The Ultimate Job Market Guide

Going on the job market is stressful and confusing. I have been working on a new course here at OSU called The PhD Job Market – the syllabus draft can be seen here. It is going up through the levels in terms of approvals; it should be offered in Spring 2014. But with all of the recent controversy about W and the rescinded job offer (see Inside Higher Ed, Slate, and the original post), I decided to post my suggested Job Market reading list here.  Check it out – and let me know if you have any suggestions.

Books referred to below:

• The Academic Job Search Handbook (AJSH), 4^th Edition by Julia Miller Vick and Jennifer S. Furlong
• “So What Are You Going to Do with That?”: Finding Careers Outside Academia (SW) by Susan Basalla and Maggie Debelius
  • Ebrary link if you are at Ohio State

I also include presentations from the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity library.  You need to join NCFDD to access these resources. It is free to join if you are at a place with an institutional membership.  Go to: https://facultydiversity.site-ym.com/general/register_member_type.asp and chose “Institutional Sub Account Membership”.

Reflect on what you really want for a future career

• Demystifying The Academic Job Market: From Application to Negotiation Week 1  by Badia Sahar Ahad (review slides and transcripts in NCFDD library)

Academic jobs; Jobs at different kinds of institutions; Postdocs

• The last year of graduate school: Heading for the Job Market and Choosing the Right Institution by Rachel Connelly, Kristen Ghodsee (Chapter 5 in Professor Mommy)
• What You Should Know Before You Start (Chapters 1 and 2) in AJSH
• Deciding where and when to apply (Chapter 4) in AJSH
• Why You Should Consider Community Colleges by Rob Jenkins
• Applying for Faculty Jobs at Community Colleges by Matt Reed

Nonacademic jobs

• Will I have to Wear a Suit? Rethinking life after graduate school (Chapter 1) in SW
• How do I figure out What else to do? Soul Searching before Job Searching (Chapter 2)  in SW
• ·         The Ph.D.’s Guide to a Nonfaculty Job Search by L. Maren Wood
• How to Transition from Academia to Non-academic Professions by Chris Humphrey (review slides and transcript in NCFDD library)

Finding jobs

• The Importance of Advisors and Professional Networks (Chapter 5) in AJSH
• Conference Presentations and Networks (Chapter 6) in AJSH
• Learning about Openings (Chapter 8) in AJSH
• Testing the Waters: Information Interviews and Internships (Chapter 3) in SW
• Making it Past the First Round by Rob Jenkins
• Conducting the International Job Search by Katrina Gulliver

Cover letters

• Cover Letters that will Get You Hired (pp. 122- 125) in SW
• Responding to Position Announcements (Chapter 9) in AJSH
• Why Your Cover Letter Sucks (And What you can do to fix it) by Karen Kelsky
• How to Identify Yourself as a Diversity Hire by Karen Kelsky
• Getting the Emphasis Right by Terry McGlynn
• Getting the Job You Want By Perfecting Your CV and Cover Letter by Badia Sahar Ahad (review slides and transcripts in NCFDD library)

Research statements/teaching statements/diversity statements

• Additional Application Materials (Chapter 11) in AJSH
• Damning Yourself with Faint Praise – Teaching Edition by Karen Kelsky
• What the Heck is an Assessment by Karen Kelsky
• What is Evidence of Teaching Excellence by Karen Kelsky
• The Dreaded Teaching Statement: Eight Pitfalls by Karen Kelsky
• The Professor Is In: Making Sense of the Diversity Statement by Karen Kelsky
• Developing an Effective Teaching Portfolio by George David Clark

Reference letters

• Letters of Recommendation (Chapter 7) in AJSH
• How to Write a Recommendation Letter by Karen Kelsky
• The Perils of “Nice,” Cont’d: Recommendation Edition by Karen Kelsky
• Getting Great Letters of Recommendation by Richard Reis
• Thread on Writing Your Own Reference Letter from the Chronicle Forums

CVs/resumes and your online web presence

• This Might Hurt a Bit: Turning a CV into a Resume in SW
• Vitas (Chapter 10) in AJSH
• Websites (Chapter 12) in AJSH
• Dr. Karen’s Rules of the Academic CV by Karen Kelsky
• The Rhetoric of the CV by Joshua R. Eyler
• Do You Need Your Own Website While On The Job Market? by Jentery Sayers
• Creating Your Web Presence: A Primer for Academics by Miriam Posner, Stewart Varner, Brian Croxell
• Ask Cloud: Turning an Academic CV into an Industry Resume by Cloud

