In the comments section of our newest "How can we help you?" post, a reader writes:
I have a TT job that I have started recently, but the location is not ideal for a few reasons not worth mentioning, as well as some family issues that pressure me to be closer to home.
I love this job and my colleagues, but I think its only realistic to expect that I may want to apply for a few other jobs in a few years.
My question is this: As far as letter writers and what-not go, what does one do? Stick with her original letter writers from graduate school? Look to ask external letter writers not affiliated with either her graduate school or her place of employment? Or would it be ideal to get letters from her place of employment, despite the fact that this would involve admitting that she's looking for a different position?
And regardless of what the right answer is to these questions, what other things should she do to keep her letter writers updated for if/when she goes on the market?
(I realize this is a first world problem wrapped within a first world problem encased by a first world problem. I am very lucky, and I would be very lucky even to keep my current job for the rest of my life. So don't take my questions as coming from a place of entitlement or some such!)
Great query, and I would be very curious to hear what others think.
For my part, I think it would be a mistake to ask for letters from the person's current place of employment. Given that the reader was recently hired into their TT position, and given that the department might lose that TT line if they leave (a fairly common occurrence, or so I've heard), it could be a real risk to let them know one is thinking of "jumping ship." It's especially a risk given the state of the job-market, and the fact that the reader might not get an attractive job-offer elsewhere. In that case, they would be stuck in their current job, with the faculty (and administration?) there knowing that they don't really want to be there–which is not, I think, a recipe for a happy situation.
So what then? I would think the reader should stick with their current letters from grad school, but also seek out external letters from elsewhere. External letters, or so I've heard, are important on the market anyway, so I think that's probably the way to go.
Finally, in terms of updating one's letters, I think the thing to do is to just stay in contact with one's previous letter writers, keeping in touch with them via an occasional email and then asking them (well in advance) if they'd be willing to update their letters. In my experience, they may just ask for copies of your newer papers, and some such–and most of the time, as long as one still has a good relationship with them, they're more than happy to help out!
But these are just my thoughts. What do you all think?
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