Whether you’re a newly minted Ph.D. applying for your first-ever academic position or you’re looking for new opportunities after more than a decade in higher education, the faculty application process can be overwhelming. From the number of applications you submit to the amount of material included in each application packet, it’s easy to start working on autopilot and submit the same template for each job listing. 

But by using some best practices—and doing a little prep work beforehand—you can strengthen your faculty applications so that they’re self-assured, noteworthy, and well curated. Faculty job applications are your opportunity to make the case that not only will you be a valuable colleague, but you are also already putting your mark on the field. Follow these tips to make that case with confidence. 

​​​Prepare All Your Materials

The academic recruitment process often moves slowly, but you need to respond to job listings as quickly as possible. Save yourself some future stress and get organized on the front end: Keep different versions of your CV and cover letters in one place, make sure you have an up-to-date list of notable accomplishments that you can include in application packets, and have your requests for letters of recommendation ready to send.  

Faculty applications include a lot of moving pieces; using tools like Interfolio’s Dossier allows you to store and prepare all your materials in one place so that you’re ready to send polished, compelling, and comprehensive applications at a moment’s notice. 

​​Keep Your CV Focused and Short

It’s natural to want to include all of your credentials in your CV—and if you’re a young professional seeking a first-time position, you may not know which accomplishments should make the cut. While it’s wise to have a comprehensive CV on hand, you’ll want to send shorter, more focused versions in your applications that include only the accomplishments and experience most relevant to the position you’re seeking. 

Prioritize your highest-prestige accomplishments, then consider other credentials for their relevance to the position you’re applying for. For example, if you spent your first couple of years in graduate school writing book reviews and encyclopedia articles, you may not need to include that experience on your CV unless it clearly illustrates subject matter expertise or a skill you want to showcase for a specific job opportunity.  

Remember that academic CVs can easily be 10 pages or more: Save the hiring committee’s time, and show you understand the specific needs for an open position, by editing your CV down to the accomplishments you believe the hiring committee will care about most. 

Position Yourself as a Well-Rounded Colleague 

You’re more than the accomplishments on your CV. Institutions are looking to hire faculty with a certain type of experience, but they also want to recruit talent that will contribute holistically to the prestige and vitality of the department, school, or university.  

To put your best foot forward, look for opportunities to showcase the following: 

• Teaching effectiveness and student engagement 
• Collaborative experience within your department, college/school, and community 
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion 
• Professional development and continuous improvement

Packaging a well-rounded faculty job application will show hiring managers not only what you have already accomplished but also what you can contribute to their institution in the future. 

Give Your Cover Letter Some Life 

If this is your first time applying to a faculty position, you may feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of documents you need to write and assemble—and if you’re already a seasoned faculty member, you may simply be exhausted. But your cover letter is your opportunity to communicate what your CV and samples can’t. Are you passionate about your work? Are you enthusiastic about your line of research? Take some time to convey this in writing.  

The people reviewing your application will likely be disciplinary colleagues, so feel free to use some specialized language, but don’t hamper your cover letter with too much jargon. Instead, write as though you are talking directly to the hiring committee, telling them what it is about this position that excites you. And remember, for as many cover letters as you’ve written, the people on the other end have read even more. Keep it short, and they’ll thank you.  

​​​Think Strategically About Letters of Recommendation 

Letters of recommendation are critical, and it’s important that they come from the right people. Consider the context of the job you’re applying for when you decide whom to approach for a letter. Select someone who can speak to your skills or accomplishments in the specific area you’re pursuing, and whose opinion will carry weight with the hiring committee. 

Faculty who are more advanced in their career will be able to seek interdisciplinary recommendations from a wide range of colleagues, but if you are fresh from your studies, you’ll likely seek a letter from your adviser or a member of your dissertation committee. In all cases, be sure your recommender knows what to say. Ask them to include certain information, from details about your academic performance to a character reference, that will make your application shine. 

