Although (perhaps because) the cover letter is such an important document, you may encounter

several conflicting opinions as you how it should look (What is a Cover Letter?). The following
guidelines are my own suggestions. Finally, however, you must decide how to write the letter
thats best for you. Pass it along to as many different faculty as you trust, solicit their advice, be
prepared for conflicting advice, be prepared to write and rewrite the letter many times, and
understand that youll probably send out a letter thats not entirely your own work. There are
three things to keep in mind as you write your letter:
1. Make every word count.
2. Keep hitting your audience with what makes you different without being overbearing or
telling lies.
3. Establish a voice.
Remember that the cover letter is the single most important document of your job search. Its
the document that will get you an interview and an audience for your writing sample, and its the
document to which the committee will return after you have interviewed. A hastily written letter
is unlikely to get attention, and since its time-consuming to apply for jobs, dont bother unless
youre prepared to spend some time on your cover letter. Start working on this letter during the
summer before you begin your job search. It can easily take several months to write, and you
will need to pass it along to people many times before its complete.
Below, we will show you how to write a resume cover letter.
Paragraph one: introduction. Mention the job youre applying for and where you saw it
advertised. Since your curriculum vitae will give information about your degree (where and
when), dissertation director, fellowships, prizes and so on, you dont need to mention them in
your letter. Doing so takes up valuable space in the letter and, more importantly, marks you as a
graduate student. Try to sound like a professional, someone who has already put graduate school
behind you. The selection committee will look at your vitae and see all these details in a more
readable format. The same goes for areas of specialization.
Paragraph two: dissertation. Dont bother with the directors name; its in the
vitae. So is the list of publications that came out of the dissertation. Dont use
the letter to recapitulate anything thats in the vitae, except the title of the
dissertation. This paragraph is critical. Try to convey the main idea of your
project, the originality of your work, the writers you cover, and the approach you
take. One nice detail of a chapter will give readers something to hold onto. You
may also address future research in this or a later paragraph.
Paragraph three: teaching experience and philosophy. Mention your philosophy, perhaps a
brief example of how you put it to work, and special courses you would like to teach.

Paragraph four: final paragraph. Tell what you have enclosed, whether a dossier is on its way,
how the school should get one if it needs one, whether you will be available at MLA (which you
should). Dont spend too much time thanking them.
As you begin to write your cover letter, here are a few things youll need to think about. Theyre
worth thinking about later, as well, as you prepare for MLA interviews and campus visits.
1. Your teaching philosophy. What do your composition, survey and seminar courses have
in common? What do you think students need to learn? How do you approach the
teaching of composition? Of literature? How does your research influence your
teaching, or vice-versa? What kinds of written assignments do you give? Youll
probably need to think about specific texts (for composition/literature course) and how
they work together, why you bother to teach them, and so on. Youll also want to think
about different courses you would like to teach, and (for interviews, anyway) the
particular texts you might assign. Think about the survey courses you will certainly be
called upon to teach, but also special seminars and advanced courses youd like to
propose. This is a popular interview question, and you can invite an interviewer to ask
you about future teaching if you address this question in your letter.
2. You dissertation. Your cover letter will need to address this topic, as concisely and
interestingly as possible. You will be asked to describe your dissertation repeatedly (at
MLA and on-campus interviews). Try to get to the heart of the topic and have two
versions, one about a minute long, the other about three minutes. Be prepared to talk in
detail about particular chapters if necessary, but dont begin with that kind of detail.
During interviews, try not to sound as if youve memorized the paragraph in your cover
letter that describes the dissertation. On the other hand, dont be too disappointed if you
never get to talk about your dissertation.
3. Future research. It helps to end the cover letter with a brief description of future
research. If you can connect it somehow to your dissertation research, you can both forge
a neat transition and demonstrate that 1) your dissertation has far-reaching implications
and 2) you have thought beyond the dissertation. You may never be asked about these
future plans in interviews, but then again, you might.
Sample Resume Cover Letter
Faculty Recruiting Committee
Department of Computer Science
Cornell University
4130 Upson Hall
Ithaca, NY 1485-7501
To Whom It May Concern
My name is David Noelle. I am currently a Ph.D. candidate working with Gary Cottrell in the
interdisciplinary Computer Science/Cognitive Science program at the University of California,

