Lecturer Application - cover letter length

[YoYoBiscuits]

Hi All

I have lurked on here a long time, and contributed quite a bit under another username some time ago. I'm applying for a lecturer role (social sciences) for the first time (currently very lucky to be in a fab, prestigious research fellowship, which follows on from another fab research fellowship, and currently 5 years out of PhD). I'm super excited that this post is perfect for me, a really good fit, but I do need a bit of room to explain why - it isn't necessarily immediately apparent on paper. The application has no form etc, just covering letter and CV. I've just done the first pass at my covering letter and it is 4 pages long. I know I need to chop, but how much!? Can I get away with 3 pages, or does it need to be down within 2? I have a paragraph that explains how my previous career is in fact very relevant and demonstrates longevity of similar interests and building relevant strengths (definitely doesn't look that way without explanation!). I've then spent most of the space highlighting the best bits (conceptual rationale, publications and impact) of the three main research projects (PhD and each fellowship). Then a paragraph on how great the fit is, a paragraph on the next research project I have in mind and what it would offer the institution; three paragraphs on teaching (explaining some of the innovative things I've done to redress inequalities in the classroom, to improve accessibility, and to collaborate with students, some teaching-based publications etc, and detailing what I could teach for them); and one on admin stuff/research community stuff.

Any wisdom from hiring panels on what to loose/shorten or how much needs to go would be much appreicated!

Thanks so much!

Sounds like you are really excited about the role which is great 😊 that will come across in the application.

From what you’ve said I think you need to be a bit more focussed in the letter. Remember that people screening applications will tick these letters off against the person spec, so you should focus on showing how you demonstrate each of the selection criteria. So focus your descriptions of teaching and research on precisely how they have given you the skills and experience they are looking for rather than just describing the projects in general. You need a concrete example of each criteria, when you’ve demonstrated the skill involved. It can even be a good idea to subheading your cover letter with the criteria to make it really easy for the person screening (if there are loads, I sometimes group them).

it sounds like a good idea to include some information about why your interests align with the role if that’s not obvious, although you can weave that in if you have examples of when you’ve met the criteria while demonstrating that interest (eg - the more generic ones such as team work or communication).

Good luck with the application!

Thanks for the encouragement! I'm down to 3... ✂