In our newest “how can we help you?” thread, a reader asks:

I have a question related to applying for TT jobs. When is it appropriate to contact faculty members of a department you’re applying to? I’m planning to apply to a department where I have met one of the senior faculty. I don’t know them well, but we hit it off at a small conference. Is it appropriate to reach out and let them know I’m applying? Ask for their advice? Or would this come off as tactless, presumptuous, or craven?

Fair questions. Another reader submitted the following reply:

You need to be clear on what you hope to achieve by contacting this person? Anything you write in e-mail, etc. may have to be disclosed by the faculty member. And even if you want more information about the position, the ad often says explicitly who you should contact. If it is not that person, then you really should not be contacting them. Finally, if you decide to mention the person and your nice experience with them in your cover letter, you may find other faculty members will rank you lower (if, for example, they do not like the colleague you know). So get clear on what such contact is going to achieve.

What do you all think? It would be especially helpful to hear from search committee members!

Originally appeared on The Philosophers’ Cocoon Read More