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On the market
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« on: May 10, 2006, 11:16:35 AM » |
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Is it really important to submit cover letters on departmental letterhead?
I didn't and struck out.
Could that be why?
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B.F.
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« Reply #1 on: May 10, 2006, 11:35:26 AM » |
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no
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« Reply #2 on: May 10, 2006, 11:44:28 AM » |
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Even if you're in a field where using letterhead is the norm, you're not going to be rejected because you didn't use letterhead.
As to whether or not you should use letterhead in the future, find out what the norm is in your field.
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case insensitive
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« Reply #3 on: May 10, 2006, 01:15:19 PM » |
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I have never used departmental letterhead when applying for a job. Seems wrong for me to use the letterhead of the school I'm trying to leave. I just make my own homegrown letterhead with my home address and info on it. I don't believe that has ever got me thrown out of a candidate pool. I could be wrong, of course! :o)
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My own stationery
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« Reply #4 on: May 10, 2006, 04:50:37 PM » |
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case insensitive wrote:
> I have never used departmental letterhead when applying for a
> job. Seems wrong for me to use the letterhead of the school I'm
> trying to leave. I just make my own homegrown letterhead with
> my home address and info on it. I don't believe that has ever
> got me thrown out of a candidate pool. I could be wrong, of
> course! :o)
Me too ... I would have felt odd writing a cover letter on my school's letterhead. I just used my own stationery with my home address.
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SC Member
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« Reply #5 on: May 10, 2006, 07:03:53 PM » |
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I have served on many SCs, and we have never accepted or rejected a candidate because of his/her stationary. Not even close to being a factor in reviewing applications.
[%sig%]
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Another SC Member
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« Reply #6 on: May 10, 2006, 08:30:50 PM » |
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I would echo SC Member and say further that I was on search committees 4 times before I first noticed people on this forum worrying about the issue-- and those 4 times I was never consciously aware of whether the letter was on letterhead or not. My eye instinctively and naturally weeded out anything at the top of the page, including the date, Dear Whomever, etc., and went directly to the first line of the narrative about why the candidate wanted to join us.
Now I may be inclined to notice, because I know that it's supposed to be "an issue." But I don't care one way or the other, and it simply wouldn't come up. It's slightly less important to me than whether or not you took piano lessons when you were six years old, or were a Cub Scout, or have ever read a copy of Detective Comics. And I care zero about those things.
However, I'm me; it wouldn't surprise me if there are some anal retentive types who obsess over this one way or the other. At least two of us won't hold it against you, FWIW.
Sadly, there have been previous discussions on this forum in which a handful of people believed it would absolutely harm you if you didn't use letterhead, and a handful who believed it would absolutely brand you as a thieving, scheming lowlife (and thus harm you!) if you did use it. To the extent that you feel you can trust an anonymous poster, please take it from me that in most cases, in most contexts, both camps are resolutely wrong. It doesn't matter in the least to most of us, I truly believe.
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hot dog
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« Reply #7 on: May 11, 2006, 04:23:15 AM » |
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I just finished on a SC that hired for two positions. We took 58 completed applications. Not a single one had a cover letter on department letterhead.
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3rd SC member
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« Reply #8 on: May 11, 2006, 04:28:03 AM » |
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It matters NOT. I think this is one of those urban legends, that some people have actually been denied jobs because they didn't use letterheads. I have never paid attention to letterheads while reviewing applications, nor has it come up in any of the discussions--ever. I can't even imagine a situation where this might help/hurt a candidate in any way.
When people don't get jobs, they would blame anything/anybody but themselves (a psychological defense mechanism, I suppose). I personally think this explanation is a lot less harmful, though, than some others we frequently see on this board............
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Yet another SC Member
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« Reply #10 on: May 11, 2006, 09:23:13 AM » |
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My advice is not to use your current employer's letterhead. Your job search is not your employer's official business. I've served on many search committees, and an applicant's use of employer's letterhead has never been the sole factor causing elimination from the pool. Yet it is considered to be bad form by a significant number of people. It has always been mentioned by someone on any committee I've ever served on when it happened. Little "offenses" can add up in people's minds. Why risk it?
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