From asking for letters to collecting them and sending them on, it can be difficult to manage the letter of recommendation process in a short timeline. For a seamless recommendation process, use Interfolio’s online academic dossier service, which enables you to request, store, and send letters confidentially and with ease from one central location. 

When you’re on the academic job market, looking ahead to a professional review or applying for grants, it’s a great time to break your lingering undergrad habit of completing applications 15 minutes before midnight on deadline day.  

Instead, you should get feedback on your materials to ensure you’re putting your best foot forward. Whether it’s from your dissertation advisor, the jobs coordinator in your department, a professor you’re friendly with, or a peer who’s been there and knows what it’s about, your letters of recommendation, teaching statements, and project statements can be improved with a second set of eyes. Here are some tips to help you request—and get the most out of—feedback on your academic work. 

1. Pick the Right Person 

The “right person” is going to vary depending on the job, placement, or funding opportunity that you’re aiming for, as well as your specific concerns about your application. If you’re fretting about your grasp of the subject matter at hand, ask someone who’s got it down—and be sure to let them know that’s why you’re asking. 

If you’re most worried about the quality of your writing, ask somebody with strong writing skills. Even better, someone who you already know is great at commenting on other people’s writing and academic work. If you’re lucky enough to have a connection with someone who has experience with the department or program you’re applying for, ask them to use their institutional knowledge to assess whether your materials strike the right tone. 

2. Leave Plenty of Time 

The person who’s willing to comment on your academic work is doing you a favor, so you should make the experience as seamless as possible for them. That means finishing drafts of your documents with plenty of time to spare so that the commentator can fit their review into their own schedule. Ask your commentator how much time they need and set yourself a new deadline accordingly—and be sure to budget on the other end for your own turnaround time. You don’t want to give your commentator three weeks with a document, only to have them send it back on the eve of the deadline with revision suggestions that will require heavy lifting and no time to work through it all on your end. 

3. Provide Context for Your Academic Work 

At the bare minimum, your commentator needs to know what kind of promotion or funding opportunity you’re applying for. When you’re ready to share your academic work for their review, include the link to the desired role or opportunity. This will help provide a bit of framing so they can better understand your approach.  

Include answers to questions like: 

• What do you think your chances of getting this job or grant might be, and why do you think you might be a good fit? 
• What are your concerns about the draft materials you have produced? 
• Are there any problem areas you want the person to address? 

The more explicit you can be about the kind of feedback you’re seeking, the better. By making it clear that you’re asking for a particular kind of feedback, you can make the experience easier for everyone. 

4. Be Respectful About the Feedback  

It’s only human to bristle when criticized, but try to remember that they are doing you a favor and you shouldn’t feel defensive. Send an extremely polite reply email or handwritten note thanking them for their efforts. Definitely check in about any notes you would like further clarification on, but only if you truly don’t understand the feedback—make sure you aren’t just being reactive. If you know it will take you a while to process the feedback and make revisions, build that recovery space into your timeline. 

With some preparation and the right mindset, getting feedback on the materials you’re using to present yourself when applying for jobs, fellowships, grants, or future study can help you sharpen your portfolio—while strengthening your relationships along the way. And if somebody asks you for feedback in the future, say yes! Keep that karma flowing. 

Interfolio’s Dossier enables scholars to collect, curate, polish, and send out their materials at all stages throughout their academic professional path. Learn more about Dossier here.

You don’t want to find yourself in the position of needing to rustle up syllabi, statements, CVs, teaching evaluations, and reference letters when you’re in the throes of applying for a job. Do your future self a favor and maintain an updated archive of those materials in between searches. Staying organized is easier than you think—here are some tips that can help.

Keep It All Together

Applying for academic opportunities involves aggregating a plethora of materials. How can you ensure that you have everything you need to pursue your career aspirations?

In today’s digital-first age, it makes the most sense to maintain your career materials in digital form with ample backup on a hard drive as well as in the cloud. If you have some items in paper form, scan them. A bit of annoyance now can save you from a lot of confusion later—not to mention a strained back from carrying those files up and down stairs. Using a service like Interfolio’s Dossier can make this easier since you have the ability to request, store, and organize your most important scholarly documents in one convenient location.

