September 19, 2011Anne-Lise Halvorsen, Raven McCrory, Michelle

Purdy

OverviewIntroductionsIdentifying positions/searchesDeveloping a cover letterPreparing writing samplesIdentifying referencesPractice job talksInterviewsVisitsAccepting an offerOther questions

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Identifying Positions/SearchesAssistant Professor Positions Chronicle of Higher Education Higheredjobs.com Professional Associations (e.g., AERA NCTM, NCTE) – sign up for list-servs Advisor/Diss. Committee Peers

Detective Work Find out whether a given search committee is open to candidates who

don’t directly match the job description

Other Positions (e.g., Sch. District, Govt., Non-Profit, Research Firm) Education Week Formal announcements Professional networks Educational Researcher

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Developing a Cover Letter

About 2 to 3 pages in length Components: introduction, dissertation, university teaching

experience, K-12 teaching experience, other research experience/publications, courses taken, goals for future (research/teaching)

Personalize the letter in some ways Look at examples Get lots of feedback from a variety of people Use same/similar letter for different positions Modify letter based on specifics of position For tips, see: http://careerservices.aces.illinois.edu/cover+letters The cover letter is important! If it isn’t convincing, the

committee won’t ever get to the rest of the file (note: last year, the MSU math search committee received over 50 applicants; the equity search committee received over 100 – so if you want the job, explain why, and why you fit, in a persuasive way).

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Preparing Writing Samples

Possible writing samplesChoose most important publications/pieces of writingChoose writing samples based on specifics of position

Sole-authored publication(s)1st-authored publication(s)1 to 2 chapters from dissertation (but do NOT send your

entire dissertation)Avoid submitting 3 pieces where you are 3rd author (on all

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Identifying References Begin process early – give your recommender plenty of lead time

You will need at least 3 references, preferably 4 -- only ask someone to serve as a reference if you are confident that they will write a strong letter on your behalf (consider providing a bulleted list of points you would like the reference to emphasize)

Share job descriptions with your references: consider creating a document with a table that lists position, name and address of contact institution, deadline, what points to emphasize in the letter, etc. to share with recommenders

For some positions, you will just list their names and contact info; for other positions, you will need your references to submit letters when you apply

There are services you can use so that each reference just writes one letter

Share your cover letter and CV with your references 6

Doing Practice Job Talks

Practice presenting/going through your material Do 1-2 practice job talks in the fall or in January

(e.g., literacy colloquy, ed policy workshop, informal group) – find someone who you think gives good talks and have him/her critique it

More practice!You want to be exposed to lots and lots of

substantive questions, anticipate typical questions (e.g., what is the contribution of your research; how do your findings apply to your teaching, etc.)

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Doing Practice Job Talks (continued)

Make sure your job talk does not get mired down in details of your analysis – you can always answer particular questions about that if they come up – make sure your job talk DOES focus on the “big picture” of your work – how does your research contribute to the field? Influence policy? Influence practice?

You also want feedback on your presentation style

You want to project confidence, familiarity with material

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Skype, Phone InterviewsPrior to the interview, get as much clarity as you can

about what the interviewers want from you during the interview (e.g., short research talk? Short presentation of yourself? Only answering questions?)

Then, try to do what they want during the interview. You will sometimes receive specific questions ahead

of timeDifficult situation due to technology/distanceStay positive; don’t let one question throw you offPause; look for cues re: whether to say moreIf necessary, ask interviewer(s) to rephrase question

(don’t ask this too many times)Be sure to have your own questions to ask of the

interviewers

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Visits

1 to 2 days -- usually a very full scheduleDo homework so that you know some things about the

people you’re meeting with and the institutionSome institutions require a teaching demonstration Job talk is very importantLots of one-on-one, small-group meetingsDon’t try to be all things to all peopleBe sociable; they are evaluating your academic potential

and whether you will be a good colleagueVisits can be tiring and stressfulRemember – you are also evaluating the institution to see if

you want a job! Would you really, actually like to work there?

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Accepting an Offer: Salary isn’t the whole story!Job OfferYou usually have a short window to give a

responseYou have the most leverage before you accept a

position; at the same time, many institutions (especially now) are financially strapped and have to stick to their budget

You can counter-offer re: salary. But you might be better off countering with other start-up items (you will find later on that time can be just as valuable as salary) course buyout(s)start-up fundsmoving allowancecomputer/technology funds

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Accepting an Offer: Salary isn’t the whole story!Job Offer Other institutional policies can make the same salary very

different administrative/teaching funds travel support admin. responsibilities summer pay retirement contributions and other benefits (e.g., tuition

reduction) Ask about expectations re: publishing, teaching, grant activity,

service/admin. roles Ask about junior faculty mentoring, pre-tenure release time If you haven’t had experience negotiating salary/other issues,

practice and talk with others to get advice Consider cost of living (e.g., NYC vs. Ames, Iowa) You will never know unless you ask!

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Good Luck!

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