The Academic Job Market

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STUDENT notebook

Entering the Academic Job Market: Reflections and Resources for the Early Stages of the Process

By Jeremy Ashton Houska

AliDs and recent doctoral recipients in psychology probably don't need another reminder, but let me say that the market for tenure-track assistant professor

positions is rather competitive. The 2010 National Science Foundation Science and Engineering Indicators revealed that only 19 percent of graduates obtained a tenure-track faculty position in 1 to 3 years after receiving their doctor-ate (National Science Board, 2010). Tenure-track positions are even scarcer in the current economic climate, especially with senior faculty delaying retirement (Breneman, 2008).

In addition to these challenges, the process of applying for faculty positions can be grueling. From August through June each year, search committees in higher education whittle down their lists of hundreds of faculty applicants through screenings and ratings, meetings, and phone interviews. Eventually, the long list becomes a short list, and three or four lucky finalists are invited to campus for an interview. Being "on the market" meant that I was checking e-mail incessantly, traveling to and from interviews, polishing job talks, developing teaching demonstrations, and begging friends to cover my classes. Since I recently survived an active &,month stint on the job market, I will share some of my reflections on and tips for the early steps of the process.

Tip 1: Enlist Many Mentors Applicants cannot be successful on the job market when going at it alone. Enlisting a team of mentors is necessary not only for practical reasons but also for support and sage advice. I was very fortunate to have a team of trusted mentors who provided me with much more than glowing recommendation letters. They supplied constructive criticism to make me a better candidate. Through countless serious conversations, my qualifications and application materials were critiqued. This is crucial to determine your viability in the market (see McDermott & Braver, 2004). If your publication count and teaching experience will not fare well, your team may suggest additional time in the program or a post-doe. or perhaps they can help you obtain outside teaching experience to bolster your CV. Don't underestimate the impor-tance of teaching experience; it will make you more competitive across institution types (see Buskist & Irons, 2006). In addition, my mentors shared many anecdotes, including job talk horror stories and interview blunders; this was invaluable. Their tales helped me maintain my sanity during the application process.

Jeremy Ashton Houska completed his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology at the University of Nevada. Las Vegac in Summer 2010. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Concordia University in Chicago. Find more about Jeremy at hrtp://jeremyahotoka.cont.

Tip 2: Read and Read Again Between the Lines After deciding upon the types of schools to target, applicants should take some time to dissect job postings. It sounds easy enough, but search committee chairs often say they receive applications from candidates whose background, credentials, and supporting materials suggest that they did not read the position description at all (Brems, Lampman. & Johnson, 1995). First, read the job announcement for things like the requested materials, and then read between the lines for the implied or unsaid aspects of the position. For instance, phrases such as "potential for external funding" and "demonstrated excellence in teaching" could imply very different positions and expectations. Also, applicants should be mindful of the differences in culture and values among research universities, liberal arts colleges, and community colleges (see Freeman, 2002). Finally, and with much delib eration, applicants need to make a solely personal decision on where they would like to begin their career (see tiouska, 2010; Lewis, 2004). Ask yoursd f"Wou Id my values, experi-ence, and credentials make me a good fit for the position?" If you don't feel a good fit exists, then don't apply. It might be best to apply strategically rather than too broadly, since applications that don't overtly match the job description will be quickly taken out of consideration.

Tip 3: Manage Impressions and Anticipate Inferences Applying for academic jobs is often an exercise in impres-sion management. Roediger (2004, para. I 7) aptly noted that "what you put out there [on your CV] is how you present yourself to the world." Given that most of us want to make good first impressions, it's surprising that we don't treat CVs as we would manuscripts (Darley & Zanna, 2004). We seek feedback and suggestions from mentors on our manuscripts, and we should do likewise for our CVs. I also suggest that applicants develop multiple CVs and send out specific versions according to the type of institution. For example, "Courses Taught" or "Teaching Interests" should be a section on everyone's vita, but those applying to teaching-focused institutions should include it much earlier in the CV than those applying to a research university. Search committee chairs draw inferences about applicants based on those kinds of personal decisions. Applicants who omit such sections might be seen as not caring about teaching.

Furthermore, applicants should take particular care in drafting appropriate cover letters. Search chairs notice when applicants have done their background research, so research

September 2010 — Vol. 23, No. 7 ASSOCIATION FOR PSYCHOLOt;ICAL SCIENCE

notebook 41 Student Notebook Editor: Mandi White-Airnani — apssc,snedaorapsychologtealscience.org STUDENT each institution and avoid the generic mail-merge cover letter at all costs. Read about each department and its faculty and peruse the course catalog and class schedule online before composing a cover letter. Demonstrate this diligence by including some of these details in the letter. Additionally, refer to your experience with the specific courses mentioned in the job announcement (see Hrem s et al., 1995 for additional considerations).

