Super-Size That Packet?

One of my mentors used to advise me to throw paper at problems. Her thinking was that a thick-enough dossier or report would result in success, nine times out of ten. I disagreed and have tried to avoid that practice, but I have to admit that over the years I’ve seen the truth of her advice played out in tenure cases, annual reports, accreditation studies, and other occasions for massive deforestation.

In faculty searches, the same philosophy seems to be at work, with application packets ballooning. I’ve seen many that are two and three inches thick.

In the situations I mentioned earlier, you already have the job; you are simply completing a particular task. My advice to job seekers, however, is to avoid the temptation to submit too much raw material. My friends on search committees tell me that they would rather see a relatively terse application that includes a link to a nice Web site (with links to course materials, publications, etc.) than a paper copy of everything but the kitchen sink.

Which is better? Thick, thin, or a nice median?