the blossoming of a career or the well-deserved award of distinction as an outcome of writing a letter that describes the depth and truth of a lived experience with another human being on their journey.
