With a tough job market, it is important that you find a way to set yourself apart from other applicants when applying for faculty positions. I recently sent out an informal survey to the chairs of various departments around campus to ask them for advice. Since many department chairs play a role in hiring new faculty, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to learn how to prepare for a faculty position.
In this three-part series I will highlight my findings from the survey. I want to thank Dr. Sabine Fruhstuck (East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies), Dr. John Majewski (History), Dr. Josh Schimel (EEMB & Environmental Studies), Dr. Doug Burbank (Earth Science), Dr. Eileen Boris (Feminist Studies), Dr. Joel Rothman (MCD Biology), and Dr. Greg Ashby (Psychological & Brain Sciences) for their support with these articles.
What advice do you have for graduate students interested in finding a faculty position?
Not surprisingly, no two department chairs offered the same advice. This is because faculty positions vary among departments and institutions.
Dr. John Majewski shared that it is important to “keep in mind that different institutions are looking for different candidates — a Research I (R1) institution will have different criteria than an institution less focused on research.”
Dr. Josh Schimel said there is no one-size-fits-all solution for finding a faculty position.“Remember that Departments sometimes don't know exactly what they are looking for — in the end they are looking for a person, not an area of scholarship. So if you can reasonably argue that you overlap into their target area, go for it. Then it may be up to you to show them ‘I may not be a round peg, but I cover your round-hole needs, and I bring other strengths to the table.’”
Fortunately, I did find some common themes in the responses and hopefully these will help you prepare for a faculty position.
Publications
Photo Credit: Michigan TechA common thread among the department chairs was their advice to publish high-quality, peer-reviewed articles.
“Focus on research productivity in the form of important, high-profile publications. Publish as many papers in top journals as possible both as a doctoral student and as a postdoc.” – Dr. Joel Rothman
“The best way to ensure a successful search for a faculty position is to publish as much as possible. Everyone who applies will have a Ph.D., and most will have strong letters, but your competition will differ markedly in their publication records.” – Dr. Greg Ashby
“Publish while in grad school at least one peer-reviewed piece.” – Dr. Eileen Boris
“Write first-authored publications based on your research.” – Dr. Doug Burbank
“You need to think of yourself as an assistant professor and not a graduate student. It is a highly competitive job market, so having a strong dissertation, publications, and conference presentations is really important.” – Dr. John Majewski
If you have not published anything yet, it might be wise to consider meeting with your faculty advisor and asking what you can do to get published.
Dissertation Writing
Photo Credit: Peter EtnoyerA dissertation is not only necessary to graduating, but many department chairs also look at it when deciding whether to hire you.
“Write a fantastic dissertation.” – Dr. Sabine Fruhstuck
“Take a lot of initiative in creating/pursuing your dissertation topic.” – D.B.
“Most important, make sure your professors will act as advocates and FINISH YOUR DISSERTATION – few get hired before dissertation is done.” – E.B.
Networking/Mentoring
Department chairs encourage collaboration and networking, and recommend that you seek out a mentor who will help you thrive in graduate school and assist you in the process of finding a job after you graduate.
“Network, network, network: the more people who know about your work and think highly of it, the better you have a chance of getting an interview – though at that point it is up to you.” – E.B.
“Get out and connect with senior and junior people who are interested in the same things you care about. Identify a mentor and build a relationship.” - S.F.
“Seek ways to collaborate with other students or faculty to diversify your skills, exposure, and publications.” - D.B.
Teaching
If you are planning a career as a faculty member, teaching experience and/or education coursework will show that you are prepared to be in a classroom.
“At least in the humanities, showing that you have carefully thought about teaching is really important as well.” – J.M.
“Make sure you do some teaching and be an ‘instructor of record’ if possible.” - D.B.
Prepare
It is up to you to stay ahead of the curve. What skills do you need? Do you really want an assistant professor job or should you go for a postdoc? What jobs will be available when you graduate? These are all questions to consider early on in your graduate career.
“Be prepared – go to job talks while a grad student, give papers, think about the shape of your field and know the department or program that you are interviewing for. Talk to those who were on the job market recently. Shadow an assistant professor to know what the job really entails.” – E.B.
Final Advice
“BE YOURSELF. The worst thing is for a department to think they hired one type of scholar and discover they have someone else – you will not make it to tenure. It is no one's business and against the law to be asked about your social status but if you are hired in an uncomfortable environment due to your sexuality, religion, politics, culture, etc., you better think twice.” – E.B.
Photo Credit: ABE“Carefully consider the situation for postdoctoral training, which is essential to find an academic position in this field. Develop independence as a scientist and scholar.” – J.R.
“Be a good departmental citizen: serve on committees, volunteer, make good things happen. Develop strong communication skills, both oral and written. Read deeply, think widely.” – D.B.
“If you have doubts about a position, apply anyhow. First, you are under no obligation to say yes even if they were to offer you the job. But second, hiring is a fitting process and if you aren't the right fit, they won't offer you the job. But you may be surprised as well. … Don’t waste everyone's time applying for positions that you clearly don't fit. The first part of a search is filtering out the applicants that clearly don't fit. Try to avoid being one of those.” – J.S.
“Remain positive and patient – it is an extraordinarily difficult job market in many fields, so it might take some time to find a job.” – J.M.