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[silly question?]

Is it in any way inappropriate to use your current department's letterhead for letters of application to other jobs?  Or is this standard practice?

[anon]

yes, it's inappropriate. It tells the receiver you use departmental supplies for non-departmental business.

It's kind of like using your girlfriend's phone to call another girl.

good luck & use plain paper.

[another anon]

if this is inappropriate, than no one knows what they are doing. The last committee i was on, probably 85+ % of applicants used departmental letterheads. This doesn't seem like such the faux pas to me.

Any other recent committee members care to comment?

[Member]

I'd say 85% of the applications we receive are NOT on letterhead. It does seem inappropriate to use letterhead of the campus you are vacating to get a leg up.

[Anon]

You might want to do a search. This has been covered before on these forums. For what it's worth, many on old threads find nothing wrong with using letterhead from your current school to apply for new jobs, although there are some vocal folks who disagree. In my humanities field, it's a major faux pas *not* to apply on some sort of letterhead.

[Flanders]

This topic has been to death and then some.  There is no general consensus, but the clear majority feel that it is fine to use letterhead, against a minority who believe it is tantamount to stealing.

[%sig%]

[another anon]

I think it is disciplinary-specific. I'm in the social sciences and was in a visiting position for a year while conducting a national t-t search. It was considered unseemly to use the letterhead.

[%sig%]

[the 2nd another anon]

Sorry, I should have called myself the third anon or something to distinguish my post from the first another anon.

[%sig%]

[yes]

it is a silly question. What advantage does letterhead give you. In a word, none. Don;'t do it.

[Theo Epstein]

I am not sure the issue of letterhead is discipline specific. I had the same question, and asked the department head what the standard procedure was. They handed me a stack of stationery and said not only was it acceptable it was expected. I am in the social sciences as well (visiting assistant prof. at a prestigious east coast SLAC.) However, in my opinion it does not really matter. If they want you-- they want you. The content of your CV and cover letter are far more important.

[%sig%]

[Anon and on]

To those who think it's not appropriate to use letterhead to apply to other jobs... I disagree.

Is it also inappropriate to accept calls regarding the new job in your office? Is it inappropriate to apply using your ..@StateU.edu e-mail account? Or should we all take out free yahoo/hotmail accounts to apply?  You are hired on a year to year contract. As long as you don't breach contract, what's the problem?

I think Theo has a point. Ask your chair if you are in a 1 year appointment. They know you are leaving, and if you are a good candidate, it looks nice that you were at their campus, even if only for a year.

And I agree that a good CV is a good CV. Spend time editing that...

Theo Epstein wrote:

> I am not sure the issue of letterhead is discipline specific. I
> had the same question, and asked the department head what the
> standard procedure was. They handed me a stack of stationery
> and said not only was it acceptable it was expected. I am in
> the social sciences as well (visiting assistant prof. at a
> prestigious east coast SLAC.) However, in my opinion it does
> not really matter. If they want you-- they want you. The
> content of your CV and cover letter are far more important.

[hmmm]

it does not matter.

[Definitive Answer...]

When you are a faculty member...especially a Visiting Assistant, who is oftentimes everything an Assistant is except the Holy Grail of tenure track...you are a member and part of an academic community, a college, a university.  Ditto if you are a graduate student.

There is nothing, repeat nothing, inappropriate, thieving, wrong, or otherwise naughty about using dept. letterhead.  

This issue has been done to death.  We're conducting three national searches this year, and so far every application has been on letterhead.

[Anon]

Today, I called my mother from my office.  It wasn't department business.  I broke the rules.

Today, I used the photocopier to copy a bill.  It wasn't department business.  I broke the rules.

Today, I took some coffee before I went to see my accountant.  I didn't drink it on university business.  I broke the rules.

Today, I realized there are some really screwed up people in academia...

[search committee member x5]

I'm in English.  I've worked at two RI institutions and have now been on 5 search committees.  I've NEVER seen a letter NOT on letterhead--grad students, visiting assistant profs, assistant profs, associate profs, full profs have ALL used the letterhead stationary of their current department.  I'm not sure I'd care, but it would possibly give me pause to see a letter not on letterhead, just because it would seem odd.