Department of English and
American Literature
Brandeis University
Summer 2007
Going on the job market,
especially for the first time, can be overwhelming. To help you make sense of this project, this timetable
describes in generic terms the steps involved. As you review these steps, please bear in mind that thejob
search will probably be a phase of your career, not a fleeting moment within
it. That said, even though the
work involved can appear daunting when you read through the plan for an entire
year, you can prepare for it as you would for any other major undertaking, and
you can make the process more manageable by breaking each phase down into
smaller steps. Also, remember that
the department faculty can help you through this process, especially the job
placement officers and your advisor and committee members. In addition to assisting you with your
application materials, they should also be important resources for you when you
are preparing for MLA interviews, campus visits, or discussions of job
offers. Be sure to check in with
the placement officers (Lanser and Irr for 2007-08) and your advisor at these
crucial turning points. Finally, remember
that going on the job market is something that most people do repeatedly. It is the norm, not the exception, for
a job search to last several years, and many people who have jobs continue
their search in later years. You
are learning new skills in this context, skills that ideally complement but
definitely do not replace an excellent dissertation.
May/June/July:
Research:
-this is a good time to
focus on your dissertation, but be thinking about how your project relates to
others in the field and to major trends in the discipline as a whole
Tasks:
-let the placement
officers know you are planning a job search
-have your name added to
the department job seekers listserve
-work on polishing at
least one essay or chapter to submit for publication
-make lots of progress on
your dissertation, so you are as far along as you can be before the job market
process begins
Keeping your cool:
-often, having a
productive writerly summer puts people in a good place, psychologically, for
beginning the job search. There's
no need to obsess about it prematurely!
August:
Research:
-consider the kinds of
positions that are usually available and develop a strategy for your
applications: there are small teaching colleges v. large
research institutions; public v. private; Northeast v. other regions; etc; and
all have their advantages. Don't
limit yourself at the outset. Take
a look at the program descriptions at different kinds of schools and talk to
people with experience in different sorts of institutions.
-take a look at some of
the many excellent sites for job market adviceÑe.g., Ms. Mentor's column at www.chronicle.com (see many other sites at
the end of this timetable)
Tasks:
-ask your recommenders to
put a letter on file for you; at least one letter should directly address your
expertise as a teacher.
-start drafting your cover
letter and c.v.; show these documents to your advisor and get some feedback
-begin to prepare
supplemental materials: one-page
dissertation abstract, teaching philosophy, sample syllabi, summaries of teaching evaluations
Keeping your cool:
-keep working on your
dissertation and/or publications, so that you remember what is really important
and interesting about this kind of work
September:
Research:
-familiarize yourself with
the MLA's job information list (it appears at www.ade.org,
and you will need to use the departmental ID and password to get into it)
-browse the Chronicle
of Higher Education on occasion, so you are up on issues and can identify
positions that appear in their Classifieds section
-make a point of surveying
recent issues of journals in your field, even if they're not directly relevant
to your dissertation.
Tasks:
-join the MLA, if you
haven't done so already
-have job placement officers
review your written materials and letters in your dossier
-revise materials, as
necessary
-revise your dissertation
prospectus so that you can use it to apply for post-docs
-choose a section of your
dissertation to send as a writing sample, if requested to do so. This should be a roughly 25-page
portion of your dissertation that displays the analytic work you are doing with
one or more texts. Do not send introductory
material alone. It is fine to
excerpt a chapter and include a head note summarizing your argument.
-acquire an interview
outfit or develop one from your existing wardrobe or a friend's. Usually, this is a suit of some
sortÑsomething that makes you look and feel like a professional; it should be
at or above the level of formality appropriate for conference
presentations.
Keeping your cool:
-keep in mind that a job
search is time-consuming; it requires consistent effort throughout the year, so
put aside time for it every weekÑwithout letting it overwhelm your #1 priority
(the dissertation, of course!).
October:
Research:
-do a little bit of
research on institutions that are advertising positions: look at the departmental webpage and
see if there is any special connection you can make to the department or the
university; familiarize yourself with the different sorts of departments that
are out there. Pay special
attention to any statements offered on the websites about teaching methods and
goals.
-read a new book in your
field, something you think people are likely to be discussing, or browse
periodicals such as New York Review of Books.
Tasks:
-register for the MLA
convention
-begin sending job
applications: cover letter, c.v.,
dossier, and anything else they request
-keep looking at the JIL
to see if new positions are posted
-consider broadening your
search to lists published by affiliated organizations (e.g., American Studies
Association for Americanists, and so on)
-develop several oral
versions of your dissertation summary; practice telling people what your
dissertation is about and what conclusions you have reached in 5 minutes or
less and 2 minutes or less; bore strangers with this if necessary. It can be useful to review your
prospectus, so you have a big picture view of your dissertation.
