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Why You Should Follow the Waiter Rule at Work
It can reveal a candidate’s personality and their fit for the job
Some years ago, I was a budding PhD scientist in Chemistry trying to make it into the big leagues of academia. I never did make it but that’s another story. Anyway, what I needed most at that time was a recommendation letter. Whether you are applying for a research grant, a travel award, or some other academic benefit, the recommendation letter is an important footnote in the life of a young scientist. In my case, the letter would also carry more weight if it was written by a professor of the highest rank and order.
With this in mind, I pitched for recommendations and ended up contacting professors of all ranks and titles from Ivy League schools to professors at third tier universities. I received a bag of mixed responses from outright rejections to zero replies. Luckily, there were a few positive responses. I remember one in particular because it was from Sir Harold Kroto.
Sir Harold Kroto was a British chemist, winner of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. As a scientist and professor, he would be considered the cream of the crop in the academic hierarchy. Thus, his email response to me was a shock because it was so unexpected, warm, friendly, and supportive. I ended up…
