How to Write Useful Academic Letters of Motivation

Tags: academia, research

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When applying for academic positions, a common requirement is a letter of motivation. If you are not well-versed in academic matters and traditions (as I used to be), here is a little guide about things to do and things to avoid.

1. Do: Be concise and highlight the most relevant facts about your CV. Since you typically attach different documents, your letter of motivation does not have to rehash your entire CV.
2. Don’t: Use LLMs for anything beyond polishing your text in terms of grammar and idioms. No one is interested in reading 10 paragraphs of AI slop. As a rule of thumb: If it takes longer to read than to write, do not send it out.
3. Do: Signal genuine interest in the position, the lab, and the research. Personally, I appreciate it when someone tells me that they like a paper of ours for some genuine reason, or found a way to improve it.
4. Don’t: Be hyperbolic about the research. While ‘you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar,’ your letter should not come across as smarmy. I realise that this is somewhat in the eye of the beholder, but my suggestion is—see above—to rather focus on genuine aspects you find intriguing.
5. Do: Mention ideas about improving or following up on existing research. If you already have an idea about what type of research excites you, tell the recipient about it and do not hold back! No one expects you to come up with a full research plan, but it will make it easier to assess any application if potential commonalities are already pointed out.
6. Don’t: Be too general. If you mention that you are interested in a broad array of topics, your application might not come across as targeted to a specific position. For example, if an application to my lab mentions 10 different topics, including things we are definitely not working on like quantum physics and sensor networks,¹ you will lose the interest of your readers quickly.

As a pithy summary of the above: Be concise, genuine, and specific.

(You may also find my guidelines for collaborators to be of interest.)

I hope this helps—best of luck with your applications!