Tip 4: Use Technology Wisely My final suggestion for graduate students aspiring for aca-demic jobs is to use technology wisely. Many of the tasks you must endure in the job hunt can be assisted by popular software. For example, the comment function in Microsoft Word can help with tailoring cover letters to each institution, and the Excel spreadsheet l used to log and track the status of my nearly 60 applications was invaluable. Every morn-ing, I checked my RSS feed reader for new job postings and went to my bookmark for the APS Employment Network. Also, instead of investing in an online dossier service such as Interfolio, I kept seemingly hundreds of files in almost as many electronic folders, and I e-mailed my recommenders frequently.

One caveat, however: Technology can also torment those on the job market. I found myself compulsively checking my email and voicemail for status updates and invitations from search chairs; I also peeked at the rumor mills a few times (e.g., http://psychjobsearch.wikidot.com/) . Neither habit did me much good. Additionally, I'm not so sure that the online submission of supporting documents simplifies the applica-tion process. Some online application systems and e-mail servers would limit file size so much that I wasn't able to attach larger scanned documents (i.e„ transcripts or copies of student evaluations). My solution at the time was to put the tiles on my website and include those hyperlinks on my cover letters. My suggestion now would be to make it easier on yourself and the search committee. Thus, my final tip: Opt for the flat rate envelopes instead!

Stay tuned later this fall for Jeremy's next installment of Entering the Job Market, where he will discuss job talks, interviews, and more!

References and Suggested Readings Brems, C.. Lawman, C., & Johnson, M. (1995). Preparation of

applications for academic positions in psychology. American Psychologist, 50, 533- 537.

Breneman. D. W. (2008, October), What colleges can learn from recessions past. Chronicle of Higher Education, 55, A112.

Buskist, W,, & Irons, J. (2006, September). Teaching matters: The truth about the job market in academic psychology. Observer, 19(9). Retrieved from http:/lwww. psychologicalscience orglobserver/getArticle.cfm?id=2042

Dailey, J. M., & Zanna, M. P. (2004). The hiring process in academia. In J. M. Dailey, M. P. Zanna, & H. L. Roediger (Eds), The compleat academic: A career guide (pp. 31-56). Washington, DC:American Psychological Association.

Freeman, J. E. (2002). Differences in teaching in a liberal arts

college versus research university. In S. F. Davis & W. Buskist (Eds.) The teaching of psychology: Essays in honor of Wilbert J.McKeachie and Charles L. Brewer (pp. 247-258). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum,

Houska, J. A. (2010). What a world, what a life, I'm in love! In J. Keeley, J. Stowell, B. Heins, & W. Buskist, (Eds.), The teaching of psychology in autobiography: Perspectives from psychology's exemplary teachers (Vol. 3). Retrieved from http://teachpsych.org/resourcesiebooks/tia2010/index.php

Lewis, L. (2004, April). Same subject, different setting: Teaching psychology from the two-year perspective. Observer, 17(4), Retrieved from http://www.psychologicalscience.org/ observertgetArticle.cfm?id=1553

McDermott, K. B.. & Braver, T. S. (2004). After graduate school: A faculty position or a postdoctoral fellowship? In J. M. Darley, M. P. Zanna, & H. L. Roediger (Edit.), The compleat academic; A career guide (pp. 17-30). Washington, DC: American Psychological. Association.

National Science Board, (2010). Science and engineering indicators 2010. Arlington, VA: National Science Foundation. Retrieved from http://vvww.nsf.govistatisticsi seind10

Roediger, H. L. (2004, January). Vita voyeur. Observer, 17(1), Retrieved from http:Hwww.psychologicalscience.org/ observer/getArticle.cfm?id=1498

APSSC ANNOUNCEMENTS Desperately Seeking Science What is it that you do that is unusual, fascinating. and worth reading about?

• Do you have advice for those seeking post-doc fellow-ships or faculty positions?

• Do you do research on cognition, health psychology, GLBT research, evolutionary psychology, or some other exciting topic?

• Do you feel your minority status, sexual preference, or nationality have affected your graduate education or research?

The Student Notebook is looking for graduate students to write about their sexy science.Your fellow students want to hear about your field. your experiences, and even your brief research reports. Share what you know!

Contact Mandi White-Ajmani, the Student Notebook Editor for more information.

