Preparing Early

As graduate students assemble their materials in preparation for going on the market, many have to balance what they would like to put on their CVs with what they can actually accomplish before they have to send out an application. Of course, the earlier you start preparing for the market, the easier this task will be.

The following is a summary of advice on this topic given by Professors Cathleen Connell (Public Health ), Gary Herrin (Engineering), Leslie Hollingsworth (Social Work), and Robert Owen (Geological Sciences) at the Academic Job Search Symposium held on September 22, 2000. You should check it with members of your own department to confirm its applicability to your discipline. You can find the full transcript here.

• Tell your adviser early that you are interested in academic (rather than nonacademic) work. In some fields, this may determine the kind of conferences or activities you participate in.

• Be flexible and open to new opportunities. You never know where your next job might come from.

• Think about the kind of job you would like to pursue, in a research institution versus a teaching college. Your answer to this question will affect the kind of preparation you pursue in graduate school. If you are going to focus on teaching, you want to be able to do so in a wide range of topics; if you will be focusing on research, your graduate studies will likely focus more on acquiring a deep knowledge in your area of research interest.

• Participate whenever possible in job searches run by your department. Attend candidates' job talks and try when possible to be a part of the search committee. After the search is over, talk to committee members and get their opinions about which candidates impressed them and why. This will give you a good sense of what strategies work well and which to avoid.

• Organize a symposium in your department about how to navigate the job search process. Ask professors in your field to attend and offer advice and suggestions.

• Begin putting together a CV or an activities summary as early as possible. At this point, it doesn't need to be perfectly formatted, rather you just want to maintain a list of all your academic activities (if in doubt, put it down). Keep it updated, and this will make it much easier for you rapidly assemble your CV and remember all of the things you have accomplished.

• Get involved in grant writing as early as you can. Work with your adviser and try to get a sense of what makes for a successful grant.

• Try to work with a variety of faculty members. This will allow you to get exposure to a number of different work styles, and will also give you a great pool from which to draw when you need letters of recommendation.

• Attend and present at conferences whenever possible. This will give you an opportunity to get your name and work out there and also to network with others in your field.

• In your later years as a graduate student, you might organize a symposium or a panel at a national conference. This is a very serious responsibility, and it can help you to network and make contact with leaders in your field whom you might like to participate in your panel.

• Expand the group of people from whom you can get job search advice. Your committee is an important resource, but also speak to senior graduate students and junior faculty, who have recent experience of the market, about how to approach the job search.

• Keep your eye open for special issues of journals that focus on your area of interest. It may be easier to get your first articles published in such a journal issue.

• Attend workshops about how to present your work for publication, and try to get your conference presentations published.

• Take time when deciding upon names for your papers and abstracts. You want to be sure that they have titles that make it clear that you are not publishing the same material in different arenas.

• Do what you can to ensure that your teaching experience reflects a diversity of subject matter and includes significant responsibilities.

• Look for opportunities to expand and improve your teaching experience. For example, you might volunteer to give a guest lecture on a topic in which you have expertise. Always ask for feedback from students and professors about your teaching, which will help you to improve.