post–grad:(job materials masterpost + disclaimer)the basics.use letterhead from your depa
post–grad:(job materials masterpost + disclaimer)the basics.use letterhead from your department. it really is a letter. it should be formatted like a letter. if the chair of the search committee is named in the job ad, address it to her + the committee.some committees will specify length; most will not. unless they explicitly give you the option for a longer one, your cover letter should never be more than 2 pages, single spaced.format.first paragraph: short, states the position for which you’re applying, introduces you as a scholar (“i am a literary scholar whose work focuses on… ”), and gives information about what stage you’re at (“i plan to defend my dissertation in may 2020″) middle i: overview of your research. this should include information likethe existing gap in your field the period + texts you work withwhat incredible things your research has revealed, & how it serves to fill that gap and make important interventionsextant & planned outputs–publications, planned publications, etc.you might also (BRIEFLY) mention a second project–don’t get too into this. if you make it to an interview or campus visit, you’ll have time to elaborate on it.middle ii: teachingbe aware of what classes you’ll be expected to teach. if i’m applying to a liberal arts school with a 5:1 faculty ratio, i will not bother mentioning my experience teaching lectures of 200+ studentsif the university doesn’t have a special collections department, i won’t get into the way i use medieval manuscripts to teach textual materialityend: tailoring. planned contributions to this particular department, program, and/or universitythis is where the extra research comes in–do some sleuthing and find a way to demonstrate that you’ve done your due diligence and understand what you could contribute to the position.don’t forget to include contact information (an email address and maybe a phone number)IMPORTANT: if you’re applying to a teaching school, weight your letter more heavily towards teaching. if it’s an R1 or similar institution, keep the teaching stuff to one paragraph, max, and emphasize your research output.style.be specific, and be concrete. that means providing details like: the press to which you anticipate sending your book proposal! authors you’d teach in a survey course! texts you examine in your dissertation! lesson plans or activities that exemplify your teaching style! etc. these are pieces of evidence that will support your argument about being the perfect fit for the job. if you say your teaching is writing-focused, for example, make sure you back that claim up.keep your sentences short and avoid lists, where possible. they can get hypnotic. search committees are reading a gazillion letters; don’t make them work harder than they need to. don’t be afraid to repeat information from the rest of your materials. the cover letter is meant to sum up who you are as a candidate, and what you can offer–the more you reinforce your main selling points, the more memorable those points will be.don’t undersell yourself or your work. this is not the place for modesty or humility. you want to be factual and honest, but take yourself seriously so they will too. that means treating yourself like a researcher, not a grad student, and keeping the letter 100% focused on you–unless you’ve coauthored something, you should probably be the only scholar whose name appears in the document. …but you can get other people to help you sell it. external validation… so helpful. when i say i’m a good teacher, i have a campus-wide TA award and quotes from student evals i can drop into the conversation to prove i’m not the only one who thinks so. when i say my research is valuable, i have a list of fellowship- and award-granting institutions who agree with me. don’t leave these just hanging out in the CV; find ways to fit them into the narrative you’re crafting in the cover letter. -- source link
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