Navigating the Academic Job Market

Navigating theAcademic Job Market R. Karl Rethemeyer Assistant Professor & PhD Director University at Albany – SUNY

Do you really want to be an academic? • About that negative coefficient on getting a PhD… • Here is the reality in public affairs (nine-month contract)

Do you really want to be an academic? Here is another reality: Business schools pay more…

Do you really want to be an academic? • Up to half of each PAD cohort decides not to enter the academy • Consulting • Independent research • Government • Non-profits • Corporate work in finance, government relations, government contracting, etc. • Many POS grads end up in the academy • OR they can work for government (Congressional Research Service), non-profits, think tanks • However…if you choose to go outside the academy after graduation, the door to the academy may be shut forever

Do you really want to be an academic? • There are certainly benefits to the academy • Certain degree of prestige • Greater autonomy • Greater flexibility to pursue one’s intellectual interests (but don’t romanticize this) • Opportunity to do both social (teaching) and individual (research) work • Your PhD may teach you that the academy is not the right place • Lots of very smart people are not right for the academy – and vice versa

OK: I want to be an academic. Where do I fit? • Professional schools are the primary option for PAD • Policy and public administration departments • Political science departments • Business schools • Other professional schools – Criminal Justice, Social Work, Public Health • POS grads usually stay in the discipline • They may have appointments in interdisciplinary departments • Public policy, women’s studies, international studies • Grads of both programs sometimes enter… • Economics or Sociology • But…to fit into these fields you must amass sufficient background in the core literature of these fields

I’m years away from graduating. What can I do to improve my chances? • Get to know faculty members who are connected to the professional niche you wish to enter • Develop a transcript that has a discernible focus • For PAD PhDs: A clear disciplinary focus broadens your market • For POS PhDs: Think strategically about rounding out your teaching portfolio • Learn methods appropriate to this concentration / subfield • Go to conferences in your area early

What can I do at the beginning? • Publish – becoming essential • Get varied teaching experience, especially in methods or commonly taught areas • Get research experience • Make conference presentations – don’t wait until your last year! • Seek grant funding – just applying will help • Get FINISHED!!!! • The only good dissertation is a finished dissertation • Length of time in program ~ productivity

OK, What exactly is a faculty job? • Faculty are hired on a 9 or 10-month contract • The initial rank is Assistant Professor, with promotion possible to Associate and Full • Associate & Full Professors usually have “tenure” • Summers are not formally committed, but… • You may be able to get grants/teaching to earn summer salary • Your summers are not “free” until you get tenure (if ever) because of research requirements at most institutions

OK, What exactly is a faculty job? • Faculty are obligated to… • Teach 3-8 classes per year, depending on the institution (teaching “load”) • Provide service – serve on committees, mentor & advise students, help administer the institution, be visible • Be research-active – your institution will determine what this means • At a research intensive university, this usually means 1-2 referred article/year and/or a book every 2-4 years

OK, What exactly is a faculty job? • Faculty need to be active in their intellectual community • Participate in intellectual exchanges on campus • Participate in academic conferences regularly Publish regularly – 1-3 articles per year or 1-3 books over several years • Potentially be a “public intellectual”

OK, What exactly is a faculty job? • “Publish or perish” • Research universities: publication record is your key credential, but you must teach competently • Teaching colleges: Research is less important • Increasingly, faculty are expected to find grants • You do not have to be stellar in each to be successful, but you should be good in all • As a PhD student you need to… • Learn a field of inquiry & start publishing • Get teaching experience • Embed yourself in an intellectual community

I’m ready to go on the market. Now what? • Bad news: The market was VERY bad this year • Better news: Long-run demographics may be favorable • The academy is graying • Belief that graduate education = professional success

Finding openings • Searching the job listing sites: • Chronicle of Higher Education • PublicServiceCareers.org • HigherEdJobs.com • APSA • ASA • E-mail to departments of interest • Telephone calls • Key: Getting your advisors into the act

Putting together a portfolio • Goal: Help the overloaded search committee find you! • Cover letters • Create boiler plate, but tailor to each job • Emphasize key experiences and publications • Curriculum vitae • Look at examples • Highlight research and teaching experience • Supporting materials • Summaries of research interest, dissertation, and teaching • Teaching evaluations • Grant writing experience • Transcripts • Letters of recommendation • Job market paper(s) • See the sample portfolio online

Job market papers • Should have multiple items to send • Dissertation chapters • Papers – preferably published • Some schools only want dissertation chapters; some don’t care • Dissertation is best example of current work, but.. • Chapters may be highly integrated, so it may be difficult to pull out something coherent • Consider sending any articles that are published or have been accepted • Best if the papers are single-authored

Sending out applications • This is time-consuming • For a national search expect to send out 15 to 60 packets • PAD: You bear the costs – $2,500 • POS: The Department mails them for you • First packets out by late August; the last in January or February – very front-loaded, BUT… • In this economy things are scrambled… • Use express mail to meet deadlines if you must • Send out even if the deadline has passed – committees work slowly

Fly-outs • Announced in Oct. through Feb. • Paid for by the schools – on a reimbursement basis • Consist of… • A job talk • Multiple faculty, student, and administration interviews • Breakfast, lunch, and dinner with students, staff, faculty • Possibly a “party” if they really want to torture you • Very time-consuming and stressful • Want to be scheduled close to the end of the decision period for the school

Preparation • Get to know the school/department and university via their web site • Rankings • Research agenda • Age/rank distribution in school/department • Review the courses offered… • For what you could teach • For holes • Take a look at strategic plans and vision statements

Interviews • The job talk gets most of the attention, but bad interviews can also be fatal • Be ready to give a mini version of your job talk • Be ready to defend your work • Be prepared to answer and ask questions

Job talk • Bad news: Some significant fraction of the voting faculty will not have read your job market paper(s) thoroughly • More bad news: Your job talk will be one of the key evaluation of whether you belong at a given university • Upshot: THE JOB TALK IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU WILL DO DURING THE APPLICATION PROCESS • Practice, practice, practice, and practice again… • With faculty • With students • With your dog, cat, or parakeet; with a mirror • Be ready to field tough questions

Other issues • Remember that faculty positions are for the long haul; much of the job is social • “Illegal” questions and how to answer them • Avoid talking money until you have an offer • Decisions are highly complex, emergent • Preferences evolve • School/department needs evolve • Administrative preferences shift • Budgets change • There may only be a few good fits out there

Dealing with an offer • Understand how faculty contracts work • Know what the standard package is in your field and at the institution making the offer • Nine or 10 months salary • Teaching load • Benefits • Research support (if any) • Summer salary (if any)

Dealing with an offer • Know what the going rate is, but realize salary may not be negotiable if you have only one offer • Remember that rank and prestige are dynamic – where will this school/department be in five years? • Expect to be pressured for a quick decision, even though you may still be doing job talks

Uh-oh: I don’t have an offer. Now what? • Goal: Stay research active • Options • Defer graduation (especially international students) • Post-doctoral work • Adjunct positions • Staff research positions • Consulting • A career in the “quasi-academy”

For more information See the Rockefeller College job market site: www.albany.edu/rockefeller/career/career_phd_job_manual.htm http://eres.ulib.albany.edu/eres/coursepage.aspx?cid=331 Password: ROCKjob http://chronicle.com/jobs/ http://www.publicservicecareers.org/ http://www.higheredjobs.com/ http://www.apsanet.org/section_226.cfm http://jobbank.asanet.org/jobbank/index.cfm

Navigating the Academic Job Market