For a while, I struggled to find the type of consistent work I was looking for as an adjunct professor. I also work as a freelance journalist, and in that field I did better but still felt like I was not getting as strong a response from editors when I cold-pitched them ideas.
As I continued my job search, I began to wonder if there was something wrong with my application materials. Did my cover letter violate the basic rules of grammar in a way I’d missed? Did my CV reference interviews with a celebrity who had done something horrible? I had some friends who work in academia look at my materials, and they said it all was professional and an accurate depiction of my skills and background.
At first, I thought that was all I could ask for: application materials that accurately and professionally shared my experience. But over time, I realized that isn’t enough.
While not AI-generated, my application materials may as well have been for all the humanity they displayed. I realized that I was missing an opportunity to share not just where I had worked but actually tell my story through my application materials to reveal what kind of writer and educator I am. This was a subtle mindset shift that led to major changes in my approach that has really increased my success rate.
Here’s a closer look at what I did.
Telling My Story As A Writer
The concept of doing a better job telling my story would ultimately influence the way I talked about my teaching qualifications, but I started doing it for writing first.
I used to include in my cover letter that I had written for outlets such as Tech & Learning, The New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, and Washington Post. This tells editors–and those of you reading this article–that I’m well published, but it doesn’t make anyone interested in my work or say anything about the kind of writer I am.
So I started rewriting that as: “I’ve written about how AI is helping recover long-lost lines from the Epic of Gilgamesh for The New York Times, about my obsessive quest to track down the sideshow magician who inspired Ray Bradbury’s writing career, and about how learning styles are a myth that refuses to be debunked for Tech & learning.”
That level of detail and specificity helped get editors more interested in the kind of work I can do.
Telling My Story As An Educator
After seeing better results by making that shift when describing my qualifications as a freelance writer, I realized I could also translate it to education.
Once again, my cover letter initially just listed my teaching credentials without telling my story as an educator. Initially, I would write something such as: “I have taught undergraduate courses at Mercy University, Quinnipiac University, and Post University, and I have taught graduate and undergraduate courses at Western Connecticut State University.”
Now I better tailor how I describe my credentials based on the job for which I am applying. If it’s an online teaching opportunity, for instance, I’ll write something such as: “Since 2019, I have taught an online multi-genre writing workshop, working directly with writers in genres including journalism, screenwriting, fiction, poetry, and more.”
Or something along the lines of: “One reason I love asynchronous online teaching is that it allows me to focus on providing individualized feedback, which is my favorite part of teaching writing.”
Again, this level of detail distinguishes me from other applicants and help prospective employers get a better sense of my skills and experience.
Recognizing How To Tell Your Story
When I share this advice with graduate students who will soon get their degrees and enter the job market, I find that many of them struggle with this in one of two ways: Either they don’t like to talk about themselves at all, or they get slightly thrown by the “telling their story” advice, and give detailed genealogies and artist statements about their hopes and dreams.
For what it’s worth, there’s nothing wrong with tracing your lineage or having big aspirations for your career, but that, in my experience, is not what employers want to see. The trick is finding how your unique experience qualifies you in specific and direct ways for this teaching opportunity.
Questions You Can Ask?
If the job is seeking online teaching experience, think about your experiences with online learning not just as a teacher but as a student. What were instances that worked really well? Where would you improve things?
Or maybe the job requires you to work with students who are expected to struggle in the subject matter you teach. What struggles did you have with this subject? How did you overcome these? If you have teaching experience, how did you successfully reach a student who needed extra help?
These questions don’t always result in answers that are helpful for application materials, but the process of finding new ways to talk about your qualifications is one I think is worth it.
A Final Benefit of Telling Your Story
I used to worry that by revealing too much about myself as a writer or teacher, I’d end up offending someone. What if I railed against traditional lecture to a department chair that did nothing but traditional lecture? Or would highlighting my preference for teaching practical writing over a more traditional scholarly approach cause someone to ignore my email seeking opportunities or applications?
In reality, I’ve found the opposite to be true: the less generic I am, the better, which sounds obvious but wasn’t to me for a long time.
Sometimes, as educators, it’s easy to forget the advice we frequently give to students: be original, be specific, and never be afraid to be 100% you.