When Every Candidate is “the Best Student I Ever Had”: Improving Letters of Recommendation

Letters of recommendations serve a critical role in the hiring process, but both authoring and reviewing can be a daunting task for preceptors, hiring managers and residency program directors alike. For positions that receive a large number of applications, reviewing and evaluating each recommendation is challenging. Although writers want to display candidates in the best light, when the majority of applicants are rated as “exceeds” on almost every category,  determining who should be offered an interview remains challenging. How can preceptors give honest evaluations without hurting an applicant’s chances? The purpose of this knowledge-based activity is to discuss approaches to writing successful letters of recommendations/evaluations and assist pharmacist preceptors in the evaluation and recommendation process.