Journal of Business and Technical Communication Jan 2020 OA PDF

We’ve Selected a Candidate Who More Closely Fits Our Current Needs: A Genre Analysis of Academic Job-Refusal Letters

Luke Thominet Florida International University

Abstract

For many, the academic job-search process involves experiencing rejection, self-doubt, and depression. And a common form of communication during this process—job-refusal letters—can reinforce these negative experiences. This article uses rhetorical genre analysis to study 131 academic job-refusal letters and the applicants’ perceptions of these letters. First it constructs a model of the common genre moves in the sample of letters, giving specific examples of variation in these moves. Then it correlates these moves with the applicants’ perceptions of the letters they received, analyzing the results for statistically significant variations in patterns of applicant perceptions. Based on these analyses, the author argues that the most typified genre moves do not contribute to applicants’ feeling valued. Instead, letters building goodwill through less typified moves and language are often more effective. Ultimately, he argues that we can make the job-search process more humane by attending to the specifics of the full range of interactions between applicants and institutions.

Journal
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published
2020-01-01
DOI
10.1177/1050651919874099
CompPile
Open Access
OA PDF Bronze
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Cited by in this index (5)

  1. Zhang et al. (2026)
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  4. Moeggenberg (2022)
    Job Market Mentoring in Rhetoric and Composition and Technical Communication
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  5. Shi et al. (2022)
    A Cross-Cultural Genre Analysis of Firm-Generated Advertisements on Twitter and…
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