Technical writing (ENG 126) – Cover letter mEC
1. Cover Letters
Academic Cover Letters
When you're applying for a faculty position with a college or university, the cover letter is
your first chance to make a strong impression as a promising researcher and teacher. Below
you'll find some strategies for presenting your qualifications effectively in an academic
context.
Distinctions between Academic and Business Cover
Letters
A cover letter for an academic job has a function similar to one for a business job, but the
content differs significantly in quantity and kind. While the general advice for business cover
letters—such as tailoring your letter for the specific job and selling your strengths—still
applies, a cover letter for an academic position should be long enough to highlight in some
detail your accomplishments during your graduate education in research, teaching,
departmental service, and so on. The typical letter is thus usually one and a half to two
pages long, but not more than two—roughly five to eight paragraphs.
The First Paragraph
In the opening of your letter you need to convey some basic information, such as what
specific position you are applying for (using the title given in the job notice) and where you
learned of the opening. Since a cover letter is a kind of persuasive writing (persuading a
hiring committee to include you on a list of candidates for further review), the first
paragraph of your letter should also make the initial claim as to why you are a strong
candidate for the position.
Tailoring for Your Audience
In an academic context knowing your audience means reading the job notice carefully and
knowing the type of institution to which you are applying. Most graduate students have
studied a broad range of material within their discipline before specializing in a narrow field
for the dissertation project. Since it is rare to find a job notice specifying your exact
qualifications, you need to emphasize those aspects of your graduate training that seem
particularly relevant to the position advertised.
Dr. SaMeH
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Technical writing (ENG 126) – Cover letter mEC
 Job notice: If you've written a political science dissertation on populism in early
twentieth-century US national politics, you probably won't respond to a notice
seeking a specialist in international politics during the Cold War. But you may wish
to apply for a position teaching twentieth-century US political parties and
movements. In this case you would want to stress the relevance of your
dissertation to the broad context of twentieth-century US politics, even though the
study focuses narrowly on the pre-World War I period. You might also highlight
courses taken, presentations given, or other evidence of your expertise that
corresponds to the job notice.
 Type of institution: Often the job notice will provide a brief description of the
college or university, indicating such factors as size, ownership (public, private),
affiliation (religious, nonsectarian), geography (urban, suburban, rural), and so on.
These factors will influence the kind of information emphasized in your letter. For
example, for a job at a small liberal arts college that focuses on undergraduate
teaching, you would emphasize your teaching experience and pedagogical
philosophy early in the letter before mentioning your dissertation. On the other
hand, for a job at a large research university you would provide at least one
detailed paragraph describing your dissertation early in the letter, even indicating
your plans for future research, before mentioning your teaching and other
experience.
Other Advice
If you're still working on your dissertation, you should mention somewhere in the letter
when you expect to be awarded the Ph.D., even being as specific as to mention how many
chapters have been completed and accepted, how many are in draft version, and what your
schedule for completion is. Last-paragraph tips include the following:
 Mention your contact information, including a phone number where you can be
reached if you will be away during a holiday break.
 If you will be attending an upcoming major professional conference in your field,
such as the MLA convention for language and literature professionals, indicate that
you will be available for an interview there. Be sure to mention that you are
available for telephone or campus-visit interviews as well.
 If you have some special connection to the school, type of institution, or region, such
as having attended the school as an undergraduate or having grown up in the area,
you may wish to mention that information briefly at some point.
 Mention your willingness to forward upon request additional materials such as writing
samples, teaching evaluations, and letters of recommendation.
Dr. SaMeH
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Technical writing (ENG 126) – Cover letter mEC
Academic Cover Letter Sample
November 2, 1998
Dr. Naomi Sellers
Chair, English Search Committee
Box 58
Baxter College
Arcadia, WV 24803
Dear Dr. Sellers:
I am writing to apply for the position as assistant professor of English with an emphasis in rhetoric and
composition that you advertised in the October MLA Job Information List. I am a graduate student at
Prestigious University working on a dissertation under the direction of Professor Prominent Figure.
Currently revising the third of five chapters, I expect to complete all work for the Ph.D. by May of 1999. I
believe that my teaching and tutoring experience combined with my course work and research
background in rhetoric and composition theory make me a strong candidate for the position outlined in
your notice.
As my curriculum vitae shows, I have had excellent opportunities to teach a variety of writing courses
during my graduate studies, including developmental writing, first-year writing for both native speakers
and second language students, advanced writing, and business writing. I have also worked as a teaching
mentor for new graduate students, a position that involved instruction in methods of composition
teaching, development of course materials, and evaluation of new graduate instructors. Among the most
satisfying experiences for me as a teacher has been instructing students on an individual basis as a tutor in
our university Writing Lab. Even as a classroom instructor, I find that I always look forward to the
individual conferences that I hold with my students several times during the semester because I believe
this kind of one-on-one interaction to be essential to their development as writers.
My work in the composition classroom has provided me with the inspiration as well as a kind of
laboratory for my dissertation research. My project, The I Has It: Applications of Recent Models of
Subjectivity in Composition Theory, examines the shift since the 1960s from expressive models of
writing toward now-dominant postmodern conceptions of decentered subjectivity and self-construction
through writing. I argue that these more recent theoretical models, while promising, cannot have the
liberating effects that are claimed for them without a concomitant reconception of writing pedagogy and
the dynamics of the writing classroom. I relate critical readings of theoretical texts to my own
pedagogical experiments as a writing teacher, using narratives of classroom successes and failures as the
bases for critical reflection on postmodern composition theory. After developing my dissertation into a
book manuscript, I plan to continue my work in current composition theory through a critical examination
of the rhetoric of technological advancement in the computer-mediated writing classroom.
My interest in the computer classroom has grown out of recent experience teaching composition in that
environment. In these courses my students have used computers for writing and turning in notes and
essays, communicating with one another and with me, conducting library catalogue research and web
research, and creating websites. I have encouraged my students to think and write critically about their
Dr. SaMeH
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Technical writing (ENG 126) – Cover letter mEC
experiences with technology, both in my class and elsewhere, even as we have used technology to
facilitate our work in the course. Syllabi and other materials for my writing courses can be viewed at my
website: http://machine.prestigious.edu/~name. In all of my writing courses I encourage students to
become critical readers, thinkers, and writers; my goal is always not only to promote their intellectual
engagement with cultural texts of all kinds but also to help them become more discerning readers of and
forceful writers about the world around them.
I have included my curriculum vitae and would be happy to send you additional materials such as a
dossier of letters of reference, writing samples, teaching evaluations, and past and proposed course
syllabi. I will be available to meet with you for an interview at either the MLA or the CCCC convention,
or elsewhere at your convenience. I can be reached at my home phone number before December 19;
between then and the start of the MLA convention, you can reach me at (123) 456-7890. I thank you for
your consideration and look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely
First Lastname
Points to Remember
 Use the form of address and title of the contact person as they appear in the job
notice.
 Refer to the job title as it appears in the notice, and state where you learned of the
position.
 Mention your major professor by name, especially if he or she is well known in your
field. Also, mention your expected completion date.
 Make a claim for your candidacy that you will support in the body of the letter.
 For a position at a small undergraduate college, emphasize teaching experience and
philosophy early in the letter.
 Describe your dissertation and plans for future research. Emphasize links between
your teaching and research interests.
 Mention specific teaching experience that is relevant to the job notice or is otherwise
noteworthy.
 Refer to relevant materials available on the web.
 State your willingness to forward additional materials and to meet for an interview.
 Mention any temporary changes in contact information.
Note) Pay attention to the cover Letter Presentation in the Class.
Dr. SaMeH
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Technical writing (ENG 126) – Cover letter mEC
Cover Letters 1: Quick Tips
This resource was written by Angie Olson.
Last full revision by Angie Olson.
Last edited by Allen Brizee on August 5th 2009 at 3:23PM
Summary: This page provides a down-and-dirty guide to writing cover letters. Here you will
find brief answers and lists of what you should include in a cover letter, how to order and
format such a letter, and what to do before sending it out.
What Is a Cover Letter?
A cover letter introduces you and your resume to potential employers or organizations you
seek to join (non-profits, educational institutions, etc). It is the first document an employer
sees, so it is often the first impression you will make. Take advantage of this important first
impression and prepare the reader for your application, stating why you are writing, why
you are a good match for the job and the organization, and when you will contact him or
her.
Cover letters do more than introduce your resume, though. A cover letter's importance also
includes its ability to:
 Explain your experiences in a story-like format that works with the information
provided in your resume
 Allow you to go in-depth about important experiences/skills and relate them to job
requirements
 Show the employer that you are individualizing (tailoring) this job application
 Provide a sample of your written communication skills
The following resources are a compilation of tips and strategies to guide you throughout the
writing of your cover letter. Please refer to the sample cover letters for a picture of the
finished product.
Good luck writing!
Dr. SaMeH
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Technical writing (ENG 126) – Cover letter mEC
Cover Letters 2: Preparing to Write a Cover
Letter
This resource was written by Angie Olson.
Last full revision by Angie Olson.
Last edited by Allen Brizee on August 5th 2009 at 3:24PM
Summary: Before you start to write a cover letter, you should gather information about
yourself, the company, and the job. This page will help you learn what kind of information
to find, where to find it, and how and why to use that information to "sell yourself" in a
cover letter.

