next »

[sittals]

Hello,

I have completed my PhD (social science: urban policy) and applied for more than 20 academic vacancies. In some places there are 135 applicants for one teaching assistant professor position? Only 3 of them have asked for CVs and I am still waiting for interview chances and hopes are limited.

Is it there are too much PhDs around or why is this so competitive? Although it is said there are not more than 2% are PhD in the education field

Or what is your experience could you please share with me.

What are the other places to look for job opportunities

Look forward to hear
Thanks

[yellowtractor]

Hi Sittals,

I'm sorry no one replied to your initial post, but it appears to be on the wrong forum.  This sub-forum is for queries/problems related to academic couples.

In the humanities and social sciences in the USA, there are often anywhere from 100 to 400+ qualified applicants for tenure-track assistant professorships.  Yes, there is a tremendous oversupply of Ph.D.'s across these disciplines.

"More than 20" sounds like an absurdly small number of positions to apply to, under the circumstances--unless you are either extremely well-qualified or operating within an extremely narrow niche or subfield.

In terms of sharing experiences, you will find dozens--indeed, hundreds--of threads on the job search and interviewing fora discussing these dynamics.  They are uppermost in the minds of most, if not all, American academics at this historical juncture.

In terms of your own viability as a job candidate, I would make two suggestions.  First, are you familiar with American professional expectations concerning applicant dossiers?  That is, are you familiar with successful cover letters, CV organization, etc.?  My last experience on a search committee suggested that many overseas applicants were not:  their poor presentation of their credentials (by American standards) hampered, and in many cases harpooned, their candidacies.

Second--and I do not mean this harshly--have you had someone whose first language is English vet your application materials?  Your post here is full of grammatical errors.  A cover letter or CV replete with same would remove you from the running at almost any American school, especially given the competition.

Good luck to you,
yt

[snowbound]

And your CV should be included with your initial letter.  Don't wait for them to ask for it.

[prof_smartypants]

I'm probably applying to the same jobs as you, but I have a non-tt position now. Even with the year of full-time teaching experience behind me, I received only one request for additional information this year, and no interviews. I only applied to six jobs, but last year I applied to over 30, which resulted in 3 interviews (one phone) and one job offer.

The problem is a combination of a very poor job market and much competition. Last year, a fellow recent grad had  was in the same position as you, received no job offers, and ended up having to return to his home country. I think the urban policy/planning job market is even worse this year.

While I wouldn't take the lack of an offer personally, I would seek alternatives - in the federal government, think tanks, and non-teaching research center positions.

Good luck and feel free to PM me.

[totoro]

Sounds like the OP isn't sending in a CV for the job applications.... And what does this mean "Although it is said there are not more than 2% are PhD in the education field". And yeah, the OP's English is bad too.

[prof_smartypants]

"More than 20" sounds like an absurdly small number of positions to apply to, under the circumstances--unless you are either extremely well-qualified or operating within an extremely narrow niche or subfield.

Actually, this year that sounds about right for positions posted for new grads. It's a pretty narrow field - there were fewer than 10 posted in my subfield, and that's including non-tt, adjunct, and open-rank posts.