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Job-Market Reporting Thread (2025-26)
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(How) do search committees read cover letters?

In our November “how can we help you?” thread, a reader writes:

Dear Search Committee Members,

Are you actually reading our cover letters? Or are you looking at our CVs and Letters of Rec, or Writing Samples first, making some judgment, and rendering all the time we spend discussing fit in our cover letter moot? (After all, we are often told, especially here at the Cocoon by various commenters to other job market related questions, how important fit is.)

As someone firmly on the market and looking to leave a bad situation, these are questions it would be nice to have answers to. In general, when in your reading of a dossier do you get to the cover letter: is it first or not? Second, what are our cover letters doing for you assuming you actually weigh what we say in your overall assessment of us candidates? If a cover letter is never going to sway you against an initial judgment based on our CVs or Samples, why are we writing them?

Thanks,
The Typical Job Hopeful Cynic

I suspect there is probably a lot of variance across different search committees (e.g. at R1s, SLACs, regional state colleges & universities), as well as across different individual search committee members (some might not care about cover letters at all, others might care very much). Still, it could be good to hear how some actual search committee members approach these things.

Are any search committee members willing to weigh in?

Posted in

18 responses to “(How) do search committees read cover letters?”

  1. Anonymous

    Where I work, cover letters are important. It is YOUR chance to draw attention to things in your file that you want us to note. But any claim in a cover letter needs to be backed with supporting material in the file. You cannot say you can teach philosophy of mind, for example, and not have it listed on your c.v. or not have any other indication that you really are qualified. Similarly if you say in the letter that you are an enthusiastic and energic teaching, but your teaching reviews say your are dull, your letter begins to look odd. But do take some time with the cover letters.
    I have worked in the USA and Europe, and one difference I note is that people in Europe do not take letters of recommendation seriously. They are more or less set aside. In the USA people give more value to them … and sometimes people like to read them for their entertainment value (you would not believe what people say about their own students … we should be so lucky to have so many Wittgensteins in our department)

    Reply
  2. Anonymous

    I am at an “R2” school and worked at a non-elite SLAC, and both places have undergrad-only programs. I believe that search committees at both schools only looked at (CV+cover letter) first. With the heavy teaching load, we really had no time to read other materials from at least like 100+ applicants. So, yes, for the two schools that I am familiar with, cover letters matter a lot.

    Reply
  3. Anonymous

    I used to work at a land-grant university in the Midwest, with no graduate program in philosophy, and currently work at a private R1 with a grad program. For job searches at both places, I’ve looked first at the CV to see that they’re minimally qualified, then at cover letter for all minimally qualified candidates. If candidates look promising based on those, I look at teaching and research statements, then at writing samples for people who I am excited about based on teaching and research statements. I basically only look at letters of recommendation to see if there are red flags to be picked up for people who I’m otherwise excited about.

    In terms of what I’m looking for in the cover letter, I basically want to see a) which things do you think I should be focusing on most in the rest of your application (those things are really long! Help me see in your cover letter what matters the most), and b) are there important things I should know about that there isn’t a place for in the rest of the application (have you done a really cool thing that doesn’t make sense on your CV? Is there something potentially worrying you need to explain, like the fact that you’ve already had three different TT jobs, or you’re applying for an untenured job as a person with tenure?). As a bonus, cover letters can often indicate whether you might be a good, generous, involved colleague in addition to being a good researcher and/or teacher, and that’s information I always want to have.

    Reply
  4. Michel

    Quickly!

    (I usually have a quick CV scan first to rule out the applicants with law/business/education backgrounds, then turn to the cover letter, then return to the CV and the other materials.)

    Reply
  5. Anonymous

    Context: medium LAC.

    I only really care about the CV and cover letter. I would say the writing sample next. So, the cover letter is important. I actually read it. It is the only thing in a file that approaches your unique ‘voice.’

    I start with the CV because I care most about (i) fit with the ad, and (ii) publications. A CV shows fit: too may applicants say they fit the ad when they do not. A CV also shows if you have published, where you have published, and how much you have published. This matters because I want to have an indication your work is quality and that there will be enough of it in the future for you to earn tenure.

    (BTW: I don’t care much about where the PhD comes from, i.e., rankings. I care more about what it signals. A PhD from an out-of-the-mainstream program, say, an unranked Catholic university, signals to me that you are a particular kind of philosopher, say, one very interested in Heidegger or phenomenology. A PhD from an elite analytic program signals to me that you are in all likelihood unable to teach my student population effectively, and will run away the second you can get another offer. So, I look for a reasonably good PhD, but otherwise put little weight on pedigree.)

