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.

中文翻译：

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我们选择了一个更符合我们当前需求的候选人：学术拒绝信的类型分析

对许多人来说，学术求职过程涉及经历拒绝、自我怀疑和抑郁。在此过程中，一种常见的沟通形式——求职信——可以强化这些负面体验。本文采用修辞体裁分析法，研究了131封学术求职信以及求职者对这些信件的看法。首先，它在字母样本中构建了一个常见体裁动作的模型，给出了这些动作变化的具体例子。然后它将这些动作与申请人对他们收到的信件的看法相关联，分析申请人看法模式的统计显着变化的结果。基于这些分析，作者认为最典型的流派动作不会让申请人感到受到重视。反而，通过不那么典型的举动和语言来建立善意的信件通常更有效。最后，他认为我们可以通过关注申请人和机构之间全方位互动的细节，使求职过程更加人性化。