More years ago than I like to admit, I interviewed for my first faculty job. I'd anticipated being asked about my research program and my teaching interests. But several female graduate students asked me a question I hadn't expected: What kind of a role model would I be?
I was completely thrown by the question. There were four women in the entire -- and very large -- psychology department. I would be the fifth -- and the first woman to join the department's clinical faculty. Back when I was a graduate student, there had been no women on the clinical faculty of the department where I'd earned my degree and only a couple of women in the department as a whole. My mother hadn't worked outside the home until after I left for college. It hadn't occurred to me to want a role model, much less to become one. Just what were the students expecting of me? And how could I be a role model when I was consumed with my own insecurity about succeeding?
Ample psychological research documents that the transition from graduate school to a faculty position is highly stressful. Gone is the mentor or adviser who'd guided your dissertation. Now it's up to you to design and execute your own program of research. The comforting structure of graduate school is replaced by ambiguous expectations. Studying for comps is easy compared with learning the ropes with so much at stake. According to some research, simply deciphering the reward system is the most difficult adjustment for new faculty members.
If you're a woman, you're faced with even more challenges. Data indicate that female faculty members face negative bias in the evaluations of students as well as senior colleagues. Many of them will hold you to a higher standard while others -- consciously or not -- will simply expect you to fail. Throw in the fact that women still carry the bulk of responsibility for family and home in their personal lives, and you've got a pretty daunting situation.
Certain characteristics of academic culture heighten the pressure on female faculty members. Individual achievement is valued above all else. Competition is fierce. In this context, you're likely to feel quite vulnerable. But the idea of your vulnerability being detected can be threatening. And since women are stereotyped as less "tough," you need to be particularly careful about self-revelation.
All of this sets the stage for the thing you most need to avoid in order to succeed: isolation. One of the most well-documented realities is the protective function of social support. People with strong personal connections fare better both physically and psychologically. We are more resilient, accomplish more, and feel more confident when we have close, supportive relationships. Studies of graduate students indicate that the highest predictor of career commitment is a strong academic self-concept which, in turn, is dependent upon support from mentors, family members, and colleagues. Having a strong network of supporters characterizes women who have succeeded in a variety of male-dominated work environments.
The hard part is building that network. The new academic, looking to senior colleagues for information and advice, encouragement and feedback, is likely to come away disappointed. The overemphasis on individual achievement in a highly competitive environment makes scholars focus on their personal productivity. Getting your head out of your work long enough to notice the needs of others isn't typically high on an academic's priority list.
And if you're a woman or a person of color, you have the additional problem of the scarcity of others like you. In spite of the limitations of time and numbers, if you follow the right strategy, you can construct a network that will temper even the chilliest of climates:
Commit Time and Energy
With all of the other demands on your time, the easiest thing to postpone is building relationships. But the time investment is crucial for the success of your academic career. As a minority member in what can feel like a hostile environment, you'll need the support of others who feel similarly. Shared experiences relieve feelings of strangeness, craziness, and inadequacy. A sense of belonging -- of being part of a community -- can moderate the stress of adjusting to a new environment. Supportive relationships can affirm your competence, acknowledge your efforts when the outcome is less than you'd hoped, and rally behind you in times of crisis.
Schedule relationship-building time into every day. It's just as essential as getting published.
Assess Your Current Network
Evaluate the connections you already have. Are there dimensions of your life where good relationships are lacking? Consider what makes each relationship important. What do you need: information about campus resources; advice about your research; tips on how to balance work and family; emotional support? Reflect on who might potentially fill these needs. Determine what's required to build the new connections you want and who might help you.
Look in Unexpected Places
Many new faculty members fail to look beyond their departments for potential support. But you have many other options. Explore relationships with women on the nonacademic staff and in local women's networks. On most campuses you can find an organization of women who work together across job titles and levels to create supportive networks. Pursue relationships with women in your field at other institutions, faculty associations, and the women's section of your professional association.
There is evidence that it's not the gender of a mentor but the balance of faculty members that most influences the confidence and commitment of female graduate students in male-dominated departments. So, seek connections with individuals of both genders within and outside of your discipline, department, institution, and academe.
Identify Potential Allies
Do this on the basis of the help and advice they provide rather than their positions. Early in my academic career I ran a workshop on assertiveness for the department's support staff -- all of whom were women. The alliances that resulted proved invaluable to me. These women were often the best source of information about what was really going on in the department. They knew the procedures and norms, what to avoid saying to whom, and where and to whom to go when I needed help on details like how to get business cards. And of course, when I needed documents copied, my work didn't fall down to the bottom of the priority list.
Determine What Information You Need to Be Successful
All too often, your new colleagues will show you where to buy a house, but not how to get technical support for your lectures. New faculty members need good information about departmental protocol -- the written rules and unwritten guidelines for merit increases, promotion, and tenure. Find allies who can tell you about resources you can expect the institution to make available. Reflect on who can demystify the grant-application process, as well as who can advise you about good channels for publication and about what to do if ever you feel you've been treated unfairly.
Seek Out Mentors and Role Models
These days it's unrealistic to expect any one person to take you on as a protégé. There simply aren't enough senior women or people of color to serve the needs of younger colleagues. Instead, try to negotiate mentor relationships with a few people. Consider what you hope to gain from each relationship, as well as what you can offer in return. Be specific about the kind of assistance you hope each mentor can provide.
A good mentor is someone who can promote your professional productivity, foster confidence in your abilities, and help you build enthusiasm for your field. Your relationship should be a source of acceptance and personal support as well as information about how to be successful. Particularly for new female faculty members, an effective mentor is sensitive to, and supportive of, your nonwork responsibilities.
Reach out to women who are already achieving the goals you hope to accomplish. They may not have the time to be your mentor but they can be a role model. Ask them what they wish they had known, what worked, what they would do differently. Seek their advice about how to juggle your various job responsibilities and how to navigate between work and family demands.
Request Help From Colleagues
Try to get a read on the reactions of senior colleagues and your department head to your planned research program. Recruiting their support from the beginning can ease things at evaluation time.
Ask your senior colleagues what they found to be useful activities and what were time-consuming and unproductive drains on their energy. Having them look at drafts of papers before you submit them for publication can be extremely helpful. You can rehearse oral presentations in front of colleagues and students and benefit from their feedback.
Enlist Partners and Family
Obviously, what you don't need are family members who are threatened by your success. Tell your most intimate sources of support what you need from them. Research indicates that only a minority of graduate students experience their family as supportive and that female students report less support from family than do their male counterparts. Family counseling may be an effective antidote to a partner who seems to undermine your work.
Give Yourself Permission to Ask for Help
Don't confuse your lack of confidence with a lack of ability. There's no shame in asking for help. You initially feel embarrassed, but remind yourself that turning to others for help is the most effective way to cope with the stress of being a new faculty member.
Keep in mind all that you have to offer. It's gratifying to know that you're admired and respected and that you can be helpful. No one is so sure of themselves that they won't benefit from the mutual sharing that normalizes everyone's experience.
The best resource you have for building supportive ties is you. Show your genuine interest and caring. Help others accomplish their goals. Introduce people to each other -- help them make connections. Most importantly, give credit to those who have helped and supported you.
