The first post in this series examined how hiring committees read and evaluate CVs. In today’s post, I’d like to ask search committee members to answer some or all of the following questions:
How do you read a cover letter?
Which things do you lend the most weight to in deciding who to interview?
Which sorts of things in cover letters tend to produce a positive impression?
Which sorts of things do you mostly pass over?
Which sorts of things have you encountered in cover letters that produce a negative impression?
What type of institution do you work at? (R1? R2? Highly-selective SLAC? Non-highly selective SLAC? Community College?)
Finally, if there are any other questions you think are worth addressing not listed here, please feel free to volunteer and answer them. Really curious to hear your answers!
Originally appeared on The Philosophers’ Cocoon Read More