Categorize Your Materials

Depending on where you’re keeping your documents, you might want to enlist metadata to help you remember which documents would serve for which purposes. The most basic way to do this is to create a folder structure that stores documents by type, subject matter, etc. If you use a system that offers tagging, take advantage of this feature to keep everything organized.

Within Interfolio’s Dossier, you have the ability to group documents together for easy reference by creating a collection. You can share collections of your materials with collaborators and mentors anywhere, ensuring that you’re sending the exact materials you want to share with the right recipients. Learn more about how to create and manage collections of your materials in this helpful article.

Start a Habit of Scheduled Maintenance

Pick a few times when you’re under a little less pressure at your job—possibly the end of the semester, between grading and travel—to survey your career documents folder and make sure everything is up to date.

Keep a checklist:

• Have I published any new articles?
• Have I taught any classes with student evaluations, and do I have the results here?
• Did I change my syllabus? And if so, do I have a copy of the new one here?

Take a moment to update your CV as well—even if you’re not using it to apply to anything at the moment.

Note Important Reference Contacts

Maintain a list of people you meet along the way who might be good candidates for reference letter-writing in the future. Set a goal to develop those relationships, and be sure to keep notes in this list to indicate your progress. That way, if and when you do ask a contact to write a letter for you, you can consult your notes before you write that email asking for the favor.

An email that says exactly why you think your colleague would be the best person to write the letter—and suggests which areas of your relationship you think the letter-writer could address—is far preferable to a generic ask. Need tips on what makes a great reference letter, who to ask, and how to ask? We’ve got you covered.

Take Notes for Your Future Self

If you don’t feel like writing a new teaching philosophy statement (for example) while you’re happy at your current job and not planning to move, try to leave yourself a little help. Jot a few things down at the end of each semester during your scheduled maintenance times that you think might make good additions to your next version, like stories about student responses to projects or observations about discussions that were particularly successful. Human beings are forgetful—your notes will make it a lot easier to add color and depth when you do end up updating that document.

Interfolio’s Dossier enables scholars to collect, curate, polish, and send out their materials at all stages throughout their academic professional path. Learn more about Dossier here.

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Interfolio’s Dossier began in 1999, and back then, our delivery structure of sending materials to an opportunity was pretty straightforward. We originally only processed deliveries via USPS, FedEx, fax, and a few by email. Our main clients were faculty members or those applying to faculty roles. We continue to serve scholars seeking tenure-track faculty positions, but our online products now serve people in a much wider range of situations, including medical school applicants, graduate students, social workers, surgeons, and even several football coaches.  

At the core, our mission has stayed the same: Putting our users first by providing them with consistent tools for their careers. To a significant degree, Dossier Deliver exists to deliver materials to jobs, grants, fellowships, medical school programs, grad school, etc. 

Here, we explore the various types of deliveries, including the intricacies of each type. 

Email Delivery 

What is it? Use this when you want Interfolio to send your materials directly to an email address. 

Sometimes, a search will want materials to be sent to a specific individual instead of a group email address. For example, “You can send your materials/application to me at firstname.lastname@school.edu.”   

Other times, a search wants those materials to be sent to an HR or department address. For example, “Apply to this position by emailing your LORs & CV to hr@school.edu.” 

Either way, when creating your delivery through your Dossier account, you’ll need to provide us with the name of the recipient and the correct email address. 

Issues With Your Delivery? 

• Was your delivery canceled? If so, reach out to us, and we’ll be happy to explain why that happened. 
• If we are not able to verify the email address, you can forward us proof of a conversation with that individual that explains they are expecting materials from you. 
• Or you can provide us with a URL that includes the email address where those materials need to be sent. You can do this during the delivery creation process. 
• If you have received confirmation from us that your delivery was sent but your delivery recipient has not received the email, the first step is for the delivery recipient to check their spam folder. If it’s not there, reach out to us and let us know. We’ll be able to resend the delivery to help ensure it gets to the intended recipient without any problems. 

