Academic Job Searches

Articles

"Landing an academic job: The process and the pitfalls." Dantzig, J

A very interesting piece of work — the observations and thoughts of a tenured faculty member on the job hunt. Dantzig provides his impressions about the job hunt and gives some advice based on the blunders he has seen. Very good for PhD students seeking a job.

"Faith,persistence, and luck." Eaton, A

Eaton describes the academic job hunt from the faculty perspective. This article should be particularly interesting to English grad students, as Eaton describes the job hunt and interview process in an English department.

"Tips for a Massive Academic Job Search." Ellen Spertus, PhD

Provides Spertus' own experiences in the academic job hunt. She provides information about how she organized her materials, determined where she should apply, how she put together her application, and the interview process. Very informative for PhD students going into the academic job market.

Web sites

http://nextwave.sciencemag.org/

A career development resource for graduate students and post docs. Published by Science, this resource provides information about research and nonresearch careers in academia, industry and other locations. Issues regarding scientific training, grant writing and career development for scientists.

AcademicCareers.com

Allows students to search for teaching or administrative jobs in academia and shows research benefits for particular jobs. Students can also submit resumes through the site.

Academic Employment Network

Students can search college, primary and secondary education institutions for faculty, staff and administrative positions. Students can search for jobs both in the US and abroad.

Academic Jobs EU

Search for educational and research jobs specifically within the European Union. Search by field (or "faculty," as they call it) and desired location in Europe.

Jones International University: Education and Teaching Jobs

Students can engage in a location-oriented search for academic jobs both in the U.S. and internationally. Students indicate in which parts of the country they are interested in working, and they receive a list of all faculty, staff and administrative jobs in those areas.

Science Jobs

Mentioned under the nonacademic section. Users can search for jobs in academia, industry or government. Search by field (i.e., botany, food science, molecular biology) and by location (i.e., south, northeast).

Higher Education Jobs Worldwide

Allows students to conduct a worldwide search for higher education jobs. Users need to enter their desired job classification (i.e., instructor, dean), their field and desired location (or search worldwide).

Academic Keys

Includes a nice system that starts out with broad categories (health science, agriculture, etc.) and works to the specific place or institution.

Books

Heiberger, M., & Vick, J. (2001).The Academic Job Search Handbook University of Pennsylvania Press.

Covers important topics such as: written materials for the search (with sample vitae and letters), conducting the interview and starting the job or pursuing tenure. The book also discusses the importance of networking through professional conferences and working with your adviser through the process.

McCabe, L., McCabe, L., & McCabe, E. (2000). How to Succeed in Academics: Successful career management. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.

The three McCabes discuss issues of the job search and beyond. Of particular interest are issues of how to seek out the second job in academia and how to pursue grants.

Vesilind, P. (1999). So You Want to be a Professor?: A handbook for graduate students. Sage Publications.

Information included on the job hunt, interviews and how to interact with others in a professional setting. The book also gives tips on how to set up courses and work with students.