    The cover letter is second because, if you pass the CV check, then *I want to know about you*, your story, why you want to be my colleague, and so on. It is the only place where you can ‘be yourself’ in a file. Personal fit matters immensely, and the cover letter often signals, directly or indirectly, whether you’ll fit in the hallway. It is also a good place to flag relevant information that doesn’t come up elsewhere in your application. If you did your PhD in city A but really want the job at my university in city B because you grew up here, that’s good to know. If you are genuinely interested in something, y, that is important at my university, tell me (but don’t fib!). Because of this, as others have said, it is vital to be genuine in the cover letter. We all know that you are selling yourself, but only talk up what is real and genuine about you.

    Reply
    1. Anonymous

      Grateful OP here.

      How much personality to put in a letter is a tricky thing, I think. This reply gives the impression that you don’t mind a full paragraph in a cover letter that gushes over the job, or your particular university, so long as it feels genuine. Is that right? I feel like I’ve been steered away by many from writing anything too emotive or cringey or cheesy. I suppose there’s a balance, and a right note to hit here, but it feels risky…

      It seems we’re told: educational data/aos paragraph; something brief signaling fit; research spiel; teaching spiel (or reverse for a non-R1 teaching school); maybe something about service; and be done. Where in here is one supposed to be getting their full personality across? Or is this bad form?

      Reply
      1. one answer

        I am not the one you are replying to, but really good questions…!

        If I may add a totally un-data-verified response, I somehow feels 1 out of 5 reacts positively to gushy etc cover letter. I know one person who went all in on one application (and didn’t apply anything else) and got it. Personally however, I don’t place any weight on candidate’s personality and fondness of my institution, unless it is really off. So in this case, a really brief and generic (personality-wise) cover letter does the job. It’s not formulaic for sure, that pleases everyone.

      2. Anonymous

        Here’s what I mean. The reasons that you may be a very good fit for a job, department, institution are likely personal. They may be about your family, religion, decision to pursue this kind of career, where you were educated, and so on. Given that, for me, a cover letter is to tell me something about *you*, and why you’re a good fit, I think it ought to be somewhat personal. For me, e.g., I had an intellectual conversion in philosophy classes as an undergrad at a religious SLAC, and so decided on this career so that I could contribute to such conversations/awakenings/whatever for others. This is personal, but it is also a data point that marks me as a good fit for certain institutions.

        All that said, your cover letter is *addressed to strangers*, and so, ought to conform to norms re talking about yourself to strangers. So, I would not talk about anything revealing of your politics, what you do in your spare time, and so on. It is rude to tell some strangers that you think Politician A is a fascist/tankie. It is unsavory/cringey to talk about all your activism with strangers. It is off putting to talk about how you love protein, weightlifting, and poetry.

        So, if you’ve got something personal, genuine, and ok to talk about with strangers that marks you as a good fit, mention it. Otherwise, don’t. That’s my sense of ‘getting personal’ in cover letters.

      3. Anonymous

        There are some good replies to this reply already, so let me just point out an additional consideration: Your reasons for *wanting* a job (“always wanted to live in the NW” or “grandma is only an hour away and needs help”) are not relevant unless they are also reasons why a department would want to hire you. If you are someone who looks like a “flight risk” (terrible term, but you know what I mean: someone who has a stellar research record who is applying to a low-ranked teaching school or something like that), then your personal reasons for wanting to be at that school/in that region can come up during the interview.

  6. Anonymous

    I work at an R1 in a location that most academics would love to be in with a good PhD program. I never read cover letters until I am seriously considering someone, and then I just quickly skim to see if there are either positives I could mention to colleagues or red flags. Sometimes I never read them at all. In my experience with grad students on the market, they matter much more at non-R1 schools, schools in non-desirable locations, etc. There, you want to submit something that’s not just a total form letter. I don’t think most more elite/R1 schools with PhD programs probably care what you say in your cover letter, even if some faculty read them. But, of course, these judgments are not universal, so…

    Reply
  7. Anonymous

    R2, no grad program. Cover letter and cv are most important for the first pass/making the long short list. Cover letter has to show how candidate meets minimum requirements posted in ad, and how they could add value to the department. Unless you meet minimum qualifications and are a good fit for our AOS/AOC needs, we aren’t going to read anything else in the file. Departments want to hire someone who will be a solid bet to earn tenure easily, so candidates need to show that they are likely to succeed at a place like ours with teaching, research and service (though the latter is not a real selection criterion–awesome service won’t get you a job if the other two aren’t very good). Also good to include some reference to experience teaching students like ours. It can be a difficult balancing act to sell yourself and not exaggerate; best advice is to be honest and straightforward, focusing on accomplishments rather than hopes, plans, or preferences.

