Tips for Writing Effective Faculty Job Application Letters

1. Tips for Writing Effective Faculty Job Application Letters Dr. Morris Grubbs Assistant Dean, The Graduate School 5 February 2013

2. Who’s Your Guide? • Ph.D. in English from U.K. • Fields of Interest: The short story as an international genre; literature of the American South; Preparing Future Faculty • Books: Home and Beyond: An Anthology of Kentucky Short Stories (UP of Kentucky, 2001) and Conversations with Wendell Berry (UP of Mississippi, 2007) • TA at W.K.U. (1988-90) and U.K. (1990-1995) • Assistant Professor at Lindsey Wilson College (1997-2004) • Associate Professor at Lindsey Wilson College (2004-2007) • Director of Graduate Student Professional Development at U.K. (2007-present) • Assistant Dean, The UK Graduate School (2010-present)

3. Four Golden Rules Show how your background, skills, and interests match the specifics of the job. Describe some results of your skills to demonstrate that you will succeed at the specific functions of the job. Know your audience and tailor your content and language for audience appeal.

4. Use specific descriptions and concrete language [The following example from the Career Center at San Jose State University.] General claims like “I am an experienced manager” are much less persuasive and memorable than statements like, “In my last job, I managed a team of six people for three years.” “I produced a newsletter at my last job,” is ok, but less impressive than “At my last job, I produced 12 issues of a 6-page monthly newsletter on downtown revitalization projects that was distributed to 300 business owners.”

5. Faculty Jobs

6. Institutional Types • Research university • Regional comprehensive master’s university (e.g., EKU, WKU, NKU, Morehead Univ.) • Private (non-public) 4-year liberal arts college/university (e.g., Centre College, Transylvania University) • Associate’s college/two-year community college (e.g, Bluegrass Community & Technical College)

7. Making the case • Also called the “cover letter” or “letter of interest” • Best to think of it as an argument or persuasive essay (i.e., a thesis supported by reasons and evidence) • Should not exceed two pages • Should be carefully customized to match the job description, the institutional type, the character of the specific institution, and/or the character of the department.

8. Readers read application letters for three reasons: • To get a quick sense of your case for how your qualifications match the position (i.e., they read it as a preface or foreword to your C.V.); • To get a sense of you as a person (Are you someone who pays attention to minute details, such as those in a job announcement? Are you inviting and open to new ideas, or are you closed and overly self-assured?) • To get a sense of your writing (how well do you organize your thoughts, manage tone, signal the difference between main ideas and subordinate points, etc.)

9. Tips for Writing Effective Letters of Application • Tailor your letter very carefully and specifically to the position as described in the job announcement • Avoid sending out generic cover letters. Search committees can quickly spot these, putting your application in immediate jeopardy.

10. “Most job ads include a reference to the employment page of the university's Web site, where applicants can find additional details about the position. It was clear from the cover letters we received, however, that many applicants didn't find their way to our Web site information. They simply saw the posting somewhere and quickly clicked off a generic letter and résumé.” – Gary DeCoker (CHE 2012)

11. “The best cover letters distilled our job description into four or five key criteria, and then described their experience and qualifications in relation to those criteria. Such letters, many of them more than a page long, showed the kind of analytical thinking and good writing that are a foundation for success in higher-education administration.” – Gary DeCoker (CHE 2012)

12. CONTENT Keep your audience always in mind. • For a position at a research university, tailor your letter to the character of the department. • For a position at a small liberal arts college or university, tailor your letter to the character of the institution. • Use your research skills to research the place and its people, the mission and the culture.

13. “Keep in mind that a search committee may have to read hundreds of cover letters. Yours should show that you understand the position and institution to which you are applying, and that you want the job.” --Julie Miller Vick (CHE, 2006)

14. Transylvania University’s Mission Statement Through an engagement with the liberal arts, Transylvania University prepares its students for a humane and fulfilling personal and public life by cultivating independent thinking, open-mindedness, creative expression, and commitment to lifelong learning and social responsibility in a diverse world. 

15. Centre College’s Mission Statement Centre College is a small, independent, and selective educational community dedicated to study in the liberal arts as a means to develop the intellectual, personal, and moral potential of its students. Centre nurtures in its students the ability to think logically and critically, to work creatively, to analyze and compare values, and to write and speak with clarity and grace. It acquaints students with the range of accomplishments of the human mind and spirit in a variety of arts and theoretical disciplines. It enables students to choose and fulfill significant responsibilities in society. In short, Centre’s highest priority is to prepare its students for lives of learning, leadership, and service.

16. Look at institutional and departmental strategic plans, if available For example: UK Plant Pathology

17. “Try as hard as you can to make your letter interesting. Usually, you can do this best by being specific. Notice the difference between, ‘I use a variety of media in my teaching’ and ‘the course culminated in a final project in which students collaborated in producing a Hamlet Web site including links to critical documents, their own final papers, and a virtual tour of the castle.’” --Mary Morris Heiberger (CHE, 2000)

18. Avoid rehashing your C.V. in your letter. Okay to highlight accomplishments matching the nature of the position, but leave the details to the C.V.