-wear your suit somewhere,
so that you start to feel comfortable in it
-send your advisor a list
of your top 10 favorites among the places you have applied, in case he or she
has some contacts there
Keeping your cool:
-don't worry if you don't
hear back from places you have appliedÑespecially if you have sent a writing
sample in the initial application.
November:
Research:
-just to be on the safe
side, get some information about non-academic jobs that might be of interest to
you (hereafter referred to as "Plan B.") Have you ever considered a job in academic
administration? Or
publishing? Or high school
teaching? Or private tutoring? Or as a full-time research
assistant? What about the Peace
Corps? Or teaching abroad? Consider making an appointment with
someone in the career center to learn what kinds of options might be suitable
for you.
Tasks:
-send writing samples, if
requested.
-if anything major in your
profile changes (e.g., you have an article accepted for publication), send an
update to institutions where you have outstanding applications.
-keep looking at the JIL,
because it is not uncommon for positions to be posted throughout the term
-keep working on your
dissertation and/or writing for publication! This is one of the most important things you can do to help
yourself on the job market.
-choose a section of your
dissertation to polish as a job talk.
It should NOT duplicate your writing sample. A job talk should be
roughly 40 minutes in length, and it should begin with a brief account of the argument
of the whole project.
-consider giving a talk in
the department as a practice job
talk
Keeping your cool:
-again, don't worry if you
don't hear from institutions where you have applied for a long time; it is not
uncommon for search committees to meet to make decisions about who they want to interview very late in the
semester.
-try to develop several
different scenarios (each of which has something you are enthusiastic about)
for the following year. Don't let
your vision of your future depend entirely on one round of the academic job
market.
December:
Research:
-if you have interviews
scheduled, familiarize yourself with some work by members of the faculty in
that department, especially those who will be interviewing you. You do not need to discuss this work
with the faculty members, but it's a good idea to know something about it for
your own purposes.
-you can ask which faculty
members will be interviewing you.
-if you have interviews
scheduled, learn more about the institution and the region. Always look for positives! Make lists of questions that you have
about the institution and department, as you will certainly be asked for them.
-if you do not have
interviews, keep broadening your search; don't forget to read the Chronicle
classifieds .
-no matter what, keep Plan
B alive.
Tasks:
-try to anticipate
questions that people might have about your research and teaching record in an
interview.
-practice describing your
accomplishmentsÑwithout bragging or being unduly modest
-practice imagining and presenting
yourself as professor, not a student.
-participate in mock
interview process, whether or not you have an interview scheduled
-for real and mock
interviews, prepare syllabi for courses you would propose to teach at this particular
university; you need to be able to describe syllabi, and you might want to hand
out hard copies as well. A good
syllabus is organized around an interesting concept and includes a specific
list of texts.
-prepare syllabi tailored
to the schools that are interviewing you.
Often you will need a syllabus for an introductory course, a
senior/majors special topic course; a survey in your primary teaching field; a
secondary teaching field, if you have one; and a graduate seminar, if there is
a graduate program.
-in early December, make
travel arrangements for the MLA and hotel reservations (sometimes it's a good
idea to make arrangements you can cancel if you decide not to go at the last
minute)
-if you have multiple
interviews, try to schedule some time to decompress and reflect on your
experiences between interviews, if possible; try to schedule interviews for a
time of day when you know you are at your sharpest
-at MLA (usually
12/27-30), definitely attend the Brandeis Department party and get feedback
from professors there
-give yourself some time
at the conference to spend with friends or in some enjoyable activity, so you
aren't left anxiously hanging in the high-pressure atmosphere of the conference
Keeping your cool:
-if you do not have interviews
scheduled, do not panic or
despair! Many jobs are posted in
the spring semesterÑespecially one-year replacement positions and some
post-docs.
-bear in mind that most
job searches for new PhDs take several years. It's probably wise to begin with the assumption that you
will have a year or two or three of post-degree "apprenticeship."
January/February:
Research:
-If you have an on-campus
interview, continue to learn as much as you can about the institution and area
where it is located before going
-continue seeking out
one-year appointments either in Boston or in a region where you plan to
relocate, so that you have fall-back plans
-read more current
scholarship in your field
Tasks:
-it is not entirely
necessary to send thank-you notes to people who have interviewed you, but it
does not hurt.
-finalize a job talk,
whether you have an on-campus interview scheduled or not.
-if major in your profile changes,
definitely be in touch with search committees with whom you interviewed.
