Little help needed guys!

[funnyworld]

Hi guys,

I have previously worked in 3 different labs and I am not comfortable with choosing any of my supervisors as my referees. But I have heard that at least one of the referees has to be an employer or supervisor - is this true? Enlighten me! And i am thinking of asking one of the post docs in my last lab to be a referee instead of the supervisor - is this recommended? Thanks!!

[LostLamb]

The rule of thumb is one academic, one employment, one character/volunteer reference. Sure, there are deviations from that depending on your experiences. I had one academic/employer reference and two character/volunteer references.

 

What is the reason for not asking any of the supervisors for a reference?

 

If you list employment in three labs and do not get at least one of the supervisors as a reference, it would set alarm bells off for me when assessing the application. However, if you have a very lengthy employment history, perhaps the omission would be missed...

 

It really depends on the situation. A post-doc is OK but if s/he was not your direct supervisor then I do not think their letter would carry as much weight as that of the actual supervisor.

 

JMHO....but who knows, I don't assess applications yet

[funnyworld]

Thnx LostLamb! I hesitate to contact my first 2 employers b/c they don't know me that well and it was research for just one summer. I am considering the other P.I but the post-doc in the same lab would give me a more strong and elaborate reference. The P.I didn't actually supervise me - I spent more time with the post-doc. The problem is - does the position of the referee matter more than the content of the reference?