PI wants me to draft a letter

[deleted647690]

So I'm applying for a new job in consulting, and I wanted a LOR from my boss, and she wants a rough draft that hits on my strengths with regards to a career in science.

I'm not sure how to approach this. I expected her to be able to write me a letter. Does anyone have examples of letters they'd be willing to share?

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[625233]

Just transcribe one of Donald Trump's speeches, and give it to him. "I'm the best, the greatest..."


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[Lucca]

I had to do this once. It's really weird and I don't like it. I basically just wrote a skeleton and left blanks for adjectives for the PI to choose.

 

[deleted647690]

any more tips for how best to write this?

 

[Shirafune]

Make a strengths and weaknesses list with supporting anecdotes. Pick ones you feel show your best characteristics and/or go well together in terms of a career in science.

Variations can include how you are the best at XYZ, inquisitive enough to point ABC points of the data which led to some interesting future experiments, what an initial weakness was and how you overcame that, etc.

 

[deleted647690]

Make a strengths and weaknesses list with supporting anecdotes. Pick ones you feel show your best characteristics and/or go well together in terms of a career in science.

Variations can include how you are the best at XYZ, inquisitive enough to point ABC points of the data which led to some interesting future experiments, what an initial weakness was and how you overcame that, etc.

Thanks!

 

[aldol16]

If you can't write a letter about yourself, how do you expect someone else to write one about you? Examine your strengths and pick one or two that you want to emphasize in the letter. You might plan strategically - for example, if you know that one of your other recommenders will write about how great you are in the classroom and how hard-working you are, then you might want to choose another one or two of your qualities to emphasize in this particular letter. Once you have those qualities in hand, then focus your letter on those and draw on your experiences in the PI's lab to write it. For instance, if you want to emphasize how you're an independent thinker, include an anecdote about a time when you independently suggested something to the PI.

 

[DoctorCakes]

Do you really expect a PI to write a better LOR than you can? This is a great opportunity, take it.

https://www.aamc.org/download/349990/data/lettersguidelinesbrochure.pdf

 

[deleted647690]

Thank you guys

 

[mistafab]

It is completely normal and acceptable for you to be the one to do the first draft.

Start with "I've had the pleasure of getting to know [person x]. I feel that I can without reservation recommend them for XYZ" Then make 1 or 2 sentence paragraphs (maybe 2 or 3) about how you know [you] and why you like [you]. Wrap up and restate your recommendation. Keep it under half a page single spaced. The letter writer will edit as necessary. Make sure you highlight reasons why you are good and give specific examples of each time you performed exceedingly well. This will jog the PI's memory and help them write nice things about you when they edit it into their own words.

Cheers and all the best.


EDIT: I highly suggest you look at this website and understand what AMCAS is looking for when coming up with the first draft: https://www.aamc.org/initiatives/admissionsinitiative/letters/

So I'm applying for a research position, and I wanted a LOR from my PI who I worked for previously, and he wants a rough draft that hits on my strengths with regards to a career in science.

I'm not sure how to approach this. I expected him to be able to write me a letter. Does anyone have examples of letters they'd be willing to share?

I'm assuming he may just reuse this letter when I apply to med school.

 

[deleted647690]

Thanks!

 

[carrots28]

I would say write out a couple qualities you want to emphasize: like adaptable, creative, compassionate, etc. Then cite a specific time when you showed that quality in your work.