The Academic Job Search: Student Affairs

•J ft. i ? y. X TheAcademicJob Search STUDENT AFFAIRS by Paul B. Hatley yjraduate students and new PhDs across the nation in various disciplines are acutely aware thatfinding an academicjob can be a dauntitig task. But what areprospective employers lookingfor in apotentialjob candidate and what canjob seekers do to maximize their chances ofsecuring a position within academia? In the recentpast, historyfaculty have attempted to uplift theflagging spirits ofgraduate students and recent PhDs with cheery reports about ajob market that would expfode with opportunities. Somefuturejob seekers assumed that he or she was aptlyprepared tojump into thefray once thejob-huntingfrenzy began. Having the PhD in hand is no guarantee that the applicant will get a job, let alone an interview. What can the job hunter do to make them more marketable ? Here are a few suggestions. Take advantage of the writing produced in graduate school. Ask faculty members for advice about how to tighten up a twenty-page seminar paper to present at a conference. Use the question and answer portion of the session to help identify areas of the paper in need of revision, and then submit it to a historical journal for consideration as an article for publication. Consider co-authoring a piece with a faculty member or a fellow graduate student working in a similar historical area. Get in touch with pertinent journals, apprise them of research interests, and ask them for monograph titles to review. Better still, submit a title and request the opportunity to review it. Concurrently, apply for fellowships and research grants. When the dissertation is complete, contact book publishers known to publish monographs in the field. Explain the manuscript's contribution within the relevant historiography. Even for positions at teaching institutions, having publications, conference papers, fellowships , and book reviews on the curriculum vitae indicate a scholar who will publish periodically and keep abreast of the historical literature. It is key to gain varied teaching experience while in graduate school or as a temporar)' hire. Many schools want individuals with teaching experience who can take up the teaching load as soon as the semester begins. When determining where to send applications, narrow the search to appropriate positions—the "shotgun approach," applying to any and all history jobs in the hope that someone will respond—is a waste of time and money. Search committees typically screen applications carefully, rejecting at the outset those that do not meet their search criteria. Direct applications to appropriate institutions. Remember that applicants from Ivy League schools dominate the academic job market, so it is unlikely that a person with a doctorate from other institutions will get an interview. The best job opportunities may be with small private undergraduate schools and regional state universities that are concerned primarily with teaching. The key to any good application is the cover letter because this gives the search committee its first impression. Address the letter to the chair, and make it no longer than one page in length; search committee members are also full-time faculty members who, in addition to wading through stacks ofapplications, have a number ofother pressing obligations. Address each criterion mentioned in the position announcement. Position announcements do not routinely require applicants to provide teaching/course evaluations; however, it is probably a good idea to include them if they are positive. Once an interview or campus visit is scheduled, gather information about the school and the history faculty; become reasonably conversant about the institution's history and mission. If available, visit individual faculty Web sites and conduct a name search for specific faculty publications in the Library of Congress on-line catalog. Committee members may be divided into factions or cliques with agendas, such as teachers vs. researchers, Americanists vs. Europeanists, or social vs. political historians who are looking for a candidate who will help further their interests in some way. Pay careful attention to the nature ofquestions, as well as verbal and nonverbal communication between committee members. If the necessary professional qualifications are met, the deciding factor on hiring could be collegialiry or a "good fit" for the department. The job applicant must also evaluate the experience, considering compatibility with fellow department members and the type of school and community...