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Making the Short List: Advice on How to Get an Academic Interview

Learn valuable tips to improve your chances of securing an academic interview, from researching skills to crafting a standout cover letter and CV. Discover how to read job announcements effectively and understand what search committees are looking for. Don't miss this expert advice from Professor Keith H. Coble of Mississippi State University.

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Making the Short List: Advice on How to Get an Academic Interview

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  1. Making the Short List:Advice on How to Get an Academic Interview Keith H. Coble, Professor Mississippi State University AAEA-GSS Session July 29, 2008

  2. Suggestions that will increase the chance you will get an interview • Nothing is a sure bet • Take my advice and then ask others • There will be exceptions to my rules

  3. So you want a job? • Assume your dream job is announced with a closing date of December 1, 2008 • When do you start the job application process?

  4. You are in the process of writing your resume every day • Grades matter • Sub-discipline matters • Affiliations matter • Work with known advisors • Go to a respected program

  5. You are in the process of writing your resume every day Research skills • Find an advisor who will teach you to research • Book chapters, conference proceedings • Submitted journal articles • Conference Papers • Working papers • Dissertation • Journal articles

  6. You are in the process of writing your resume every day • Teaching skills • Teach a class, if not that • TA a class, if not that • Guest lecture • Get student evaluations if possible • Get your potential references to observe you teaching • Write a teaching philosophy • Go to teaching training

  7. You are in the process of writing your resume every day • If your goal is Extension • Work with Extension faculty • Author extension presentations/publications • Get your potential references to observe your extension presentations

  8. Reading the announcement • Really read it • Sometimes it means exactly what it says and • Sometimes it does not • Make a call to the search chair • Ask a couple of good questions about the position • Investigate the department

  9. Read the mind of the Search Committee • Hiring new faculty is usually taken very seriously • The committee will want to hit a ‘homerun’ • A national award winning teacher • Future AAEA fellow researcher • Extension speaker who draws raves from audiences • A great departmental citizen who will serve on all the time-consuming committees • Wants to co-author papers with everyone in the department • Works for peanuts

  10. The Application Package • Cover Letter • CV/ Résumé • Transcripts • References • List of names • Reference letters • Other supporting material • Publications • Teaching philosophy

  11. The Cover Letter • The chance to sell yourself! • Get some good examples • Adjust each cover letter • Sell yourself • Bring out your strengths • Explain how you fit into job description • Dispel stereotypes • Be humbly ambitious • Fire in the belly • Never arrogant

  12. The Cover Letter (cont.) • Organize content logical • Convey that you have studied the department • Highlight education/experience • Separate teaching/ research/ extension • Conclusion, thank you, and follow-up • Include e-mail, phone number • Check spelling and grammar of everything • Get feedback from faculty/ references

  13. The CV/ Résumé • Be truthful • Include everything that is relevant • List ALL relevant skills & experiences • Languages, software, work experience • Account for all time • List professional affiliations • Include names of references in CV

  14. The References • Choose references carefully • Ask for permission • If they don’t know much, they can’t say much • Feed them information to use • References rarely say bad things – Often it what they don’t say • Will they write a good letter? • Can they write a good letter? • Keep references informed

  15. Questions?

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