Writing for the Academic Job Market

1. UNT Writing Center WorkshopDocuments for the Academic Job MarketJob Letters ∙ Teaching Philosophy Statements

2. Common job market documents include: Job letter C.V. Research statement Teaching philosophy statement Writing sample Teaching portfolio or other evidence of your teaching, such as sample syllabi, sample assignments, and student evaluations Diversity statement 3-5 letters of recommendation, one from your advisor and others from academics who can speak to your work Writing for the Academic Job Market

3. These documents take a tremendous amount of time to prepare and polish. Here is a sample timeline to apply for jobs that are posted in the fall (for employment the following academic year): March – May – talk to your advisor and other committee members about your job search and ask for letters of recommendation. Look for postings in your field from last year to see what types of documents were requested. April – June – draft a teaching philosophy statement, a template job letter (possibly two – one for teaching jobs and one for research jobs), and update your CV. June – August – try to catch your advisor and other committee members to review your documents, ideally more than once, and revise, revise, revise. September – November – jobs are posted. Apply! You will need to tailor your letter for each job you apply for, and you may need to write additional documents that are unique to a particular job posting. Preparing to Apply

4. Be as concise as possible. You typically get one to two pages for a teaching philosophy and two pages for the job letter, and you want to convey as much as you can about your work. • Search committees have a great deal to read. Many academic postings receive hundreds of applicants. Do not anger the committee by going over page limits (stated or conventional), or by not proofreading all of your documents carefully. Follow the application instructions carefully. • Avoid humor – err on the side of formal and academic in tone, even if it means being a bit dry. No emojis!  • Do not skip the step of having your advisor and others in your field look at your job documents. These are highly specialized documents; find out what the conventions are for job documents in your field. • Remember that general advice about applying for jobs often does not apply to academic posts. For example, the job letter (aka cover letter) is two pages long, the CV is definitely not limited to one page. For All Job Market Documents

5. The job letter is probably the most crucial part of your application on the academic job market. Almost all jobs ask for a cover letter and a CV in the initial round. This letter can take two basic forms: one for teaching-focused positions, and one for research-focused positions. Depending on your search, you may want to create templates for particular types of research positions or particular types of teaching. Research, teaching, and service are the three main areas of an academic career.  Even though you may have a letter that focuses on a particular area over another, in most cases, you will want to touch on all three areas in your letter.  Schools are generally excited about candidates who are well-rounded and who make connections between the different facets of academic life.   Unless otherwise specified, the letter should be no more than 2 pages, including letterhead, address, and signature, in a readable (12 pt.) font. The Academic Job Letter

6. These letters are meant to be read quickly or skimmed. They are highly formulaic and they have topic sentences that clearly identify what the body paragraphs are about (teaching, research, service). • Introductions and conclusions are brief, transitions are not essential, but it is helpful to make connections between the aspects of your academic life. • Try not to sound like a graduate student if you are still finishing your degree. You are the best authority on your own research. Always emphasize your autonomy in teaching and service whenever possible. • Use the department letterhead if you are still enrolled as a student when applying, otherwise you should use the letterhead of the school where you work. Tips for Writing the Job Letter

7. Be specific, selectively. Consider which details are important to include, and which are not. • Highlight academic accomplishments, i.e., publications, awards, and fellowships. • Use numbers to illustrate your work - taught for X semesters, supervised 30 students, etc. • Do your research and tailor each letter beyond changing the name of the school and the address. Is the institution large or small? Elite or does it have a high acceptance rate? Is it primarily a liberal-arts institution or a STEM institution? You can tailor your template to signal that you are a good fit, at least to a point. • Your audience wants to know that you are a future colleague who can get tenure (if applicable), work with a diverse student population, balance the demands of that particular type of school, take initiative in the department, and teach a decent variety of courses.   Tips for Writing the Job Letter

8. Read the provided samples. In small groups or pairs, discuss: • How are the letters organized? • What do you find to be successful about the letters? • What is less successful? • What else did you notice? What questions do you have about what the writers chose to include, or not include in their letters? Sample Job Letters

9. The purpose of a Teaching Philosophy Statement is to show your audience that you are a thoughtful and capable teacher. • The name “Teaching Philosophy” is a bit misleading, in that you do want to demonstrate your values, but you also want to discuss concrete teaching strategies and outcomes whenever possible. • A good formula for a teaching philosophy might be to identify three core values that describe your teaching. For each value, describe what this looks like in your teaching, give a specific example of how you have implemented it, and explain what the outcome was for your students. It’s also important to tie the values together into a picture of who you are as a teacher. • It’s also good to discuss how you incorporate pedagogical theories (by name or implicitly), pedagogical trends, technological advances, and the needs of a diverse student population. Tips for Writing a Teaching Philosophy Statement

10. Avoid clichés and overused terms, such as “student-centered classroom” (what classroom isn’t student-centered?). • Give specific examples of activities and assignments, what the goals of those assignments were, and what the students learned. • Your audience (future faculty colleagues) are thinking about: • Does this teacher sound engaging? Would our students want to be in this candidate’s class? • Does the pedagogical approach seem sound? Can we be confident that the teacher’s approach described here is successful? • Is the teaching described a good fit for our department, the students we typically teach, and the courses (and course sizes) we offer? • Can this candidate offer something new in terms of topics and approaches to our teaching as a department? Tips for Writing a Teaching PhilosophyStatement

11. Read the provided samples. In small groups or pairs, discuss: • What impression do you have of each candidate as a teacher? • What is working well in each of the statements? • What is working not as well? • What else did you notice? What questions do you have about what the writers chose to include, or not include in their teaching philosophy statements? Sample Teaching Philosophy Statements

12. All Job Documents Book: The Professor Is In: The Essential Guide for Turning Your Ph.D into a Job by Karen Kelsky (Kelsky also has a website, http://theprofessorisin.com, which has a helpful blog on application materials, interviews, and negotiating offers.) Job Letters “That Crucial First Impression,” by Rob Jenkins, in The Chronicle of Higher Education, https://www.chronicle.com/article/That-Crucial-First-Impression/124876 Teaching Philosophy Statements • “How to Write a Statement of Teaching Philosophy” by Gabriella Montell, in The Chronicle of Higher Education https://www.chronicle.com/article/How-to-Write-a-Statement-of/45133 • “Teaching Statements,” The Center for Teaching, Vanderbilt University https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/teaching-statements/ Additional Resources