Professional reference as part of the review process?

[NWFreeheel11]

Yesterday, I had a professor from a school I applied for send me an email and ask me for the contact information for my manager at my last industry job. It wasn't a research job, but I worked at a company that creates a product that is very useful in a research setting. I have already submitted my three academic LOR and apparently my application is being reviewed at some level right now. 

 

Questions:

 

1) Is it strange for someone reviewing your application to ask for a professional letter of reference? I haven't heard of that before, but I guess it kind of makes sense because you are applying for a job in the department. 

 

Thoughts?

 

2) I am not sure if this prof is interested in me personally or assigned to review my application as part of the adcom. Does it make more sense that someone is doing their due diligence for their own sake? Or just for the sake of knowing if my work ethic would fit in the department?

 

Which do you think is more likely? 

Edited December 19, 2014 by NWFreeheel11

[fuzzylogician]

1) Is it strange for someone reviewing your application to ask for a professional letter of reference? I haven't heard of that before, but I guess it kind of makes sense because you are applying for a job in the department. 

 

Thoughts?

 

If you had this job for a long time, it would make sense that they would want to hear from someone who worked with you more recently, as opposed to professors whose opinions of you are more outdated. I don't think it's strange, though I don't think it's all that common for this to happen either. I would take it as a good sign -- if you were clearly not a good candidate, they wouldn't go to the trouble of checking up on you like this.

 

 

2) I am not sure if this prof is interested in me personally or assigned to review my application as part of the adcom. Does it make more sense that someone is doing their due diligence for their own sake? Or just for the sake of knowing if my work ethic would fit in the department?

 

Which do you think is more likely? 

 

Both options are possible, it's hard to tell. Is this professor a potential advisor? If not (and maybe either way), this professor is probably on the admissions committee and is doing this as part of their job as an adcom member. If it's someone who might become an advisor, they might also have a more personal interest in this. 

[NWFreeheel11]

I figured as much, but it was just surprising because I have never heard of this happening from a PhD adcom before.