Often a qualification is related to a number of years of instructional experience. Make sure this is clearly stated in the cover letter, as in I taught middle school and high school English for seven years. Then ensure that the CV shows the same number of years taught. In cases where the CV and the cover letter or potentially other portions of the application do not align, the applicant’s credibility drops. If one has part time experience, explicitly articulate the percentage of full time that one worked in each role. That allows the reader to calculate total experience without having to guess.
If the job posting states: “Experience in curriculum development, field supervision, and accreditation preparation preferred,” ensure the cover letter speaks to each item articulated with one’s specific experience. For instance, I have developed curriculum for three undergraduate English courses and a master’s level course as well. Again, the CV or other materials should support the assertion as well.
One should craft a cover letter so that everyone in the hiring process can use the cover letter as a road map in gauging how the applicant meets or exceeds the criteria required in the posting. Another consideration is to speak about why one wishes to work at the college or university in question. Generic phrases, such as, I am looking forward working at your university are not as powerful as I am looking forward to working at Winona State University with its long tradition of preparing educators since it was first formed as a normal school in 1858. Do the homework necessary to speak to the things that make the college unique.
There are a few other items to consider regarding the cover letter. Many hiring guides will remind applicants to keep cover letters to less than a page. In general, that might be a good idea. However, in the higher education environment, addressing each of the qualifications is the more important consideration. Be succinct, but there is no need to trim an academic cover letter to a single page. One thing to avoid is putting a cover letter on the letterhead of an applicant’s current organization.
Generic cover letters that do not specifically address the priorities and qualifications outlined in job posting probably do more harm than good. No member of a hiring committee wants to have to shuffle through multiple documents to determine whether the candidate meets a specific requirement. The applicant can save the committee time and improve their position with a clearly articulated cover letter.
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Baule’s scholarly interests focus on online student engagement, educational technology-- particularly the impact of 1:1 implementations, social-emotional learning, and the history of education. Baule led several efforts to improve student emotional health and reduce discipline issues prior to moving into higher education. He also writes on aspects of early American history.
Baule has held memberships in the American Association of School Administrators, the American Library Association, the American Association of School Librarians, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the Consortium for School Networking, the International Association of School Librarians, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the National Staff Development Council, and many of their state affiliates. He has served as a consultant in the areas of educational technology, facilities design, library program development, team building, and communications.