19. “I always tell job seekers that I think of the CV as the document that shows who you are up to the present, but the letter is your opportunity to put yourself into the future and demonstrate why you are a great fit for the position at hand.” --Julie Miller Vick (CHE, 2006)

20. Beware of jargon! Your readers will appreciate directness and concision. Avoid discipline-specific jargon and theoretical language, as your readers may be from varied disciplines.

21. “Jargon doesn’t make you sound smart, and it can have the opposite effect of making you seem inaccessible and unaware of how you are perceived by others, the last thing one would choose in a teacher or a colleague.” --Claire Potter (CHE 2008)

22. STRUCTURE Foreground and background your experiences and inclinations to suit the type of institution. • When applying to a position that emphasizes research, focus first on your research, second on your teaching. • When applying to an institution that emphasizes teaching, focus first on your teaching, second on your research. • The same advice applies to the curriculum vitae, which should also be tailored to the type of institution.

23. From the CAPS handout, The University of Chicago: TEACHING PARAGRAPH(S): Depending upon where you are applying and what field you are in, write a substantive paragraph about your teaching experience. If the institution is also requesting a teaching philosophy, you still want to reflect your teaching experience and strengths here but you do not need to go into as much detail. Describe how you teach and what you have taught; give specific examples from your classroom experience to illustrate more general points. If you have limited experience, illustrate what you would teach and how, describing specific texts and/or techniques whenever possible. Indicate your willingness or desire to teach the level of students appropriate to the institution to which you are applying (i.e., at a major research institution, both undergraduate and graduate students, while at a liberal arts college, only undergraduates). Try to make connections between your research and your teaching interests; from the perspective of the search committee, it is impressive when someone has considered (even in a preliminary way) the nature of the connection between the two major strands of academic life in his or her field. If you have interest in or experience with new pedagogies or technologies in the classroom, make sure you note it somewhere in your letter, C.V., or teaching philosophy.

24. From the CAPS handout, The University of Chicago: TEACHING PARAGRAPH(S): Depending upon where you are applying and what field you are in, write a substantive paragraph about your teaching experience. If the institution is also requesting a teaching philosophy, you still want to reflect your teaching experience and strengths here but you do not need to go into as much detail. Describe how you teach and what you have taught; give specific examples from your classroom experience to illustrate more general points. If you have limited experience, illustrate what you would teach and how, describing specific texts and/or techniques whenever possible. Indicate your willingness or desire to teach the level of students appropriate to the institution to which you are applying (i.e., at a major research institution, both undergraduate and graduate students, while at a liberal arts college, only undergraduates). Try to make connections between your research and your teaching interests; from the perspective of the search committee, it is impressive when someone has considered (even in a preliminary way) the nature of the connection between the two major strands of academic life in his or her field. If you have interest in or experience with new pedagogies or technologies in the classroom, make sure you note it somewhere in your letter, C.V., or teaching philosophy.

25. From the CAPS handout, The University of Chicago: TEACHING PARAGRAPH(S): Depending upon where you are applying and what field you are in, write a substantive paragraph about your teaching experience. If the institution is also requesting a teaching philosophy, you still want to reflect your teaching experience and strengths here but you do not need to go into as much detail. Describe how you teach and what you have taught; give specific examples from your classroom experience to illustrate more general points. If you have limited experience, illustrate what you would teach and how, describing specific texts and/or techniques whenever possible. Indicate your willingness or desire to teach the level of students appropriate to the institution to which you are applying (i.e., at a major research institution, both undergraduate and graduate students, while at a liberal arts college, only undergraduates). Try to make connections between your research and your teaching interests; from the perspective of the search committee, it is impressive when someone has considered (even in a preliminary way) the nature of the connection between the two major strands of academic life in his or her field. If you have interest in or experience with new pedagogies or technologies in the classroom, make sure you note it somewhere in your letter, C.V., or teaching philosophy.

26. From the CAPS handout, The University of Chicago: TEACHING PARAGRAPH(S): Depending upon where you are applying and what field you are in, write a substantive paragraph about your teaching experience. If the institution is also requesting a teaching philosophy, you still want to reflect your teaching experience and strengths here but you do not need to go into as much detail. Describe how you teach and what you have taught; give specific examples from your classroom experience to illustrate more general points. If you have limited experience, illustrate what you would teach and how, describing specific texts and/or techniques whenever possible. Indicate your willingness or desire to teach the level of students appropriate to the institution to which you are applying (i.e., at a major research institution, both undergraduate and graduate students, while at a liberal arts college, only undergraduates). Try to make connections between your research and your teaching interests; from the perspective of the search committee, it is impressive when someone has considered (even in a preliminary way) the nature of the connection between the two major strands of academic life in his or her field. If you have interest in or experience with new pedagogies or technologies in the classroom, make sure you note it somewhere in your letter, C.V., or teaching philosophy.

