Required documents for an academic job search
If you’re planning to go on the academic job market in fall 2014, now is a good time to begin assembling the job search documents you will need to apply for faculty jobs.
Of course, you’ll need a CV that is tailored to the type of institution and position you’re applying for. You’ll need a cover letter that you can customize for specific job openings. If you’re targeting research-intensive positions, you may need a research statement that clearly describes your research goals. Planning to apply to undergraduate colleges? You may still need a research statement if the college expects their faculty to develop and maintain an ongoing research program to provide research opportunities for undergraduates. For undergraduate colleges and teaching-intensive institutions, you will likely need a teaching philosophy, and perhaps a teaching portfolio with evidence of teaching effectiveness. A relative newcomer to the dossier of potential job search documents is the diversity statement.
Confused about these documents and how to write them? Check out our Path to Career Faculty Search resource page. We also have a print library of books about the academic and nonacademic job search.