Inside this issue: How to handle the final phases of the job hunt
|
Inside this issue: How to handle the final phases of the job hunt |
|
Brought to you by: QUOTE OF THE WEEK: I have learned this at least, by my experiment: -Henry David Thoreau RESOURCES OF THE WEEK:
“After the Offer, Before the Deal: Negotiating a First Academic Job”. This article is one of the most specific, helpful writings I’ve seen on the topic. The author is Chris Golde, an assistant professor of educational administration at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Ugur Çetintemel is now an assistant professor in the Computer Science Department who wrote an article about his job hunt process from start to finish. It covers all the basics of an academic job hunt in a clear manner. REVIEW OF THE WEEK:
The Academic Job Search Handbook (3rd Edition) by Mary Morris Heiberger, Julia Miller Vick This is my favorite book about applying for an academic position.
The time to read it is a couple of years before you go on the job market.
Julia Miller Vick and a colleague write a career advice column for The
Chronicle of Higher Education so you can taste their advice before buying
the book.
|
For Those of You On the Job Market...Humor Tidbit: The Job Package NegotiationReaching the end of an on-campus job interview, the Department Chair asked the young academic, "What salary range were you thinking about?" The applicant said, "In the neighborhood of $100,000 a year, depending on the number of classes I’d be teaching each semester and how generous my research start-up package will be." The senior professor said, "Well, what do you think about one class per semester, a slush fund for unlimited conference attendance, a sabbatical with full pay during your third year and no committee work until you’ve got tenure.” The applicant sat up straight and said, "Wow! Are you kidding?" The professor replied, "Yeah, but you started it."
How can you handle the anxious finale of your search? 1) Don’t expect to stay sane.Even the most successful academics I work with are stressed out and overwhelmed by the job hunt. It is normal to feel as though you are heading for a breakdown. Don’t berate yourself for not finishing your dissertation chapter, sending out a paper or teaching your best this semester. Focus on survival. 2) Anticipate GlitchesIf you’re still interviewing, make sure you are prepared for mistakes and obstacles. Have your suit in your carry-on bag because it is likely that the airline will misplace your luggage. Make sure you can access a copy of your job talk by email in case you loose your printed copy. Have the hiring committee members’ phone numbers handy so that you can contact them when your flight is cancelled. Back up the hotel wake-up call with an alarm clock. Expect to get the flu. Murphy’s laws apply to the job hunt. 3) Prepare to negotiate.Do your homework. Know what kind of offer you may get and what kind of requests you could make to enhance the package. Ask your professors (especially those recently hired) how to handle an offer. Call the graduates of your department who were successful on the market within the past few years. Arrange for mock negotiation conversations the way you did mock job interviews. 4) Prepare for rejection.When you get turned down, be sure to follow up gracefully. After you’ve recovered from your disappointment, write a letter telling the hiring committee how much you appreciated getting to the interview stage. Describe what you liked about the department and the school. Why go through this extra step when you’ve been turned down? Because you never know when one of the department members you’ve met will review one of your articles, grants or conference papers. You never know whether the lucky chosen applicant might have a crisis that prevents starting the job. (I’ve seen this happen more than once.) Sometimes, the position won’t be filled, so there’s a small chance that you will apply to the same institution next year. 5) Prepare to reject.Turning down an offer is surprisingly difficult for many academics I counsel. You’ve worked so hard to get them to say “yes” that it’s hard to say “no.” Follow up that difficult phone call with a letter about what you liked about their institution and why it was difficult to decline the offer. Again, you never know whether those professors may play a role in your future. 6) Resist the urge to see how many offers you can get.Some people recommend collecting as many job offers as possible to create leverage in the negotiation process. I disagree. If you get an appealing offer, I believe that you should call your lower choice alternatives and withdraw your application. This is especially important if you have not yet had your on-campus interview because the professors will be grateful that you haven’t wasted their time. 7) Remember that this is just the first step of the rest of your career.If no offer comes, or you don’t like the offers you get, remind yourself that this is just the next step of a long trek towards tenure at a great institution. You can go on the job market again. Few academics retire from the place they got their first job. This position can be a stepping stone toward a more appealing position. You can make changes in the future if you don’t like the locale, the institution or the department. Finally, remember, during the wine-and-dine portions of your on-campus interview, don’t order spaghetti! Please let me know how the job hunt is going for you:
Good luck and stay well,
Mary McKinney, Ph.D. |
This ezine was sent by request to <$name$> at <$email$> on <$today$>. If you wish to cancel your subscription or change your email address, use the links at the bottom of this issue. If you prefer to receive this ezine in plain text, send a blank email to mckinney-96667@autocontactor.com |
The Successful Academic News is published by Mary McKinney, 1506 East Franklin Street, Suite 202, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, phone: 919-969-2616, website: www.successfulacademic.com, email: mckinney@successfulacademic.com © 2005 Mary McKinney, All rights reserved. You are free to use material from the Successful Academic Newsletter, in whole or in part, as long as you include complete attribution, including my live web site link. Please also notify me where the material will appear. Attribution should read: |
