In a symposium titled “Leveling the playing field: How entomologists can work to reduce bias and create safe workspaces” at the Joint Annual Meeting of the Entomological Societies of America, Canada, and British Columbia in Vancouver in November 2018, one presentation discussed the unconscious influence that words used to describe a candidate in a letter of recommendation can have on decisions of hiring committees and judging panels. (Photo courtesy of Hannah Penn, Ph.D.)