Letter writing – academic cover letter Use the form of address and title of the contact person November 2, 1998 as they appear in the job notice. Dr. Naomi Sellers Chair, English Search Committee Box 58 Baxter College Arcadia, WV 24803 Refer to the job title as it Dear Dr. Sellers: appears in the notice, and state where you learned of I am writing to apply for the position as assistant professor of the position. English with an emphasis in rhetoric and composition that you advertised in the October MLA Job Information List. I am a Mention your major professor graduate student at Prestigious University working on a by name, especially if he or dissertation under the direction of Professor Phillip Young. she is well known in your Currently revising the third of five chapters, I expect to field. Also, mention your complete all work for the Ph.D. by May of 2007. I believe that my expected completion date. teaching and tutoring experience combined with my course work and research background in rhetoric and composition theory make me a Make a claim for your strong candidate for the position outlined in your notice. candidacy that you will support in the body of the letter. As my curriculum vitae shows, I have had excellent opportunities to teach a variety of writing courses during my graduate studies, including developmental writing, first-year writing for both For a position at a small native speakers and second language students, advanced writing, undergraduate college, and business writing. Among the most satisfying experiences for emphasize teaching me as a teacher has been instructing students on an individual experience and philosophy basis as a tutor in our university Writing Lab. Even as a early in the letter. classroom instructor, I find that I always look forward to the individual conferences that I hold with my students several times during the semester. My work in the composition classroom has provided me with the Describe your dissertation inspiration as well as a kind of laboratory for my dissertation and plans for future research. After developing my dissertation into a book research. Emphasize links manuscript, I plan to continue my work in current composition between your teaching and theory. research interests. My students have used computers for writing and turning in notes and essays, communicating with one another and with me, Mention specific teaching conducting library catalogue research and web research, and experience that is relevant creating websites. I have encouraged my students to think and to the job notice or is write critically about their experiences with technology. Syllabi otherwise noteworthy. and other materials for my writing courses can be viewed at my website: . In all of my Refer to relevant materials writing courses I encourage students to become critical readers, available on the web. thinkers, and writers. I would be happy to send you additional materials such as letters State your willingness to of reference, writing samples, teaching evaluations, and course forward additional materials syllabi. I will be available to meet with you for an interview at and to meet for an either the MLA or the CCCC convention, or elsewhere at your interview. convenience. I can be reached at my home phone number before December 19; between then and the start of the MLA convention, Mention any temporary you can reach me at (123) 456-7890. I thank you for your changes in contact consideration and look forward to hearing from you. information. Sincerely, First Lastname