Welcome to the first installment of my ‘Things That Worked’ series, which gives you direct access to cover letters, grant applications, abstracts, and pitches that have gotten results!
I decided to start by sharing a Thing That Worked which, now that I look back on it [REDACTED] years later, maybe never should have worked in the first place. Buckle up, folks—this post’s a long one.
This is a cover letter from my very first year on the job market, in the days when you could count on there being a solid handful of jobs advertised each year in my area of specialization. Although this is clearly a letter written by someone very early on in her career, its basic outline is one I still use today:
Introduction to myself and my work
Description of my research (in this case, my dissertation)
Paragraph on teaching
Closing remarks
Below, I walk through the letter paragraph by paragraph, annotating along the way. Here goes….
Dear Dr [REDACTED],
I am writing to apply for the position of Assistant Professor of English in Medieval Studies advertised in the MLA job list. I am currently an intern in the Department of Manuscripts at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and I recently completed a PhD in Medieval English Literature at the University of Cambridge. My areas of interest include late-medieval English literature and history (fourteenth- through sixteenth-century), the role of reputation in literature and culture, and the relationship between literature and the law.
Okaaaaay, not bad. I personally find this paragraph a little dry, at least in comparison to how I tend to write my letters now, but I explain who I am, where I am, what my qualifications and research interests are, and why I’m writing to them. All the bases are covered. Dry style aside, this is a pretty traditional opener to a cover letter.