Fellows Survival Guide

Send to: Chair of the Department AND to PID Division Chief

Dear Dr.______________

Paragraph 1:

I am writing in response to [detail the specific job announcement]

OR

I am writing to enquire about a potential junior faculty position at your institution.  

Currently I’m a second/third year fellow at [Institution] with completion of my fellowship scheduled for [date].  Prior to coming to [Institution] for my fellowship, I received my [degree] in [field] from [college], graduated from medical school] in [date], and completed my pediatric residency at [Institution] [date].  [include any additional training, work experiences, extended travel experiences.] 

While a PID fellow at [Institution], I developed an interest in [specific area] and [state any special training].  [State how you wish to pursue this as you move forward in your career and why the place you are writing to is a good place to do this].

OR

While a PID fellow at [Institution], I enjoyed all aspects of pediatric infectious diseases [give examples of particular aspects you enjoy] [state why the place you are writing to is a good place to do this].

Paragraph 2:

During my fellowship, my research project/scholarly activity focused on [state the general topic and then provide key details of what you did and the importance of the findings to you and to the world]. [Mention any research grants, awards, special recognition you have received.]  My research mentor was [name] and [state how that person provided a great experience for you in doing your project].  [State if you wish to pursue this line of investigation, or another line, and why the place you are writing to is a good place to do this.  Mention potential research mentors there.]

Paragraph 3:

As a fellow, I particularly enjoyed [detail the enjoyable aspects of clinical care] [name some clinical challenges you conquered].  As a faculty member, I hope to [detail the clinical care activities—inpatient, outpatient, special patient populations—you seek to pursue].  [State why the place you are writing to is a good place to do this].  [State any clinical committees etc. you have been on while a fellow]

Paragraph 4:

[Address any additional anticipated areas of responsibility in your future job.]

• Teaching: [state what types of teaching activities you wish to pursue]. [Detail any teaching awards or recognition, any educational committees you have been on, any extra educational training].  [Detail anything special about the educational programs at the institution you are writing to that appeal to you.]
• Administration: [state what you enjoy about administration, what you think is important about administration] [address specific administrative responsibilities you may be asked to assume]

Paragraph 5 [optional]:

State anything else special about you that will be of value to the leaders of the organizations you are applying to.

Conclusion:

[Summarize your strengths and interests that should make you an outstanding faculty member.]  [Itemize what you will bring to the institution, i.e. enthusiasm, excellent training, a love of teaching, fascination with the field of infectious diseases, intellectual curiosity, willingness to complete the task, ability to work in a team, both as a leader and a team member].

I look forward to your reply. [Do NOT thank the reader for his/her time].

My best regards,
NAME

Notes:

1. Be to the point, with crisp writing. Don’t ramble. Be honest and confident without being boastful.
2. Avoid clichés, make the narrative fresh but not cutesy.
3. Use good grammar and punctuation.
4. A sloppy letter suggests sloppy thinking.
5. These are suggestions for your consideration. Use your own words in your letter.
6. Do not exceed 1.5 to 2 pages.