    Reply
  8. Anonymous

    I’m at an R1 in a location where most academics would prefer not to live. I too read CV and cover letter first. Cover letter probably matters differently for different candidates. If you’ve got a fancy pedigree and plenty of publications, I look to the cover letter to see if there’s genuine interest in our job/institution or any indication that you’d actually stay here. For everyone else, I second what the commentators above said: it’s your chance to tell your story, point out the most important parts of your file, etc. Since it helps form my initial impression, I definitely think it is important.

    Reply
  9. Anonymous

    Regional teaching university here. There’s variance even within our department, but I have chaired and served on search committees, and I look at candidates’ cover letters and CVs, like most others who have responded here.

    The letter speaks to how you present and conceive of yourself as a scholar and teacher. We can get a sense of your voice, confidence (especially if coming straight from the PhD), interest level and experience in teaching gen ed courses, regional ties, etc.

    It definitely forms my first impression. For me, a strong CV with a weak cover letter is hard to overcome (though possible if the cv is quite strong for the particular position we’re looking for). Others in the department weigh the cv more heavily than I do.

    You mention you’re looking to leave a bad situation… You didn’t ask for advice on this expressly, so I’m sorry if this part is unnecessary, but worth mentioning for others who might be in a similar position, too: if the situation doesn’t somehow look bad on paper, then you want no inkling of that in the cover letter. Focus on the position(s) you’re applying for, and I would spend a little time tailoring a couple parts of the letter to the specific position instead. I would extend that advice through to the first round. Candidates who look to be wanting to leave a given position rather than who specifically want to join our department might have a tougher road, even if they’d be wonderful colleagues. This might not be as much of a concern if you’re looking to move upward exclusively, but if you’re applying to lateral positions or positions at less prestigious institutions than the one you’re currently at, if you can speak convincingly about what draws you to that position, you could be a very attractive candidate rather than a concerning one (concern being, would you want to leave us in a few years, too). Personally, I begrudge no one wanting to move from their position for any reason; and there are plenty and increasing reasons to. But keeping faculty is a real concern for many universities, ours included.

    Reply
  10. Anonymous

    I work at a teaching-heavy R2. I read cover letters & CVs first to see whether the applicant understands the job description, namely, lots of teaching and some publishing. (Most members of the phil dept here publish maybe one paper every other year.) If the cover letter highlights research and presents the applicant first as a researcher/publisher and barely mentions teaching, I discard the application.

    Reply
  11. My own view

    I have taught at both an R2 in a meh location and an R1 in a desirable one.

    I start my skimming writing samples- i figure I’m hiring you to do philosophy and what i should be assessing is how you do philosophy. I’ll then look at CVs but i want to do that after i have narrowed the pool to who i think is great so that I’m not influenced by things i think are irrelevant like where you got your phd.

    I only look at cover letters if there is something unusual in the application i want to understand ( why are you applying to an untenured position if you have tenure?) i think we should get rid of cover letters. I can’t really assess who truly wants the job or would fit and for most of the people that reason is “because it’s a job.”

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  12. Anonymous

    I’m at an R1 with a highly-ranked PhD program in a desirable location. I read Cover Letters first. For me, it’s the best snapshot of the candidate, and the opportunity for them to highlight the features that they feel are most important in their application. In my initial screening, I rarely look beyond the Cover Letter and the CV.

    Reply
  13. Anonymous

    I work in a UK department. I was surprised by the comment above, suggesting that European schools take cover letters less seriously than US departments. At least in my experience, the cover letter is taken very seriously, and we are very suspicious of people who provide a generic letter which isn’t tailored (to some degree) to our department. Having said all of that, I wonder if the real takeaway from all of the comments here is that there’s just huge amounts of variation between (maybe even within) search committees?

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  14. Anonymous

    Most recent anonymous … I think you misread the first comment. They said in Europe they do not take LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION as seriously …
    The cover letters they do … and for the same reason you note

    Reply

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