Dr. William:

I want to apply for EB1-Extraordinary Ability by myself, and I am in the process to ask employer/advisor to write the reference letters for me. Are there certain words or types of "language" which are useful or harmful for these reference letters? 

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Answer:

Yes. USCIS examiners are gradually getting better at understanding the basic issues in the most common fields, i.e. scientific researchers, engineering, and physicians, but they still like to see a referrer say that the applicant is extraordinary, at the top of the field, on the cutting edge, pioneering, etc. Remember that this entire application is about setting yourself apart from others. 

At the same time, some referrer go into too much detail about the applicant's personal or social attributes. It is fine to say that the applicant is honest, dedicated, and pleasant, but when this drags into multiple paragraphs, it gets in the way off the reference letter's main purpose. When a person applies for a job, the employer wants to know if the person will be a pleasant coworker, so more personal comments are warranted. However, with the EB1-Extraordinary Ability application, the USCIS examiner only wants to know how the applicant compares to others in the field.