In our December "how can we help you?" thread, Annie writes:
My questions concern applying for jobs in departments that one has in previous years been short-listed but ultimately rejected from. Is this something one should acknowledge in one's cover letter? Should one hedge by keeping the same materials like a writing sample (since they worked last time and they might not be remembered) or do something new (to show you've developed or something)? Anything else worth knowing? Thanks everyone
Interesting questions. My reaction here is pretty unequivocal: I don't think it is worth mentioning or doing anything special with one's application materials. Let me explain.
First, the search committee may or may not be comprised by the same people as in the previous year(s). Search committees are a lot of work, and some people might not want to serve on one multiple times. Second, even if you were rejected, that doesn't tell you very much. My experience serving on search committees is that a committee can like a lot of candidates, but then face very difficult decisions about who to interview, who to invite to campus, and who to hire. So, you never know: regardless of whether you submit the same materials, a new search committee might like your candidacy more, the same, or less than the previous year's committee. Finally, I think there's a non-zero probability that mentioning your previous year's candidacy in a cover letter could backfire – as it could look presumptuous (viz. presuming that because you fared one way in a given pile of candidates, you should fare the same way in a new pile of candidates).
So, my recommendation here is to just apply to a job in the same department you were previously rejected from like you would apply to any job. Sure, I think it can be a good idea to update your materials: you teaching portfolio (e.g. with more recent student evaluations), your recommendation letters (if you've accomplished significantly more since they were written), your research statement (for similar reasons), and your writing sample (but only if you have written something better or more relevant to the advertised job than your former one). But, of course, these are just my reactions. What do you all think?
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