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[gsandov]

I am a new higher ed professional (less than 3 years) who currently lives in the midwest but is looking to relocate to New York. I have started to apply to a few positions but I am unsure as whether or not I should mention in my cover letter that I am originally from the east coast (New Jersey) and that I am willing to relocate. I don't know if by adding this information if it will hurt or help my candidacy. Any thoughts from those who have gone through this before? Thank you!

[voxprincipalis]

You will probably do better to post this question outside of the Two-Body Problem forum, since it has nothing to do with the Two-Body Problem.

Also, you may want to search or browse old topics, as this question has been addressed numerous times.

VP

[dr_zack]

All of that other guidance being given, I'd advise you to mention it in your cover letter AND any subsequent interviews - I did!  It can be very important for a potential employer to know you are willing to relocate.  I am from Seattle but made it very clear I was open to relocating (and I put more effort into it for the places that I wanted to move to than I did for others I wasn't so keen on), and also mentioned the fact that I am from the Northeast, and still have family and friends there - I have been told that it makes you look more "stable".  I can't think of any reason it would hurt your candidacy (so long as you don't stress it, for example, if you happen to apply to a school in Arizona - who won't care about that aspect of who you are). 

Sorry no one else has replied yet - people in these forums can be picky about the "rules", yet many of these same folks seem to have no trouble wasting lots of time posting what seems to be fairly useless stuff...truly though, this isn't a "two-body" question" you're posing.

[americanist]

If it's a full-time academic position, they'll assume you're willing to relocate. With the state of the job market in most fields, anyone not willing to relocate is going to be unemployed.

[pedant]

I strongly suggest that you work on spelling (quandary) and proofreading (the names of geographical areas are capitalized). Correct spelling and capitalization are, in fact, forum rules.

Otherwise we risk descent into barbarism.

[dr_starbucks]

The cover letter is somewhat different in academia.  I recommend purchasing The Academic Job Search Handbook which you can easily obtain through Amazon. There should be a section on the cover letter in the book.  I found this book to be a valuable companion during my two year search for a TT position.

[dr_zack]

That book is valuable lukeurig - though it's also somewhat limited in scope.  I found it useful too - to a degree.  I ignored some of the advice it gave - particularly on length - and did quite well (and was told that my cover letters were very well written and informative) scoring interviews (and got two offers).

[dr_starbucks]

I agree since academia is too diverse for there to be a simple one size fits all guide. But I did learn from it the importance of the cover letter, and in fact during my on-campus interview for a job, a SC member went out of his way to express his appreciation for the thought and care I gave into writing the cover letter.  I did not think it was really that great, since I quickly modified a boilerplate letter for the position. But I eventually was hired at this school and understood his praise better after reading through the cover letters of several applicants for another position. It was shocking to see poorly composed letters. In a tight job market, you would think that applicants would spend time in crafting quality letters that is targeted to the specific institution!

[dr_prephd]

Maybe it's just me, but if one is applying to a job out-of-state, then shouldn't it be assumed that one is willing to relocate?

[sciencephd]

Maybe it's just me, but if one is applying to a job out-of-state, then shouldn't it be assumed that one is willing to relocate?

It's not just you.

Were he were living in New Jersey, this may not be necessary, but since he lives in the Midwest it should probably be assumed.

And I agree with what another poster implied, which is that phrases such as "willing to relocate" are not usually used in an academic cover letter or CV.

However, the fact that you are from NJ originally and actually interested in moving back to the area IS relevant.  This could be included in the cover letter, but is not central, and therefore may best be expressed in the interview.

[msparticularity]

Maybe it's just me, but if one is applying to a job out-of-state, then shouldn't it be assumed that one is willing to relocate?

Not necessarily - people apply for jobs they would not actually accept all the time, in order to create a better negotiating situation for other positions (current or new) or just to "test the waters."

However, as I said on another thread, I don't think anything needs to be said in the cover letter unless there is something in one's CV that seems to indicate that one would NOT really consider relocating, such as a very long time in one location.