Preparing for Next Year’s Searches, Candidate Edition

In my last post, I discussed some steps that hiring institutions should take to prepare for any searches they are fortunate enough to have scheduled for next year. Now I’d like to propose a parallel discussion for job candidates.

First, it almost goes without saying that candidates contemplating a run at the market next year should have a clear plan about how to prepare their application materials. They should be lining up fresh letters of recommendation, and probably drafting or revising their teaching and research statements. At the very least, they should craft job letters for various kinds of institutions.

But there’s a more important philosophical and practical set of questions they need to deal with as well, and the time for honest soul searching is probably before you actually apply to an array of positions. To put it briefly: Candidates need to develop a clear idea of what kinds of institutions they’re interested in joining, and (perhaps more important) an even clearer idea of which types they absolutely won’t join.

There are numerous discussions on The Chronicle‘s Forums that deal with candidates’ dilemmas in pursuing various kinds of academic positions. It’s not surprising that new Ph.D.‘s face such challenges, as, by definition, most new scholars have limited academic experience. They generally inhabit the hothouse atmosphere of competitive graduate programs where their priorities are their own research and professional training. So positions at teaching-oriented institutions, or places located in the remote reaches of the country, are not automatically desirable to them.

That’s OK. However, given the realities of the academic market — a market in which there are many excellent candidates, and in some fields, a drastic oversupply — it’s a difficult truth that almost any job offer is a good one. It’s also important to note that many jobs that candidates initially view as less than desireable turn out to be fulfilling.

Nevertheless, just like search committees, candidates will do themselves a great favor if they consider their bottom lines before they commence a search. If you absolutely won’t take a job at a college with a 4/4 teaching load, for instance, it’s worth drawing that line as you winnow your potential opportunities. Similarly, if you won’t live in a particular region of the country for whatever reason, it’s worth knowing that ahead of time as well. Once you’ve articulated your must-haves and unacceptable conditions, then you can figure out what your priorities are within the range you’ve defined.

Every limit that applicants put on themselves will reduce their professional opportunities, sometimes radically. But if you know up front that you won’t take a particular job, it’s better to understand that at the outset, so you can focus on improving your odds at the places you do want to work.