Question: Summer is here. I'd like to spend it on my research, on preparing the one course I'm teaching, and on trips to the beach, but I keep thinking I should be doing more. Is there anything else I should plan to do since I'm thinking of going on the job market next year?
Mary: We notice you say you're thinking of going on the market. Given the enormous amount of time involved in academic job hunting, you should try to use the early part of the summer to reflect on your goals. Perhaps do some market research on what it will take to be competitive for the kinds of positions you want.
Julie: Your goals will vary depending on where you are in your career. You may be uncertain about going on the market because you've not yet finished your dissertation. Or you may already have a tenure-track job but you're not at all happy with it. It's wise to spend some time thinking about what you would really like to accomplish in an ideal world. Of course we don't live in that world, but knowing what your ideal job would be can shape how you proceed in the real world.
Mary: Make sure to consult with others who may be involved in your decision. For example, it is difficult to go on the market when your adviser doesn't think you'll complete your dissertation on time. Or you may have a spouse, partner, or other family members who will be directly affected by your decision to move. If you're already in a secure position, you may need to find people you trust to keep your search for a new job confidential, particularly at the outset, if you are concerned that looking for another job may compromise your present position.
Julie: If you know that your partner can't or won't move to another part of the country and you won't move without that person, or if you're sure you couldn't stand to live in certain parts of the country, start learning about the places that are geographically acceptable. While most job openings in most fields won't come out until fall, some will appear in the summer. Start reading about the institutions located in areas where you would consider living. Check to see whether they post faculty positions on their Web sites. A growing number of institutions post openings on departmental Web pages or on their human resources/employment pages.
Mary: Do your best to see whether your career plans are realistic, so that you don't waste energy pursuing the longest of long shots. If you're applying to a research-oriented institution, look up the CV's and publication records of faculty members in the department. If you're applying for assistant-professor positions, look for people who seem to have been hired for that position within the last few years. Their backgrounds will give you a good indication of what it takes to get hired in that department. If you're applying to colleges that stress teaching, look at your teaching record. For example, if you're interested in teaching at a community college, but have little or no teaching experience, it's so unlikely you'll be hired for a full-time position that it's hardly worth the effort to apply, unless you're in a field, like some technical areas, where there is an extreme shortage of candidates. How strong is your teaching record? If you have student evaluations, what do they say? What are your references likely to say about your teaching?
Julie: It can be quite helpful to have experience teaching students at an institution that is somewhat like those to which you hope to apply. If you don't, can you find an adjunct position for the fall that would give you a bit of that experience? This could make a real difference, both for the experience itself, and as an indication of your interest.
Mary: Another way you can strengthen your background and increase your visibility for positions is to spend some time this summer preparing a conference paper or presentation. In many fields, at this date, it's probably too late to apply to make a presentation at a national meeting, but if it's appropriate for you to speak at a regional or other kind of smaller meeting in your field, apply to do so. Make sure you're aware of submission deadlines for the national meetings so you can be prepared for next year's cycle.
Julie: The summer is also a good time to get your job-hunting materials in order. It's a time to revise or update your CV, write a research statement, or compose a statement of teaching philosophy. Take a day or two from your other activities to devote to these important documents that first present you to employers. If you're in a tenure-track position that you hate, try to avoid conveying that on your CV or teaching statement. Even if you're not sure you're going to go on the market next year, working on these documents will help you think about yourself in terms of your current professional accomplishments rather than in terms of your record the last time you applied for a job. And if you decide to apply for something you'll be that much ahead of the game.
Mary: Think about who you'll ask to write letters of recommendation for you, and then bring those people up to speed on your current achievements and goals. Discuss how they want to work with you during your job search. Do they only want to write letters? Are they willing to make phone calls on your behalf for every job for which you apply? Or only for those jobs where they know someone in the department? If you're a graduate student, choosing recommenders is usually fairly straightforward. If you're already in a tenure-track or tenured position, then deciding on appropriate references can be very difficult. You'll probably use your former adviser, and maybe someone else from the department where you did your graduate work, but it can be useful to have someone familiar with your current work. Since that person is likely to be in your current department, where you may hope to keep your search confidential unless it is successfully concluded, this is a truly difficult decision.
Julie: It's possible that through this process of thought and preparation, you'll conclude that you have a strategy for going on the market. You may decide to apply for only a limited number of positions. You may cast a wider net. Or you may decide to sit it out another year. Whatever you decide, you'll be glad you're not starting at square one. Now we suggest that you reward yourself for all this hard work with a day at the beach.
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