Preparing a Successful Job Market Entrance

Chanon Adsanatham11.5.14chanon@umd.edu

Fourth year of PhD

Rigorous dissertation writing year: fellowship

Mental transition: student scholar Schools want: colleague/scholar—not

graduate student don’t appear grad studentish in your job

documents, interview and campus visit

Fourth Year of PhD

Spring 2013

Goal: Complete 3 of 5 diss chapters

Identified 2 writing samples 1 publication 1 diss chapter

Identified chapter for job talk

Fourth Year of PhD: Spring 2013

March Presented the most interesting chapter at CCCC Workshoped the same chapter at research

roundtable with researchers in the field

April Presented chapter at fellowship symposium

Took hard questions Cleaned up online presence: Facebook, blogs Drafted website: www.chanon.org

Fourth Year of PhD: Spring 2013

May Finalized CV Finished 3rd chapter

Summer Drafted 4th chapter Assembled teaching portfolio

teaching phil course evals (numeric and verbal data) sample assignments syllabi

Drafted dossier

What’s a dossier?

dossier

CVjob letter (R1,

teaching, administrative)

teaching philosophy

writing samples (two)

letters of recommendation

Other pieces employer may request: 1) Teaching portfolio 2) Research agenda 3) Administrative philosophy (rhet/comp only)

Does this look like a dossier of a scholar-teacher or a graduate student?

5th Year of PhD: My Mantra

Is it gonna help me finish my dissertation or help me get a job?

Fall 2014: Job Market SeasonAugust-September

Finalized dossier Taught 2 classes Launched website Attended weekly job

mentoring meetings Started therapy

October

Sent apps: applied broadly (ideal and not ideal jobs)

Practiced mock interviews

Designed sample grad and undergrad courses

Reviewed & interviewed applicants

Fall: Job Market Season November + December

Skype & phone interviews

Researched schools for interviews

Practiced job talk First campus visit Sent apps

January Sent apps MLA interviews Campus visits Job offers

Negotiation

Mid Feb. Accepted job Diss writing resumed

Tips Plan NOW! Start from year one.

Review CVs of recently hired people at places you prefer to teach & plan.

Map backward: professionalize from year one 4 scholarship things a year: publications

(article, interview, book review) and conference presentations—1 should be a publication

Scaffold seminar papers toward higher aims paper conference article paper diss chapter

Tips cont. Find a professionalization mentor—need not be your adviser.

Review your CV progress w/ a mentor every spring. Go in with a CV. How’s my progress? How well am I building a professional ethos?

Eliminate the dream job mentality or romanticized ideals.

Apply broadly: Use jobs you don’t care much for as practice interviews.

Do NOT over do service or administrative duties rhet/comp students beware.

Have a focused, coherent scholarly identity as a specialist—don’t be disorganized or scattered by claiming too many fields of expertise.

Make summer productive: write, revise, submit.

Dissertation progress is CRUCIAL before app season.

The Big Question Year 5Does this look like a dossier of a scholar-teacher or a graduate student?

Timeline This was a sample yearly plan of a doctoral student. Yours need not be exactly the same; it probably shouldn’t be. Consult your adviser to develop a viable plan appropriate to your goals and needs.

Year One Sent out a book review, presented at conferences, attended summer

institute in your area of interestYear Two Sent out article, presented at conferences, taught a new course Read professionalization advice columns Year Three Sent out another article and book reviews, competed for awards

(teaching, research) and dissertation fellowship, obtained administrative positions in writing programs, taught another new course

Year Four Dissertation writing, job market prep Sent out a lower stake manuscript: conference proceedings Year Five Job market, taught classes

Key Questions for Job Market SuccessScholarly Identity

Who are you in terms of a scholarly profile and academic identity? What are your areas of expertise? (not interests) How do they connect? Are you a scholar-teacher/teacher-scholar?

How does your dossier present you: as scholar, teacher-researcher, graduate student?

Scholarly Intervention What is the major intervention (contribution) your

dissertation or research is making? Why should people give a damn?

Key Questions for Job Market SuccessDissertation Succinctness (for ABD candidates only)

What are the key arguments and important details of the different chapters of your dissertation?

Can you give a coherent pitch of your dissertation? 10 minute version, 5 minute version, 3 minute version, 1 minute version

Research Agenda (Productive Potential) Do you have a clear, coherent research trajectory? When the diss is done, what’s next? What is your research plan in 1-7 years?

Teaching What is your teaching style and philosophy? What new courses can you add to a department? How will you

teach them? What existing courses can you teach, and how will you teach

them?

Resources on Job Market and ProfessionalizationPrint

The PhD Handbook for the Academic Job Search by Coghill-Behrends & Anthony

The Academic Job Search Handbook by Vick and Furlong

Web Theprofessorisin.com Chronicle.com advice tab Insidehighered.com career advice Chroniclevitae.com/news