from the desk of...candidate 1
Cover Letter + Resume = Crap Shoot

In the past week I have received both good news and bad news related to my job search. Excitingly, one of my top choices of east coast schools invited me to do a first interview with them at TPE. And sadly, one of my top choices of west coast schools indicated that I would not be moving on in their process. Similarly, both schools reviewed the same cover letter and resume.

I just don’t get it. What is it about the buzz words like “student engagement” and “learning outcomes” that impress some employers while driving others crazy? Seemingly, there is no right answer to the cover letter and resume question because one never knows what a potential employer is exactly seeking.

As a result, I’ve decided that submitting cover letters and resumes is a crap shoot, and with any gamble it relies heavily on your odds, numbers, and chances. Colleagues of mine laugh at me when I suggest this, however, it is exactly this point that has influence my strategy for applying to jobs.

Simply, I need to apply to many jobs because at each step in the process the number of possibilities is reduced. For example if I apply to 20 positions I can probably expect to have first interviews with 75% of them. This leaves me with 15 possible jobs in the hopper. After the first interview the chances of moving on in the process become harder, therefore I am expecting that 66% of the 15 possibilities move on to second interviews. This leaves me with 9 – 10 job prospects. Still, I am assuming the odds become even more difficult at the next step. With that, I think that 50% of second interviews, a total of 5, will move on to on-campus interviews. The final and hardest step with slimmest possibility is getting the offer. I have calculated this as a 33% chance. And of 5 on-campus interviews that might translate into 1 – 2 offers. Crazy…right?!?

Of course there are other variables. For example, there are schools that I won’t like and will pull out of their process, and there may be more employers than I anticipate that like and advance me in their process. However, the probability that I just explained seems very reasonable to me and has motivated me to be flexible and open to both positions and locations as I continue to search. I’ll have to keep you posted on the math and let you know if it works out like I think it will.