San Diego. Since I expect to complete my dissertation by June of 1997, I am now in the process
of searching for a faculty position to fill once I graduate. I am writing to you so that I might be
considered for any open tenure track assistant professor positions in your department,
specifically that advertised under .
The Ph.D. program which I am completing is quite unique. It is jointly administered by the
Department of Computer Science & Engineering and the Department of Cognitive Science. The
program has required me to fulfill all of the normal requirements for a Ph.D. in Computer
Science and, in addition, it has required several years of work focusing on cognitive psychology
and neuroscience. As a result, I have acquired a broad foundation in all of the core areas of
computer science, and I have received specialized training in the computational modeling of
psychological phenomena. The interdisciplinary nature of this program has profoundly impacted
my thesis work. My dissertation committee includes faculty in computer science, psychology,
linguistics, philosophy, and cognitive science.
My thesis work is entitled A Connectionist Model Of Instructed Learning. It focuses on a
computational model of advice taking. I have formulated an artificial neural network approach to
the understanding of how knowledge gained rapidly from direct instruction interacts with that
gained over time from experience with the world. In addition to offering a useful technique for
the engineering of adaptive systems, my model also explains a number of interference effects
which have been previously reported in the psychological literature.
My research interests are broad, spanning from machine learning to computational neuroscience,
from user interface design to the psychology of concept formation. I am particularly interested in
machine learning problems involving the integration of multiple learning strategies,
investigations into implicit and explicit learning, and modeling the biological basis of human
memory.
I am very interested in collaborative projects with both computer scientists and cognitive
scientists. I would enjoy applying machine learning techniques to computer system problems
involving such issues as resource allocation and scheduling, intelligent interfaces, information
retrieval, database mining, and adaptive user modeling. Continuing with the interdisciplinary
nature of my thesis research, I would also like to interact with neuroscientists, experimental
psychologists, and other cognitive scientists. If an opportunity for a joint appointment with a
psychology or cognitive science program should arise, I would not hesitate to pursue it.
I have acquired extensive teaching experience over the course of my graduate education. I have
supported myself via teaching assistantships through much of this time, and I have also acted as
the sole instructor for an upper division computer science course. I have received the Teaching
Assistant Excellence Award from the Department of Computer Science & Engineering, and I
have acted as that department's Senior Teaching Assistant for several years. I enjoy teaching, and
I am looking forward to future opportunities to do so.
Enclosed please find application materials for any assistant professorships which are open in
your department. I have included a copy of my curriculum vitae, a brief statement of my research
interests, some comments on my teaching interests, and a few of my publications. If requested,

letters of reference should arrive under separate cover. Please feel free to contact me with any
questions or requests for further documentation. I may be reached at the address listed in the
letterhead, above, via the Internet at noelle@ucsd.edu, or at (619)~272-7719.
Thanks very much for your consideration!
Sincerely,
encl
curriculum vitae, statement of research interests, statement of teaching interests, selected
publications

An effective cover letter

introduces you to the reader

identifies the poistion you are applying for

acts as a bridge between the job vacancy and your resume

acts as a marketing tool to earn an interview opportunity

Parts of cover letter

Introduction

Identifies the position you are applying for

Tells how you learn about this position

Include your special interest in this position

Body

Highlight your most important qualifications

Describe points that may be of special interest to the employers

Include information on your degree, major, certification and experience..

Closing

Indicate your interest in having an interview or the next step you plan to take

Inform that your resume is closed

Thank the reader

Closed by "Sincerely yours, ...." since a cover letter is a business letter!

Tips for cover letter

Check, check, and check

Keep to one page

Use standard business letter format

Center letter on paper

Use a font style and size that is easy to read

Sign your letter

Don't forget to put your resume with cover letter into the envelop!

Date

Name
Title
Organization
Address
City, State, Zip Code
Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name:

I am writing in reply to the classified ad seeking to fill the position of Graduate Student
Advisor for the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies degree program.

I have been awarded the degree of Master of Arts from XXXX so I understand the need
for academic advisement and program planning in a nontraditional higher education
environment. I have also experienced, first-hand, the comforting effect of being able to
contact an adviser who genuinely cares for the success of students.

During my career as an electrician I was elected Chairman of the Executive Board which
sat as the unions representatives to the apprenticeship advisory board. In this capacity I
was able to be an effective advisor to apprentices who were experiencing scholastic
problems which threatened their future in the industry; especially to older apprentices
who were seeking a career change and had problems adjusting to the obligations of work,
school and family life.

I believe my educational background in nontraditional post-graduate education and my

work related duties of counseling and advising students enrolled in learning programs
qualifies me for consideration for the position of Graduate Student Advisor. I look
forward to discussing how my skills can be of value to XXX as it prepares to move into
the new millennium.

Sincerely,
Your Signature
Your Typed Name