Other documents for faculty job applications

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The CV, cover letter, research statement, and teaching philosophy are the most commonly requested materials for faculty positions. However, certain schools or departments may ask for other materials: writing samples, transcripts, a diversity statement, a statement of faith, and/or a statement that combines several genres into one. These documents can be quite idiosyncratic, with the specific content and length varying from school to school, so you should always refer to the language of the job ad when deciding how to approach these materials.

The text below outlines some of the other documents you may encounter in your faculty job search. If you have questions about how to interpret a requested document, we encourage you to schedule an appointment at Career Services for help with parsing the request.

Diversity/Inclusion Statements

Some schools have moved away from requesting diversity statements from faculty candidates. Others may ask you to discuss your commitment to DEI in your cover letter or teaching statement, but won’t require a separate document. Still others may request something that looks a lot like a diversity statement but goes by a different name, including “inclusion statement,” “perspective statement,” “service statement,” or simply “statement.”

Regardless of what the document is called, it is important to read the instructions carefully and provide the exact information the school is requesting. We also recommend researching the school to see if they have an official diversity policy. This will help you demonstrate alignment between your past contributions, future plans, and their priorities. In short, you won’t be able to adopt a one-size-fits-all approach to these statements.

Here is some sample language taken from recent faculty job ads:

“How has your teaching philosophy and practice contributed to fostering an environment that values varied perspectives and backgrounds?”
“How would you collaborate with X University to embrace a wide range of experiences and viewpoints?”
“What does diversity mean to you with respect to your field and to a university community?”
“Please address how your teaching might support X University’s commitment to diversity and inclusion articulated in the College’s diversity statement.”
“The application should address how the applicant’s teaching and scholarship would help foster a welcoming and inclusive environment in our program.”
“Candidates are expected to describe the ways they can support and engage with students and colleagues from historically underrepresented or marginalized groups.”
“Please provide a statement of contributions demonstrating effectiveness working in an urban environment.”

Many of these examples connect diversity, equity, and inclusion to teaching and mentorship, though you may also be asked to discuss DEI in relation to your scholarship or service. Note that many schools will prioritize your ability to support their specific student populations, so we recommend researching the demographics of their students ahead of time and incorporating that research into your statement.

One of the best approaches to this kind of statement is to connect your values and contributions to existing initiatives at the target institution. Review the school and department websites to see what kinds of programs, offices, or goals are already in place, and describe how you could contribute to those initiatives. We also recommend using some of the language you see on these pages to describe your own perspectives on diversity, since sharing common themes can make your statement more relevant to the search committee.

Networking with Penn alumni who work at the institutions you’re applying to is another great way to gain insight into what that school finds important. Those alumni don’t necessarily need to be from your discipline—and in fact, some departments don’t permit their faculty to speak with candidates once a search is active. However, speaking with faculty in adjacent fields can still yield valuable information about the culture of the institution and upcoming initiatives.

Statements of Faith

If you apply to an institution with a religious affiliation, you may be asked to submit a statement of faith. This does not necessarily mean that you must share the school’s religious identity in order to work there. Many religious institutions welcome faculty members with a range of beliefs and backgrounds. However, they may still want to know how you would uphold the school’s values and contribute to their particular religious identity. In such cases, it is important to read the school’s mission statement carefully and demonstrate an awareness of their principles and priorities.

Here is some sample language taken from recent faculty job ads:

“Provide a statement of how you can contribute to the college’s Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts, residential identity.”
“Successful applicants will demonstrate a commitment to all aspects of X’s mission as a liberal arts college. X College is grounded in robust ecumenical Christian aspirations and strives for inclusive excellence. As part of the application, we ask all candidates to describe how they will engage with and support the holistic mission of the College, particularly how their Christian faith, commitment to the liberal arts, and inclusive excellence shape their work as teachers, scholars, and mentors. More guidelines for X College candidate’s response to the mission statement can be found on our website.”

Note that some schools do require their faculty to profess a certain faith as part of the application. If you have questions about how to approach this kind of declaration, reaching out to current faculty members at that institution can be a great way to gain insight into their expectations and culture.

Combined Statements

In recent years, more universities have begun asking for statements that combine several standard application materials, like research statements and teaching philosophies, into a single document. In such cases, it is important to note any length restrictions, as these documents are often shorter than standalone research and teaching statements. In other words, you may not be able to simply combine your research statement and teaching philosophy into a single document without any edits. Even in the absence of page limits, we recommend including smooth transitions and adding an introduction that brings all the topics together into a cohesive narrative, rather than simply merging previously separate materials.

Here is some sample language taken from recent faculty job ads:

“Please provide a combined statement addressing research, teaching, and service philosophies and future plans.”
“Please provide a combined statement of teaching, service, and research philosophy/interests (max 2 pages).”
“Please provide a combined statement of research and teaching interests (no more than 3 pages).”

Note that, while a combined statement may sometimes sound like a cover letter, many job ads will specify that this document is to be submitted in addition to a cover letter. In such cases, it’s important to make the two documents distinct rather than just repeating yourself. You might use the cover letter to briefly introduce key themes or accomplishments, which you then expand on in the combined statement. Or you might focus on past accomplishments in the cover letter and prioritize future plans in the combined statement.

As with all of your application materials, we recommend tailoring these combined statements to each school. When deciding how much space to devote to research versus teaching versus service, pay attention to the language of the job ad and the stated priorities of the department. Remember, these additional documents are often much less standardized than a CV or cover letter, so you will want to evaluate these requests on a case-by-case basis.