I think the first thing you need to consider is the cover letter. Remember that the search Committee select those candidates whom they are going to interview based on these documents. They look for candidates who write well and address their qualifications for the position in their letter.

A generic letter that has been developed to send out to large numbers of institutions can be a disaster. I have seen candidates state the wrong name of the university in the letter.

Indicate that you know something about the university. Show how your interests are aligned with theirs from either a teachin, research or service perspective.

Needless to say, letters that have spelling, grammatical and typographical errors are never given serious consideration by the Committee.

Can a ABD get a full time faculty position?

I am in the process of applying for universities to enter doctoral program. Would there be any types of teaching jobs I can hope to get?

According to a doctoral coordinator at a private university, all doctoral students will receive the following:

Full tuition for 4 years
A stipend of $2,000 per month

I wonder if this is normal practice? This certainly eases the financial burden somewhat.

One should also mention that there are quite a few jobs in industry that PhDs can apply for. For example, in the biotech, pharmaceuticals, and engineering industries, there are a significant number of jobs advertised where the doctorate degree is a preferred qualification. Health Sciences grads can work in firms like Bayer and Bristol Myers Squibb, while defense vendors such as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon often seek highly technical and qualified individuals. PhDs are also welcome in high tech and IT companies such as Google, Microsoft and Intel, particularly if your thesis is in an area of interest to them.

So definitely, teaching in college is not the only option left to a new PhD grad. Many can have highly successful careers in industry.

If you have a Ph.D and you decide to apply to industry rather than academia, here are a couple of steps you need to follow:

keep publishing, keep academic network intact, maintain your reputation so that you can change jobs. Maintaining this strong publication record will permit you to move back into academia in a tenured position.
When applying for the job, be be aware of the culture of the organization which is typically drastically different from academia.

I have not been in a search committee and hence this response is from a applicant's point of view. I would love to know if my suggestion is correct. Otherwise I need to rethink this approach :)

Most postings have certain criteria and key words. I would imagine making sure you hit those words in your letter of interest (cover) and explain how you would be able to fulfill those requirements. Customize your job application - not lie [never do that]. But there are many sides to a story and you need to be able to tell it based on your present audience [a.k.a potential employer]

Making use of your professional network is also key. Recommendation from a colleague, mentor may not land you a job but it may help to get the committee to take a second look.

How can you application stand out. I have served on many selection committees. And these are some of the factors which help.

Some common sense factors.
1. Update your resume
2. Make sure resume is consistent, no spelling mistakes etc
3. Well laid out and formated. Avoid any fancy fonts etc
4. The correct version of the resume (I once received the industry version for an academic position, the objectives of the candidate gave it away!!!)
5. Well written cover letter, covering your strengths etc. If for example if there is something explain in your resume the letter or short statement is the place to do it. For example, lets say you have never taught a course before. Yet you are applying for a teaching job. Explain why you never taught before.
6. Use a different type of paper so it stands out. For example I use heavier paper with a light color (grey). Trust me the resumet sticks out among all the white paper!)

Assuming you covered the above points you stand a good chance that your application is looked with more seriousness.
Now the committee will look beyond the surface. What are they looking for.
1. Fit with their goals (teaching and or research). If there is a fit make sure you mention it.
2. Quality of research (enclose sample papers)
3. Quality of teaching (enclose evaluations)
4. Which school you graduated from
5. Who was your mentor (a big name?)
6. Are there any gaps on your resume? Example are there missing years? (explain those)
7. Dont lie about working documents. Most candidates seem to have a paper submitted to a top tier journal.
8. Dont lie about potential co-authors. (Funny true story: A candidate listed me as a co-author on WIP article. Guess what I had no idea who he was. Needless to say the resume landed in the bin).

Remember academia is a small world. Treat everyone well. You never know when your paths are going to cross!!!

Good luck

Transitioning into academia from industry can take several approaches, depending on what level the individual is in industry. Top-level, accomplished executives can teach in universities without additional educational qualifications as Executives-in-Residence or Visiting Professors. Their experience speaks for them and they tend tend to teach strategy- and industry-oriented courses that benefit from their extensive experience. These are rarely tenured positions though.

For the junior or mid-level industry workers, the traditional PhD/tenure track path may be the only feasible one. However, if all that is needed is an adjunct professor or Instructor position, this may be doable without getting a PhD. If the PhD is desired, then my advice is to do as much of the coursework as possible without leaving current employment. You can then take a couple years off to finish your dissertation, after which you can transition into academia immediately or later on as a tenure-track professor.

For full-timers in the States, there are typically research and teaching assistantships that cover tuition (and a stipend), but when going full time, stipends are definitely not industry pay replacements - they are much less.

I am continuing my job search and came across this one requirement - evidence of teaching capabilities

Anyone out there know what that means and exactly what are they looking for?

Thanks in advance