Tips & Tricks 

• You can include as many documents as you want in an email delivery. So, if you’re looking to send many documents that are hundreds of pages long, we encourage using the email delivery option.  
• You can “order” the materials in your email delivery, meaning you have the ability to arrange them in a sequence of your choosing. This allows them to be read in a certain order by the intended receiver. You can do this during the delivery creation process. 

Mail Delivery 

What is it? Use this when you want Interfolio to mail physical copies of your materials to a destination. Please note that different institutions have different requirements. 

Issues With Your Delivery? 

• Was your delivery canceled? If so, reach out to us, and we’ll be happy to explain why that happened. 
• If we were not able to verify the address, you can forward us proof of a conversation with that individual that explains they are expecting materials from you. 
• Or you can provide us with a URL that includes the address where those materials need to be sent. 

Tips & Tricks 

• There are a number of shipping methods to choose from. Included in your Dossier Deliver subscription is the “USPS First Class” option—there is no additional cost to you for this shipping option. All other options have an additional cost associated with them. This is a good reason to stay on top of deadlines so you can avoid rush delivery and the additional cost. 
• If you want tracking for your mail delivery, sending FedEx is the only option. FedEx deliveries have an additional cost. 
• You can “order” the materials in your mail delivery, meaning you have the ability to arrange them in a sequence of your choosing. This allows them to be read in a certain order by the intended receiver. You can do this during the delivery creation process. 
• Please note that we are unable to deliver to P.O. Boxes. 

Confidential Letter Upload (CLU) 

What is it? The trickiest of the bunch! Use this when you want Interfolio to upload your confidential letters of recommendation into another online application system. This option is most commonly used by medical school applicants.  

This type of delivery takes one of two forms: either the external system provides you with a link to pass along to your letter writers or the external system asks you for your letter writers’ email addresses. 

When the external system provides you with a link to pass along to your letter writers:
In this situation, you simply follow the Confidential Letter Upload instructions when creating a new delivery in your account. You paste in the upload link and indicate which letter you’d like us to upload, and we go and upload it there. Simple!   

When the external system asks you for your letter writer’s email address:
In this situation, Interfolio can substitute for your letter writer. (Except sometimes, unfortunately, when we can’t. See below for exceptions.) 

Suppose you are applying to Demo University and have been asked to provide them with the email addresses of three letter writers. Normally, the school would reach out to your letter writers via those email addresses, asking them to upload a letter of recommendation. If you have letters stored in your Interfolio Dossier account, Interfolio can often stand in for your letter writer and upload letters on their behalf. 

In order for Interfolio to process these deliveries, we automatically generate a unique email address associated with each letter of recommendation you have in your Dossier account. When the external online application system asks for your letter writer’s email address, you can substitute the unique Interfolio email address associated with that writer’s letter. Once you submit that request, you’re all done—we’ll take care of the rest. 

Issues With Your Delivery? 

• We may have to cancel a delivery due to required questions within the application that we do not know the answers to. Unfortunately, if we run into questions that must be answered on behalf of your letter writer to upload the letter, we cannot legally do this. Some possible personal questions that prevent us from processing the delivery include: 
  • Rank the applicant among other students in recent years 
  • How long have you known the applicant? 
  • How well do you know the applicant? 
• We also cannot complete a delivery when a user is prompted to upload the letter of recommendation themselves. In these situations, users will provide us with their login information to upload the letter. We cannot accept that information from the user—it’s a liability for us to have that information. 
• If confidential letter uploads are ever canceled, we suggest you reach out to the institution directly and explain why. They can often provide you with an email address to send materials directly, then they can upload the letters to your application. (See email delivery above!) 
•  

Tips & Tricks 

• Make sure you are submitting the document email address found in your Dossier account when the application asks for your letter writer’s email address and be sure to submit that request. Going through the CLU delivery process via the Delivery page on your account alone does not create the requests—you must make sure you are entering in that information and submitting it on the application website. 
• Haven’t received confirmation that we’ve received the request? Give it a little time. We do receive requests instantly. Unfortunately, we have no control over when the application sends the request to the document email address you entered. If you think it’s been an appropriate amount of time since you submitted that request and you still haven’t received confirmation that we’re working on the delivery, reach out to us, and we’ll double-check to see if we’ve received the request or not. 
• Need to submit your application before you’ve received the letter in your account? Contact us and we can give you the unique email address to enter your application. 
• Our one to three-day turnaround time is once we receive the request, not once you submit the request on the application. Sometimes there is a delay from when you submit the application/request and when we receive it. 