Skype/Phone/Conference interviews

• Interviewing (Chapter 14) in AJSH
• Off-site Interviews: Conference/Convention and Telephone Interviews (Chapter 15) in AJSH
• Sweaty Palms, Warm Heart: How to Turn an Interview into a Job (pp. 140-142) in SW
• Rocking the Phone/Skype Interview by Karen Kelsky
• How Skype s Changing the Interview Process by Stephen Wizenburg
• Mastering Skype by Diane M. Fennig
• The Job Market Is A Lot Like The PBS NewsHour, And Other Advice For Skype Interviews by Claire Potter
• Demystifying The Academic Job Market: From Application to Negotiation Week 3  by Badia Sahar Ahad (review slides and transcripts in NCFDD library)

Campus interview

• Campus Interviews (Chapter 16) in AJSH
• The Six Ways you are Acting like a Graduate Student and How it is Killing You on the Job Market by Karen Kelsky
• How do I address Search Committee Members? by Karen Kelsky
• The #Facepalm Fails of the Academic Interview by Karen Kelsky
• Why You Need a Second Project: An Urgent #Facepalm Fail Addendum by Karen Kelsky
• Dr. Karen’s Rules of the Campus Visit by Karen Kelsky
• How Would You Mentor Graduate Students? Another #Facepalm Fail by Karen Kelsky
• How to Describe a Course (In an Interview) by Karen Kelsky
• The Active Interview by Katherine Ellison
• Interview Questions by Sarah Ann Fleming
• Interviewing at a Teaching-Focused University by Donald E. Hall
• Do Your Homework! A Life Report From a Job Search by Karen Kelsky
• How to Talk to a Dean by Karen Kelsky
• The ‘Be Yourself” Myth by Karen Kelsky
• Dissertation Limits by Karen Kelsky
• Asking the Right Questions by Allison M. Vaillancourt
• ‘An Iced Tea Would Be Terrific  by Allison M. Vaillancourt
• Demystifying The Academic Job Market: From Application to Negotiation Week 4 by Badia Sahar Ahad (review slides and transcripts in NCFDD library)

Job talk

• Dr. Karen’s (Partial) Rules of the Job Talk by Karen Kelsky
• Job Talk Blues by Cary Nelson
• Grim Job Talks are a Buzz Kill by Dan Shapiro
• Talking the Good Talk by Katharine E. Stewart
• The Truth Is, You Gave a Lousy Talk by Tory DeFoe
• Giving a Job Talk by Kathryn Hume
• Ask the Administrator: What Makes a Good Job Talk? By Dean Dad

Teaching demonstration

• How to Give a Teaching Demonstration by Karen Kelsky
• The Problem With Teaching Demos by David Evans
• Surprise, You’re Teaching in the Morning by George David Clark
• Teaching Demonstrations: Advice and Strategies by Adam Wilsman
• The Teaching Demonstration: What Faculty Expect and How to Prepare for This Aspect of the Job Interview by Michelle K. Smith, Mary Pat Wenderoth, and Mary Tyler
• My Calamitous Teaching Demo by Rebecca Schuman

Job offer

• How to Negotiate an Academic Job Contract by Yari Bonilla (review slides and transcripts in NCFDD library)
• Negotiation – a must for everyone by Lesobprof
• Negotiating Tactics for Women by Audrey Williams June
• Job Offers, Negotiations, Acceptances, and Rejections (Chapter 17) in AJSH
• Negotiating Your Tenure-Track Offer(s) by Karen Kelsky
• Sweaty Palms, Warm Heart: How to Turn an Interview into a Job in SW pp. 143-147
• Recommended reading:
• Ask for It: How Women Can Use the Power of Negotiation to Get What They Really Want by Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever
• Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher and William Ury

Gender, race, family, location, and the job market

• Dual Career Couples, Pregnant on the Job Market, and Related Concerns (Chapter 21) in AJSH
• International Scholars, Older Candidates, Gaps in  Your Vita (Chapter 22) in AJSH
• The Two Body Problem
• Negotiating the Spousal Hire by Karen Kelsky
• Should You Check the ‘Race Box’? by Stacey Patton
• Ask the grumpies: Pumping and a job talk by nicoleandmaggie
• Embrace Your Inner North Dakotan by Daivid D. Perlmutter
• Location, location, location by Alexandra M. Lord

Additional Resources:

• A Guide and Advice for Economists on the U.S. Junior Academic Job Market by John Cawley
• The Chronicle of Higher Education “Advice” Section
• Chronicle Vitae
• Linked In