How can I learn what will impress
prospective employers?
In order to impress prospective employers when writing a cover letter, you must first know
what they are looking for in candidates. Learning more about the company itself—and what
they value—can help you do this. Here are some suggestions:




Read the job advertisement carefully
Research the corporate website, read and try to understand their mission statement
(sometimes an organization's mission may not be overtly stated)
Call "insiders" (people that work with the company)
Refer to your university's career center if you are at college
Dr. SaMeH
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Technical writing (ENG 126) – Cover letter mEC
Cover Letters 3: Writing Your Cover Letter
This resource was written by Angie Olson.
Last full revision by Angie Olson.
Last edited by Allen Brizee on August 5th 2009 at 3:25PM
Summary: "Writing Your Cover Letter" is a series of short documents that walks you
through the creation of a cover letter. Here you can see the information in the "Quick Tips
for Cover Letters" and "Preparing to Write a Cover Letter" pages put to use. This page
guides you through adapting your experiences to the content in your cover letter and its
different sections.

What do I include in my cover letter
heading?
The heading provides your contact information, the date you are writing, and the address of
the company to which you are applying.
For your contact information, you will want to include the following:
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

Your name
The address where you can be reached (if you live at college, will it be more accessible
to include the local address or your permanent address?)
Phone number
Fax number (if applicable)
E-mail address
Then, you will skip a line and write the full date (month, day, year). Follow this by skipping
a space and writing the contact information for the person to whom you are writing:



Name of the specific person
Title of that person (if available)
Address of the company
The reason you write your phone/fax number and email address is to make it easy for the
company to contact you. You do not need to put this information down for the company
itself.
Example:
Dr. SaMeH
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Technical writing (ENG 126) – Cover letter mEC
Craig M. Leroix
2987 W. Taylor Dr.
Portland, OR 45720
890-372-1262
cmleroix@anywhere.com
February 2, 2005
Amy Kincaid, Human Resource Director
Western Electric, Inc.
387 Collier Lane
Atlanta, Georgia 30051
Reference:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/639/01/
Dr. SaMeH
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