Running up against a deadline? As always, we can expedite most delivery types for you. Just send an email to help@interfolio.com with your delivery number letting us know you need it expedited, and we will get to work on that ASAP.   

In 2023, we processed 218,719 Dossier Deliveries for our users. Trust Interfolio with yours.   

Interfolio’s Dossier enables scholars to collect, curate, polish and send out their materials at all stages throughout their academic professional path. Learn more about Dossier here. 

Millions of scholars have elevated their academic journey by using Interfolio’s Dossier to pursue academic jobs, medical programs, and graduate degrees. With tools to help gather, store, and deliver essential materials, it’s clear why so many scholars trust Interfolio with their career aspirations.  

Whether you’re just getting started with Dossier or have used the service previously, these best practices will help you confidently utilize the contacts, archiving, collections, and sharing features as you pursue your next opportunity. 

Add Contacts Before Requesting Letters of Recommendation 

The process for requesting letters is simple and includes saving your letter writers as contacts within your account. You will need to add your letter writers as contacts, which you can do either via the “My Contacts” page or while creating a new letter request. 

To add a contact to your Dossier, log in and click on your name in the top right-hand corner of your account. Click My Contacts and then the “Add Contact” button. 

We suggest saving your letter writers in your account before you start working on applications to streamline your process. We also encourage you to communicate with your letter writers ahead of time so that they expect your request. 

Some things you should consider communicating to your letter writer are: 

• The number of requests you plan to send 

• Any requirements for the actual letter, like if you need a letterhead or signature 

• If you want the letter to be a general letter for multiple uses or specific to one application 

Looking for step-by-step instructions? Here is a detailed walkthrough of how to add your letter writers as contacts. 

Make Use of the Ability to Archive Your Materials 

You have the ability to archive any document in your account. Archiving is different than deleting a document—archiving simply removes it from the list of active documents. When you create a delivery or work on an application, you only see a list of active materials. 

Why is this helpful? If you find yourself with a multitude of documents in your Dossier, consider archiving older versions. If you ever archive a document and want to use it in the future, you can always move it back to your list of active documents. 

You can find some helpful articles about archiving and storing your materials here. 

Organize Your Materials Using Collections 

Creating a collection allows you to group documents together for easy reference. For example, if you have a set of documents that you want to use for applying to faculty positions, you can create a “Faculty” collection that contains the documents specific to that position. Likewise, if you have a set of documents that’s better suited for fellowship applications, you can create a “Fellowship” collection to access when applying to those opportunities. You can also share collections of your materials with collaborators and mentors anywhere. 

You can find a walkthrough of creating a collection here. 

Use the Sharing Feature to Get Feedback on Your Dossier 

(Note that this feature is only available to Dossier Deliver users. Upgrade to Dossier Deliver here.) 

The sharing feature gives users a way to collect feedback on academic materials from anyone, anywhere—including documentation of research, creative production, teaching, or service—without leaving the Interfolio environment where your work is stored. This feature accommodates ongoing input on academic case materials, whether outside of a formal institutional workflow or as part of one, such as in the case of a mentoring letter. 

In order to share materials with someone, you’ll need to add them as a contact, just like you have done for your letter writers. When you share a document with someone, they do not have to create an account—they’ll be provided with a link that goes directly to the materials you’ve shared with them. 

Here are some more details on sharing your materials for feedback. 

Interfolio’s Dossier enables scholars to collect, curate, polish, and send out their materials at all stages throughout their academic professional path. Learn more about Dossier here.