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[Rick]

In an effort to find a tenure-track position, I constantly update and edit my cover letter to reflect any new experiences (research, teaching) that I feel will provide me the edge for a qualified position. However, sometimes I feel that my cover letter is the weakest part of my application and, consequently, it worries me the most.

My question about cover-letter content is this: Is it in bad taste (i.e., arrogant) to state the number of publications I have, especially if I feel this is one of my strongest selling points? I, of course, understand that such information is obvious on the CV, but worry that without a little flash in the cover letter, the CV will be ignored. Perhaps this is untrue?

Thank you for your help,

Rick

[JuniorFaculty]

You need to focus on tailoring the cover letter to each school to which you are sending it. Certainly, keeping a kind of "skeleton" cover letter is a good idea, as is updating it regularly, but the most important thing is using the cover letter to sell yourself to that particular institution.

This means that the first couple of paragraphs should reflect why you are a good fit at that institution -- if it is a teaching-emphasis place, you stress your strong evaluations and innovative classroom use of technology; if it is a research school, trot out your publication lists in reference to your CV.  If you have a special connection to the school, area or something else specific, this is also the place for it.

Having just served on a search, it amazed me that most people just hit print and send the same cover letter to every school, without regard to who will be reading it or what that school advertised for in the ad. The cover letter is your chance to show that you researched the school, know what classes of theirs you could teach and is an opportunity to make a case for being a "good fit." This can get you past being very similar to someone they already have on faculty and make you stand out amongst all those who just mass mail.  Don't miss it by sending a generic cover letter, no matter how impressive your publications.

[E.C.]

I think it's perfectly acceptable to discuss your publications in your cover letter. Given the fact that there is only so much that can be discerned from the title of an article, you could use your cover letter to go into further depth about information concerning your published articles that wouldn't immediately be obvious on a CV.

I would include this information in the paragraph that discusses research interests. You might want to begin this paragraph with an overview of where you are currently locating yourself as a scholar followed by a few sentences providing more detailed information on what you have accomplished thus far (i.e. your published articles) and end with where you see yourself going in the future. Of course, there are many ways of putting together a cover letter, and it's a good idea to show drafts of it to colleagues in your field for feedback before you send it out.

[Diogenes]

A slight redirect: are there search-committee members who don't place much emphasis upon the application cover letter precisely because they are often pretty standard and unnoteworthy? Put more bluntly, although the application letter is a required part of one's dossier, and so should be read carefully for errors, etc., does it really play a significant part in the evaulation? I've been told by people I respect on search committees that basically they skip the cover letter and go straight to the CV and publications (granted -- these are people at first-tier research schools).

[Junior Faculty]

I sure looked carefully at them. 160 CV's look a lot alike, especially when most of the applicants are at about the same level with their publications. The cover letter was what I was looking at to see if the person wanted the job we were offering (not some fantasy perfect job) and would be a comfortable fit in our department. It was easy to tell the people who made even minimum efforts to research us and the needs of the department and goals of the university.  

This is why it is important to tailor it: We're a small undergraduate state school, so those who sent the generic cover letter about an extremely strong desire to lead graduate seminars and supervise research made themselves look like square pegs who might be malcontents when they don't get what we don't have.

If the school has a goal of recruiting and retaining minority students, tell them about your volunteer work with minority high-school students. If your research can in any way be assisted by being in the area, tell them (does their library have a special collection you could use? Is there something nearby you are interested in?). If your research shows that the department already has someone whose field is similar to yours, this is your place to describe why you would be an additional asset. If you know the course load, tell them why you can handle it if it is high, or why you would benefit from research and writing time if it is lower.  Why not make yourself a memorable candidate out of 150+ other people?

So, if the cover letter is generic and unnoteworthy, the committee will disregard it, but it is also your chance to stand out as someone who matches the needs of the committee and their university. Think about the committee -- 99% of the cover letters are about the applicants, who all sound very much alike. The 1% of letters about the needs of the hiring department and the actual job jump out of the pile.  

[DrInWaiting]

JuniorFaculty's advice is right on the money in all ways ... as to whether or not people pay attention to the letter, some do and some don't, but why take a chance? I know faculty that consider this to be one of the most critical elements of the package. Think of how in admissions processes students have to write an essay. If the student has straight A's, but cannot express himself in a convincing manner, do you want him in your department?  

If a search committee is truly going to use multiple measures to assess your candidacy, the letter is certainly a part of this package. It might not be in the style of a professional journal article, but it does demonstrate your ability to write persuasively and cogently about yourself. It says something about your human-relations skills, which, for all of our focus in higher education on scholarship and research, is hugely important in a classroom dealing with real students and in a faculty meeting dealing with other fellow prima donnas.