UNDERGRADS! APSSC publishes the Undergraduate Update twice a

year with articles just for you, written by you. Ilere's a great way for you to get involved with the APSSC, beef up your credentiaLs for grad school, and share information with fellow undergrads. We would love to see articles about your experi-ences in different areas of psychology, with getting closer to graduating, and with applying to graduate school. For more information, email our Undergraduate Advocate, Nate Ring, at apssc.undergraduate(it psychologicalscience.org .

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STUDENT notebook

Entering the Academic Job Market, Part II: Proper Preparation, Performance, and Postmortem for Interviews

By Jeremy Ashton Houska

The process of waiting for responses from search chairs and preparing for interviews can be both an exciting and stress-ful time for academic job applicants. While the prospect of

finally "growing up,- visiting new locales, or taking that first step toward professional life can be energizing, the unknown element surrounding one's first academic interview can be overwhelming. Applicants should take some solace in the finding, that many gradu-ate students have reported they were not trained in how to navigate several important professional issues (Myers, Reid, & Quina, 1998). The bulk of graduate study focuses on research specialization and perhaps some pedagogical training and experience, but some of the implicit aspects of academe, such as how to do well during an interview, remain murky. Yct a number of informative resources are readily available for early academics, and I will discuss how to use these to tackle some important issues when preparing for academic job interviews,

issue 1: Proper Preparation Often, the bulk of interview planning centers on developing and refining one's job talk. Despite its reputation as "the talk that gets or loses the job" (see Darley & Zanna, 2004 for important consider-ations), this should not be your only preparation for your interview.

The wait to receive interview invitations is an uncomfortable silent period; make it more bearable by devouring any resources you can find pertaining to academic job interviews and the professional aspects of the academy. The Contpleat Academic Marley & Zanna, 2004), "The More Compleat Academic" (Dunn & Zaremba, 1998), and McKeaclue's Teaching Tips (McKeachie & Svinicki, 200(,) are all good places to start. It is also useful to check in with The Chronicle of Higher Education at least weekly, and it is a must for the on-campus interview. Depending on the type of institution and itinerary, applicants may have meetings with the academic dean, vice president for academics, provost, and even the institution's president, so it is helpful to keep abreast of the issues facing higher education for those meetings and informal conversations during the visit (Korn & Sikorski, 2010). Such preparation also shows that, while applicants may currently be graduate students, they will soon be ready and able to assume the role of a junior colleague (Johnson, 2004).

After you are invited to a phone or on-campus interview, you

Jeremy Ashton Houska is in his first year as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Concordia Univershy in Chicago. He received his PhD in experimental psychology in August 201 0 from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He conducts research in the areas of memory, persuasion, and the teaching of psychology. Find more about Jeremy at kip:// jeremyahouska.com.

should spend some time digging around the institution's website and department and faculty webpages. Getting to know as much as possible about the institution's mission, the department's history and composition, curriculum, course offerings, and the faculty and students themselves serves a number of purposes. You will be better able to develop specific and informed questions to ask faculty, students, and administrators. Use that stack of printouts and pages of notes to aid you during phone interviews. Most of all, this background work will help convey to the search committee that you are, in fact, interested in them and have taken the time and effort to complete the requisite "homework" about them and their institution.

In the process of developing thoughtful questions geared toward the specific institution, you should also make an cffort to craft a general script of questions you can fall back upon during interviews. I was very fortunate that my mentor passed along a compendium of "Questions to ask" and "Questions to be prepared to answer," organized by the categories of search chair, dean, faculty members, students, and other administrators. I added to it, revised it, and reflected upon it before and after each interview. Most of my go-to questions had to do with expectations for tenure, the particulars of the review process, the institution's definition of scholarship, what constitutes teaching excellence, and what types of service are valued. All of these factors can vary widely across institutions.

Lastly. you should develop your own "success stories" or relevant anecdotes to answer frequently asked interview questions (see Wagner. 2000). Personal stories will benefit applicants because they are more memorable than mere statements, they help set ap-phcants apart from other finalists, and, most of all, success stories prevent applicants from reaching for off-the-cuff examples while under pressure.

Issue 2: The Performance The campus interview is a critical opportunity for applicants

to present their professional selves as best they can, I experienced a wide variety of tasks while on interviews. Depending on the interview, I delivered a traditional 45 minute job talk and taught a class, I gave a biographical talk to students, I was interviewed by members of Psi Chi, and, in one case, I gave a teaching demonstra-tion to the faculty, who role-played as students. In each case, 1 was evaluated in terms of my potential as a scholar, teacher, and also as a colleague. I believe the latter consideration is often overlooked by graduate students, and so I will focus on that rather than on specific recommendations for job talks or teaching demonstrations.