-if you receive an offer,
make sure to discuss it with your advisor and/or the job placement officers
-if you do not receive an
offer, be gracious; it is usually
not appropriate to request information directly about why you were not
the top candidate
-keep working on your dissertation
and/or publishing
Keeping your cool:
-bear in mind that many
search committees do not meet to make decisions about who to bring back to
campus until the semester has begun; often a Dean's authorization is required
before they can move to the next phase, so do not panic if you don't hear back
from them for a while.
-if you receive rejection
letters (and everyone does!), think of something productive to do with them
(toss them, frame them, make a craft project, etc.)
March/April:
Research:
- keep reading the JIL;
one-year positions of many sorts are usually posted in late spring, so look
into these
-you can also contact
institutions in the area and ask if they need additional instructors
-keep developing options
in your Plan B category.
Tasks:
-be patient!
-if you have a job, get
ready to move!
-if you have some
outstanding applications, update your c.v. as necessary and be sure to let them
know if your contact information is changing over the summer
-if you no longer have
outstanding applications and are still in need of a position, definitely be in
touch with your advisor, the DGS, and the Writing Program
-review your application
materials with your advisor and/or job placement officers and make a plan for
improving your profile for next year
-work on letters for local
jobs (BU, BC, Simmons, Berklee, etc.)
-if you did not get a
position or did not find the one you wanted, get ready to begin again in the
late summer and review this year's search with at least one faculty member
-if you have not done so
already, finish that dissertation!
Keeping your cool:
-this can be a difficult
time; make sure to have something in our agenda that reminds you what you like
about academic workÑe.g., plan a fun class session, save an interesting piece
of literature to read, work on an engrossing research problem.
-no matter what the
outcome of this year's job search, congratulate yourself on having survived
it! This is a stressful activity,
but you will have produced important documents you can use again, educated
yourself about the structure of higher education, and developed new skills in
self-presentation. This is an
important stage in your career!
More Job Market Advice:
The
MLA has a printed guide to the job search, available for $5. It's been
updated recently. The link is http://www.mla.org/store/CID22/PID158
Texas
A & M has a very useful set of checklists specifically for English grad students
on all aspects of the job search and also a set of (mostly electronic)
suggested readings:
http://www-english.tamu.edu/graduate/placement/tips.htm
http://www-english.tamu.edu/graduate/placement/readings.htm
Three
documents by Mary Sies, U of Maryland (tailored for American Studies jobs but
useful for English students as well.) They all linked at the bottom of
her website, http://otal.umd.edu/~sies/
On
interviewing at MLA by Michael Gamer and Anne Crook
http://www.english.upenn.edu/~mgamer/interview.html
UC-Berkeley's
career center has la lot of good info for students in multiple fields; the site
breaks down the job search into multiple components from how to write a cover
letter to negotiating an offer.
http://career.berkeley.edu/PhDs/PhDAcademic.stm\
Another
good supersite for professional jobs at the U of Minnesota:
http://www.grad.umn.edu/postdoctoral_affairs/professional_development/job_searching.html
A
PDF handout on the academic job search (multidisciplinary) from the U of Chicago:
http://caps.uchicago.edu/resources/pdfs/academicjob.pdf
"Landing
an Academic Job: The Process and the Pitfalls," a paper by Jonathan
Dantzig, a UIUC engineer that is especially good about the campus visit,
despite the divergence in field:
http://quattro.me.uiuc.edu/~jon/ACAJOB/Latex2e/academic_job.pdf
The
Chronicle has a site under
"Chronicle Careers" that includes first-person essays on job
searching and on the transition from student to professor. They're not
always cheerful but they are a useful reality check. See also forums,
etc.
http://chronicle.com/jobs/
Berkeley
has two lists of Humanities postdocs--not sure why, but they are differently
organized and both are useful.
http://www.spo.berkeley.edu/Fund/hpostdoc.html
http://townsendcenter.berkeley.edu/postdocs_date.shtml
http://www.ors.duke.edu/find/student/pdoc/pdochumsoc.html
To
check out departments, this is a site of English Department home pages in US
and beyond:
http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/english/links/engdpts.html
A
U of Wash supersite that encourages people to think about a range of jobs
("Re-envisioning the Ph.D.) Not English-specific. Lots of good
links.
http://www.grad.washington.edu/Envision/phd/obtaining_employment/web_sites3.html
Another
one, "Sellout": about careers for PhDs beyond academia:
http://www.ironstring.com/sellout/index.shtml
Job
listing site, in addition to MLA and the Chronicle. You don't need to
register to see the job lists.
www.academiccareers.com