Hi,
I have a question about academic job applications.
Is it a pretty universal rule that your recommendation letter writers should be senior to you in academic rank? Obviously this is true for people applying out of their PhDs and Post-Docs, but is it also true of tenured but-not-full professors? What are the general rules of thumb here?
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@pjw @academicchatter This is what I have been told as well. I have also wondered about your question, especially as the service load shifts and mentoring becomes more important and central. Wouldn't it make more sense to have at least 1 junior person write a letter?
@ZingerLearns @pjw @academicchatter
I think seniority is just a proxy for credibility. The reason we look for more senior referees is because they’re more likely to have seen lots of others at a given career stage, so can give a useful perspective. But a peer referee could establish such credibility by making the comparison set explicit in their letter. Also, a letter from someone who has a strong reputation in their field trumps a letter from someone who’s just been around a long time.