Bad news, ladies: being described as “caring,” “sensitive,” “kind” or “nurturing” in a recommendation letter can work against you. According to research published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, of 624 letters of recommendation submitted on behalf of 194 applicants for eight positions at a university, women are more likely to be described with stereotypically “feminine” adjectives by both male and female letter writers and they are less likely to get offered the job if tainted with these “feminine” descriptions. Researchers took the letters, removed identifying, gendered information, and controlled for things like papers published and honors received. The search committee rated the letters in which the subject was described as “feminine” the lowest for both men and women, but women’s letters of recommendation letters are where these descriptors were most likely to appear. What are some of the words more likely used to describe men? “Confident,” “aggressive,” “ambitious,” “independent,” and “daring.” According to Inside Higher Ed, scholars who analyzed the research said there are “clear patterns” of word choice in recommendation letters. Keep reading »
