Associate sending letter of interest

[movingon]

Do Associate professors looking to move ever send a letter of interest to the department chair of a department at an institution where they’d like to work? My sense is this generally takes place less formally. At this point in our careers, we’ve likely built networks with people in our sub fields, and can use these channels to inquire or express interest in a particular job/Department/institution. Does anyone have any experiences with this or any general thoughts?

[Don't write a letter]

You're right: there are less formal ways of doing this that are more effective. Letters (especially if emailed) can be recirculated, and might harm you in ways you don't anticipate right now. If you only have one/few specific school/s to which you would move, convey the info through social networks.

If you want to go the on record approach, apply (even for an AP position). News travels when you apply for a job and places that might want to hire you find out that you're moveable. SC members talk, letter writers talk. Just remember, that means that the news will (in all likelihood) travel to your home institution as well. Of course, that would also be the case if you send a letter.

However, fewer schools these days engage in targeted recruitment, and when they do they almost always at least surround it with a search. So, the best way to be considered for a job is to be in the applicant pool. Plenty of senior folks move by throwing themselves into a junior pool of applicants. It usually takes institutional effort to convert a junior search into a senior one -- but often less effort than creating a senior hire out of thin air (unless you can contribute to institutional diversity in some obvious way that would make you a strong case for an opportunity hire).