27. From the CAPS handout, The University of Chicago: RESEARCH PARAGRAPH(S): Write a substantive paragraph about your research. As in the teaching paragraph, concentrate on specifics, but write in clear, crisp prose and avoid excessive jargon. Keep in mind that you are writing to a search committee and not necessarily a single specialist in your field. Depending upon the institution, this committee may include members from different departments as well as an academic dean. If you write to the specialist, you may alienate other members of the committee, including those with specialties in other fields within the discipline. Spark the interest of your readers by demonstrating your intellectual vigor and ability to write so that they will want to talk with you about your work during an interview. Lastly, when you describe your project, move away from language like “My dissertation explores the problem of industrial expansion in…” to language like “I argue that the industrial expansion is significant because...” or “My work contributes to the field by demonstrating that….” This language tells your readers that you are already thinking like a professional and have confidence in your ideas.

28. From the CAPS handout, The University of Chicago: RESEARCH PARAGRAPH(S): Write a substantive paragraph about your research. As in the teaching paragraph, concentrate on specifics, but write in clear, crisp prose and avoid excessive jargon. Keep in mind that you are writing to a search committee and not necessarily a single specialist in your field. Depending upon the institution, this committee may include members from different departments as well as an academic dean. If you write to the specialist, you may alienate other members of the committee, including those with specialties in other fields within the discipline. Spark the interest of your readers by demonstrating your intellectual vigor and ability to write so that they will want to talk with you about your work during an interview. Lastly, when you describe your project, move away from language like “My dissertation explores the problem of industrial expansion in…” to language like “I argue that the industrial expansion is significant because...” or “My work contributes to the field by demonstrating that….” This language tells your readers that you are already thinking like a professional and have confidence in your ideas.

29. From the CAPS handout, The University of Chicago: RESEARCH PARAGRAPH(S): Write a substantive paragraph about your research. As in the teaching paragraph, concentrate on specifics, but write in clear, crisp prose and avoid excessive jargon. Keep in mind that you are writing to a search committee and not necessarily a single specialist in your field. Depending upon the institution, this committee may include members from different departments as well as an academic dean. If you write to the specialist, you may alienate other members of the committee, including those with specialties in other fields within the discipline. Spark the interest of your readers by demonstrating your intellectual vigor and ability to write so that they will want to talk with you about your work during an interview. Lastly, when you describe your project, move away from language like “My dissertation explores the problem of industrial expansion in…” to language like “I argue that the industrial expansion is significant because...” or “My work contributes to the field by demonstrating that….” This language tells your readers that you are already thinking like a professional and have confidence in your ideas.

30. From the CAPS handout, The University of Chicago: CLOSING PARAGRAPH(S): You should add a brief paragraph to the end of your letter if you have significant honors, such as a national dissertation fellowship, or if you want to indicate when you will be done with your dissertation. You may also describe significant committee work, or community service, if applicable to your experience and to the position for which you are applying. The standard application letter usually ends with a reminder that your C.V. is enclosed and that your dossier is available upon request, and indicates whether or not you will be attending the upcoming professional meeting. If you will be out of town during key periods of the job search, you may also indicate alternative dates and phone numbers where you can be reached.

31. From the CAPS handout, The University of Chicago: CLOSING PARAGRAPH(S): You should add a brief paragraph to the end of your letter if you have significant honors, such as a national dissertation fellowship, or if you want to indicate when you will be done with your dissertation. You may also describe significant committee work, or community service, if applicable to your experience and to the position for which you are applying. The standard application letter usually ends with a reminder that your C.V. is enclosed and that your dossier is available upon request, and indicates whether or not you will be attending the upcoming professional meeting. If you will be out of town during key periods of the job search, you may also indicate alternative dates and phone numbers where you can be reached.

32. More tips . . . • Use paragraphing effectively; that is, use paragraphs as units of thought. The convention of announcing the paragraph’s topic in the first sentence or two will be appreciated (and noticed) by most readers. • Limit the use of the pronoun “I,” especially at the beginnings of consecutive sentences.

33. Proofread, Proofread, Proofread Dont underestimat they impotance of editing and proofing Make sure you have spelled the recipient’s name correctly, you have referred to the institution and department accurately, you have avoided gendered language, etc. Overburdened search committee members may be looking for reasons to eliminate your application; don’t give them an easy reason.

34. “How you write, as well as what you say, will be scrutinized carefully. Use simple, direct language and no unnecessary words or sentences. If you are an international scholar and English is not your first language, have a native speaker read your draft to ensure that the diction sounds natural.” --Julie Miller Vick and Jennifer S. Furlong (2008)

35. Advice on writing application letters “The Basics of Cover Letter Writing” by Richard Reis. Chronicle of Higher Education, 3 March 2000.http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2000/03/2000030302c.htm “How to Write Appealing Cover Letters” by Mary Morris Heiberger and Julie Miller Vick. Chronicle of Higher Education, 21 April 2000. http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2000/04/2000042101c.htm Also: http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/weinstein.agrawal/urbp213assignment_jobletter_Tips.pdf http://serc.carleton.edu/files/NAGTWorkshops/careerprep/jobsearch/vita_handout.pdf