Reference letter with mistakes - How will you deal with that? (Feb/11/2009 )
This happened to me twice. Although it doesn't affect my application to position, it makes me fell very uncomfortable. Once it was my PhD supervisor, he even made a mistake on the year that I entered into his group. It should be 2002 but he put 2000 there! Then, he said I spent 2 years in his group, which acturally it should be 3 years, and then he said I had 5 publications in his group, which should be 10. I could not believe he could make such kind of mistakes! I know he is always too busy, I know I have left the group for 3 years. I aksed him to directly sent the letter to the corrspondent person. The corrspondent person didn't say anything about it. And I found this letter because the corrspondent person sent another email to me and the letter was still attached there. I believe my PhD supervisor because he was very nice to me! So, I tried to think that he was too busy to think about my things carefully in stead of intendence. But I was unhappy and sad at that time, very!
Today, it happened again. But this time, I believe it is a nonintendent mistake. It was from my exboss. One of my paper has been accepted by Physical Review Letter but he said it was still under review. He BCC the reference letter to me and he put many good words there except this minor mistake. Every time, he BCC reference letter for me and there is always many good word. He is very nice.
The problem is that I don't know if I should tell them these problems or not? and how? Do you think this will make them unhappy?Aukward?
Did you meet the same problem? How did you deal with that?
I usually summarise the main points for them (like publications, dates etc.) as PI are always too busy to remember this kind of stuff. But never include anything besides the core facts there!!!!!
you have to remember that a big event to you like having a paper published is a minor event that probably happens every week to your supervisor. therefore email your ex supervisor say you got sent the attachment and you wanted to update your record with him/her regarding times, publications etc.
as for your ex-boss, just beacuse you know your latest paper was published doesnt mean your boss does, so email him/her to to keep him up to date with publications
cotchy on Feb 11 2009, 04:48 AM said:
as for your ex-boss, just beacuse you know your latest paper was published doesnt mean your boss does, so email him/her to to keep him up to date with publications
Yes, that is right. I should tell my exsupervisor the updated publications. But for my exboss, he told me that the paper has been accepted. So, one reason is that they are really too busy to remember these things. I can imagine that.
OK, next time,I will send them my updated CV with the requirement of a reference letter. It should be easier for them.
Being a PI is not easy...