Adapted from a January 2026 talk by Jay Howard, sociology professor and interim provost at Butler University, who has hired a lot of faculty at teaching-focused institutions. The search runs in four stages, and each one screens differently.
Application
01Tailor the cover letter to the specific institution: cite the department and institutional mission, address the areas of specialization in the posting, and lead with teaching or research depending on which the school values. The CV should show degrees with expected dates, publications, talks, teaching experience, pedagogy workshops and certificates, and service roles.
Zoom interview
01Do your homework before the call: enrollment size, selectivity, and who the students are, including the share of women, students of color, and first-generation students. Ask in advance how long the interview runs and how many questions to expect. Clean up your public social media before the search season, not after a committee finds something.
Campus interview
01Ask about presentation expectations up front: research talk, teaching demo, or both, and for what audience. You are being interviewed from the moment the plane lands, and everyone you meet matters, including staff and students. Read up on the people you will meet. Do not come across as entitled; committees remember the candidate who announced they would only teach Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Offer and negotiation
01Do not accept on the spot. Negotiate nicely, over the phone, and treat the search chair as an ally: ask what you should be asking for. Research startup funds, moving expenses, and summer salary are all normal requests. Throughout, communicate that you want to be part of the institution, not an independent contractor renting an office.