Applicants should not seek to change their personalities or to earnestly try to exhibit what they believe is the prototype sought by the search committee. Instead, job candidates should simply be themselves. However, you should retain mindful of the professional

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and character impressions you would like to make, while being careful about which information you provide during conversations. You should always remain "on," even during what is ostensibly down-time (e.g., rides to and from the airport, meals, small-talk in the halls) because anything that occurs is fair game and liable to he relayed during a meeting of the search committee. Be aware that thc length of campus visits is typically one to two days, so be sure to get your rest to maintain enthusiasm and attentiveness during the interviews,

Also, as the current climate is basically a "buyer's market" and many well-qualified finalists are applying for few positions, many departments seek good colleagues to help narrow the field. Search committees are looking for new faculty members who can get along well with others and make their department a better place when they arrive (see Keith, 2004). Collegiality is indeed an important factor during interviews. Applicants should treat all administrators, faculty. staff, and students as they would like to be treated. Assume they share a role in evaluating candidates, because they very well might. Even with a well-received job talk and effective teaching demonstration, negative interpersonal interactions can still affect your chances of being hired,

Issue 3: Postmortem Academic job interviews are much like interviews for graduate

programs in that they become progressively easier after the first one. I found myself better able to adapt to demanding itineraries, more capable of tailoring my job talk and teaching demonstrations toward specific institutions, and more effective at responding to interview questions after I had one interview under my belt. l also was sure to do an informal postmortem analysis of each interview with my mentor and with other members of my team (Houska, 2010), Because of that continued reflection and subsequent refinement, I believe I was at may best right when the best "fit" presented itself on an interview. So, be sure to polish your interview presentation continually (i.e., your job talk, teaching demonstration, questions to ask, success stories) because you never know when you will get that next invitation to interview. Always try to improve, but don't get too down on yourself when experiencing rejection. Faring well on the academic job market requires thick skin.

Finding a Good Fit What constitutes a good academic"fit" or a "good match?" The

answer will vary among early academics, depending on factors such as institutional prestige, likelihood of tenure, salary, department climate, geographic region, and so on. However, a simpler heuristic, like the one articulated by Robert Sternberg, may lead candidates down a more fulfilling career path. Sternberg (2002) noted, "[a good match isl an institution that you will value and that will value you."

References and Further Reading: Dailey. & Zanna, M.P. (2004). The hiring process in

academia. In J.M. Dailey, M. P. Zanna, & Roediger (Edt.). The compleat academic: A career guide (31-56). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Dunn, D.S., & Zaremba, S.B. (1997), Thriving at liberal arts colleges: The more Compleat Academic. Teaching of Psychology, 24, 8-14.

Houska, J. A. (2010). Entering the academie job market: Reflections and resources for the early stages of the process, Observer, 23. Retrieved from http:ftwww. psychologkalscience.oremdex.phpipublicationsi observert2010/september-10/entering-the-academie-job-market.html

nson, M.D. (2004). The academic job interview revisited. Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http.fiwww. chronicle.comiarticle/The-Academic-Job-Interview-144607/

Keith, K.D. (2004). The office next door: Making yourself an excellent faculty candidate. In W, Buskist, B.C. Heins, & V.W. Hevern (Eds.), Preparing the new psychology professoriate: Helping graduate students become competent teachers (104-109). Syracuse, NY: Society for the Teaching of Psychology. Retrieved from http://www.teaehpsych.org/ resourcesie booksipnpp/index_papp.php

Korn. J.H., & Sikorski, J. (2010). A guide for beginning teachers of psychology. Retrieved from http://teachpsych.orgi resourceste-books/guide20101index.php.

McKeachie, & Svinicki, M. (2006). McKeachie's teaching tips: Strategies, research, and theory for college and university teachers (12th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin,

Myers, S.A., Reid, P.T., & Quina, K. (1998). Ready or not, here we come: Preparing psychology graduate students for academic careers. Teaching of Psychology, 25, 124 126,

Sternberg, R.J.(2002). The role of institutional culture and values: What really to look for in thc job hunt. Observer, 15. Retrieved from http://www.psychologicalscience.orgr indcx.phpipublications/observer/2002/september-02(the-role-of-institutional-culture-and-valuts.html

Wagner, R. (2000). The secret to a successful job interview. Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http:ifwww. chronick.comtartic lc/The-Secret-to-a-Successful-/46366/

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