Explore Academia
Are you preparing to apply to academic jobs with your PhD? You may find it useful to know the key steps to creating job application materials, delivering engaging stories in academic interviews, and navigating the complex job market within the academy.
This page offers information to supplement the technical and specific support given by departments. Use it to guide your strategies for success.
Draft a Cover Letter
Overview
The best cover letters bring your CV to life, inform the reader on you are and the importance of your work, and pique their desire to know more about you. You also need to address where your research is going and how it fits in to your larger academic plan.
A well-crafted cover letter contains an introduction, one to two teaching or research paragraphs (depending on the focus of where you are applying), and a service paragraph. You need a succinct description of your research and the meaningful contributions it makes to the field of study. Your cover letter must describe why you would be a good fit for the position. You do this by showing how you stand out (you did this before to get into your graduate school program) and what you would bring that fits what they need (coursework, your publication goals, your commitment to the field). Above all, proofread your work! You can meet with the Graduate Division’s writing specialist or a career specialist to review your document if needed.
Content
Header
The cover letter needs to be concise and well-organized with only one page of text on departmental letterhead. Often, the best way to get the letterhead is to talk to your graduate program advisor, graduate faculty advisor, or the department head. The more succinct, the better (think of your over-worked search committee audience who is likely reading hundreds of cover letters). After the header, write the date, the address of the institution (addressed to Committee chair) and “Dear Committee Chair (include name if known) and the Search Committee.”
Paragraph 1: Introduction
For this paragraph state who you are and the position you are applying for. Next, state where you are in your degree program at UCSB, with your expected graduation date. Give a quick, yet specific overview of why you think you are a good fit for the job (what makes you stand out?). The clearer you are with specifics of why you are the best candidate, the better organized your paper will be.
Paragraph 2 and 3: Current and Broader Research
Be able to briefly describe your research in a way that describes the depth of what you do but in a way that is broadly understandable. Make sure to take the time to do this well. Often this paragraph describes your dissertation research. State how your research does or could impact the field and why it is important. Get feedback from your peers and advisors on the readability and importance of what you write. The goal of the broader research paragraph is to show the larger scope of what you intended to do as a researcher. Address your ideas for future research while keeping in mind the institution’s or department’s needs. Identify any areas for collaborations or new growth opportunities. If you are applying to teaching institutions, combine these two paragraphs and put a teaching paragraph below.
Paragraph 4: Service and/or Teaching
This paragraph describes your teaching style, your courses you taught, and your expertise with teaching. You can strengthen this paragraph by adding details of feedback you received from students or highlighting significant lectures, activities, or stories that showcase your skills. Additionally, you want to highlight any mentoring and/or service work that you did and how that impacted the type of scholar you are. As previously stated, if writing for a teaching-focused institution, put this paragraph before research.
Paragraph 5: Conclusion
Finish your letter on a positive note and a clear description of what you hope happens next (i.e., a meeting or interview). If you are going to a well-attended conference in your field, mention you will be there and are available to meet with them then. Let them know what is enclosed in the application and if there are any letters of recommendation that may be coming if not included in the packet you sent (you could mention your referees by name so they know).
General Tips
Know what is most valued by the institution and department you are applying to (e.g., research, teaching, interdisciplinarity, working with diverse students, quantitative vs. qualitative focus). Go through the website carefully, spending time doing your research. Read the job description carefully and use it as your guide for points you need to address. Consider additional qualities you may bring beyond those listed in the job ad. Include a clear statement of your research and teaching interests. Reference the job description so you know what gaps you may be able to fill for them.
Have a cohesive message and develop clear themes. The body of your letter should communicate what you can do for them and how you would be a good fit in the department. Your networking and extensive research on the department should pay off in this section as you address your expertise and how it fits into their needs. Include specific traits you bring and avoid generalities or vague statements. Do not discuss shortcomings unless you must. If you do, explain how other experiences, interests, or skills still make you a good fit. The level of detail and style depends on the department you apply to. For larger departments, you can generally be less detailed. However, if you would be entering a department with no one else doing what you do, more details on the significance of your work are probably warranted, and you will need to make your case more explicitly.
After reading hundreds of cover letters, committee members remark that reading an engaging letter can be appealing to the reader. However, it is important to remember that you should never sacrifice clarity for wit. Write an opening that clearly communicates why you are writing and addresses why the reader should care. Do not give too much detail or retell details of your career choices. It is not necessary to respond to every requirement listed in the job description.
This paragraph describes your teaching style, your courses you taught, and your expertise with teaching. You can strengthen this paragraph by adding details of feedback you received from students or highlighting significant lectures, activities, or stories that showcase your skills. Additionally, you want to highlight any mentoring and/or service work that you did and how that impacted the type of scholar you are. As previously stated, if writing for a teaching-focused institution, put this paragraph before research.
Do not copy and paste cover letters to institutions. Sure, you might have to cast a wide net because the competition for tenure-track positions. But if you really want a job, you need to take the time to personalize parts of your cover letter to fit the needs of the department. Don’t restate what is in your CV, Teaching Statement, or Research Statement. Let those documents do their jobs and allow the valuable space on the cover letter to highlight what is to come. You want to give the reader a heads up for what is in your other documents, but use a majority of this document to situate the work you do, its larger impact, and why you would be a good fit for the position.
We suggest elaborating on these elements in your cover letter if your qualifications diverge from those mentioned in the job advertisement; you are going from one type of institution to another (e.g., UCSB research to a smaller teaching institution); you need to show how your contributions to a mainstream area are important and could contribute; and/or you feel the need to address unusual career paths, time gaps, or other shortcomings that are obvious and you fear might eliminate you from consideration.
Examples
As you draft your academic cover letter, review these example documents for inspiration.
