Tips for Writing Effective Faculty Job Applications

1. Tips for Writing Effective Faculty Job Applications Dr. Morris Grubbs The Graduate School

2. Topics Covered • Principles of Effective Faculty Job Application Letters • Principles of Effective Teaching Statements • Principles of Effective Research Statements

3. Caveat The principles presented here are general principles. Some of them may be slightly at odds with discipline-specific conventions. Ask colleagues in your department for disciplinary guidelines, especially when it comes to writing a statement of research.

4. Know Thyselfand be True to Thyself Are you a researcher who can teach? Or are you a teacher who can research? Or are you both at a high level?

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

6. The Faculty Application Letter • Also called the cover letter • Best to think of it as an argument (i.e., assertions supported with reasons and evidence) -- a marketing essay • Should not exceed two pages • Should be carefully customized to match the institutional type, the character of the specific institution, and the character of the department.

7. Keep your audience at the center of your writing. • Tailor your letter very specifically to theinstitution and to the department. • Use your research skills to research the place and its people, the mission and the culture (insofar as this is possible from afar). • The letters that will stand out in the pile are the letters with a clear attention to the character of the place.

8. Foreground your experience suiting the type of institution. • When applying to an institution that emphasizes teaching, foreground (that is, place up front) your teaching experience, while backgrounding (or subordinating) your dissertation and research interests. • When applying for a position that emphasizes research, foreground your research experience and research potential. • The same advice applies to the curriculum vitae, which may also be tailored to the type of institution.

9. Include a separate Teaching Philosophy Statement or Research Statementonly if it is required in the job announcement. • Avoid rehashing your C.V. in your letter. Okay to draw attention to highlights, but let C.V. do its job. • Limit your letter to no more than two pages. Your readers will appreciate directness and concision, as well as language grounded in detail and examples. Avoid jargon and theoretical and abstract language.

10. Limit the use of the pronoun “I,” especially at the beginnings of sentences, to avoid giving the impression of self-absorption.. • Dont underestimat they impotance of editing and proofing (including making sure you have spelled the recipient’s name correctly, you have referred to the institution and department appropriately, you have avoided gender-biased language, etc.). Screening committees may be looking for reasons to eliminate your application; don’t give them an easy reason.

11. Online 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://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/639/01/ http://serc.carleton.edu/files/NAGTWorkshops/careerprep/jobsearch/vita_handout.pdf

12. The Teaching Philosophy Statement • Usually ranges from two to three pages (single space or space-and-a-half, but not double space) • Should be a mixture of your abstract beliefs about teaching and learning and some specific examples of how you enact your beliefs in the classroom. In other words, make general assertions and then back them up with some anecdotal evidence. • May address a set of implied questions

13. Prompts to Help You Prepare a Teaching Philosophy Statement • Why is teaching important to you? • How do you see yourself as a teacher? What is your role in the classroom? Would a metaphor be useful? • Why is your discipline important for students to understand and appreciate? • How do you think students learn best? • What are your learning goals for your students? • Do you have some overriding teaching goals or strategies? • How exactly will you accomplish what you state? Link assertions to concrete examples. • Is your philosophy statement reflective and personal, not superficial and generic? • What might set your teaching apart from your colleagues’ teaching? Do you apply a different emphasis or use a different set of strategies? • What is your plan for personal growth in your teaching profession?

14. Advice from Dr. Peter Fosl, professor of philosophy at Transylvania University (which he shared in my GS 650 course in fall 2007): TPS should feature . . . . • A sense of voice (dynamism, personality) • A learner-centered focus (an interest in the needs of students, rather than your own needs) • Evidence that you are not just interested in conveying a body of knowledge or doctrine, but, rather, that you want to cultivate an enduring appreciation for the value of the subject or discipline.

15. In short, give your reader . . . • a clear idea about you as a teacher? • a clear idea about what you believe about learning? About teaching? • examples of how you implement your philosophy? • Keep your reader in mind always as you write the letter: • Is the letter organized clearly into effective and discernable units? (See next slide) • Are transitions offered between units? • Will there be readers outside your discipline? Be aware of references, examples, and jargon. • What tone are you conveying? Confidence? Open-mindedness? A statement of your beliefs versus a set of absolute truths?

16. More general tips . . . • Write in first-person, but try not to overuse “I.” • 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. • Be mindful of the importance of your opening and your closing. Find a way to pull in your reader and to take the reader back out gracefully.

17. Readers will want to know that you value active learning (as opposed to the more passive learning gained through lecturing). Remember, though, that saying that you value and employ active-learning techniques is not enough: you must also provide examples of an instance or two when you have used such strategies effectively. • Work toward becoming a student of the scholarship of teaching in your discipline and let your reader know about these efforts. Let the reader know you know the importance of keeping up with new theories and innovations.

18. Online resources on writing TPSs • “How to Write a Statement of Teaching Philosophy,” by Gabriela Montell. Chronicle of Higher Education, 27 March 2003. http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2003/03/2003032702c.htm • “Writing a Teaching Philosophy Statement,” prepared by Lee Haugen, Center for Teaching Excellence, Iowa State University. http://www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching/philosophy.html • “Four Steps to a Memorable Teaching Philosophy,” by James Lang. Chronicle of Higher Education, 29 August 2010. http://chronicle.com/article/4-Steps-to-a-Memorable/124199/ Other Useful Links: http://ucat.osu.edu/teaching_portfolio/philosophy/philosophy2.html (for samples) http://www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tstpts.php http://www.crlt.umich.edu/publinks/CRLT_no23.pdf

19. Research Statements • Much more than a summary of your dissertation • Allows you to go beyond your dissertation to describe your broader research experiences and interests • Invites you to give your audience a look at where your research interests and passions may lead

20. Research Statements, cont. • Should be tailored to the specific institutional type, the specific institution, and the specific department, insofar as possible and appropriate • Should address the value of your research: What makes it innovative? How broad are its implications? To whom will it make a difference?

21. Research Statements, cont. • Should address how you will engage students in your research • May describe your ideas about sources of funding • May describe your ability to work on a research team • Should not be too detailed or even too revealing; give just enough information about your research to piqué the committee’s interest and leave them wanting to know more

22. Research Statements, cont • Imagine a general audience for your first paragraph or section; gradually introduce complexity in subsequent paragraphs. • Organize in a traditional way, with opening, body, and closing; use paragraphing effectively (moving from topic statement to explanation and support). • May organize chronologically or topically. • Use section headings if it helps with clarity. • Aim for no more than two pages, in single or 1.5 spacing.

23. Research Statements http://career.ucsf.edu/pff/assets/ResearchStatementHandout.pdf http://artsandsciences.virginia.edu/gradschoolcareer/academiccareers/applicationmaterials/trstatements.html#a3 http://careers.uw.edu/ifiles/all/files/docs/gradstudents/pdfs/AcademicCareers-Research_Statements_07-08.pdf