Who to Ask for Recommendations

Required Recommenders

In most systems you must include your advisors and any postdoc hosts. If someone has passed away or is otherwise impossible to contact, check with the institution about acceptable alternatives.

Avoid Hesitant Writers

A lukewarm letter is worse than none. If someone is not enthusiastic, thank them and find someone else. This is a place where “maybe” really means “no.”

Don’t Suggest External Recommenders When the University Will Solicit Them

Some institutions seek external letters from people you did not nominate to check seniority and independence. If that is the case, don’t propose someone who barely knows you; doing so “uses up” a person the institution might have chosen themselves and pushes them toward someone even more distant.