Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know

About Going on the

Academic Job Market

Info Session 2009

Should I Be on the Market?

• Do you have a well-written, well-developed job paper?

• Are you prepared to present your research?

• When can you realistically see being finished?

• Talk to your chair!!!

Where and What Is the Market?

Allied Social Science Association (ASSA) annual meetings

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AEA/Annual_Meeting/index.htm

•Sponsored by American Economic Association (AEA) and 50 other

related disciplines

•3 days at beginning of calendar year

•January 6-9, 2011 Denver, CO

•On site interviews

Where and What Is the Market?

American Agricultural Economics Association (AAEA) annual meetings

http://www.aaea.org/meetings/

•3 day conference joint with WAEA (Western) and CAES (Canadian) and

including AERA (Env & Res.) and ACCI (Am. Council on Consumer

Interests)

•Late summer; July 24-26, 2011 in Pittsburg, PA

•Employment Center (registration required; CV and a short

questionnaire)

Where Do I Find Job Listings?

• Websites of major organizations will have job & internship listings,

resume banks, general career info

•AAEA: www.aaea.org/classifieds

•AEA: listings in JOE (Job Openings for Economists)

http://www.aeaweb.org/joe/

•AERE: http://www.aere.org/jobs/index.html

•The Chronicle of Higher Education: www.chronicle.com (faculty,

administrative, nonacademic)

Where Do I Find Job Listings?

• Social Science Research Network (SSRN): www.ssrn.com (a sub-

selection for Economic Research Network)

•Inomics (European positions): www.inomics.com

•Association of Public Policy Analysis & Mgmt:

http://www.appam.org/home.asp

•UK-JOE (Royal Economic Society):

http://newdomino.lbs.ac.uk/econ.nsf/UKJoe

•Health Econ jobs: www.healtheconomics.org/jobs

•Post Docs: www.postdocjobs.com

Ok, there are jobs.

Which ones do I apply for?

In the initial stages, it is best not to be overly limiting in your search. A general rule of

thumb is: “Don’t apply for a job you would not accept; but apply for any job you prefer

to unemployment.”

•Level?

•Emphasizing which strengths?

•Management/supervisory responsibility?

•Functions?

Roles and activities?

•Size/type of institution?

•Culture?

•Resources?

•Geography?

•Other……….?

What Goes in My Application Packet?

Curriculum Vitae

• The primary differences between a resume and a curriculum vitae (CV) are the length,

what is included and what each is used for.

• Be certain to include contact information:

• a professional email address

• phone number with a professional voice mail message

• postal address

• more frequently, a professional website

•Website Development Workshop, Tuesday, October 19, 3-4pm, Nelson B411

What Goes in My Application Packet?Your CV Should Also Include:

•Education (reverse chronology)•Licenses and Certifications•Honors/Awards•Experience/Professional Employment (reverse chronology)•Professional Activities•Professional Development Activities•Publications/Presentations (reverse chronology may use selected, recent or relevant)•Research/Grants •References

Your CV Should NOT Include:

•Marital status, age, health, race, gender, health, photo, salary... •Use of pronouns, especially “I”•Full sentences - use phrases beginning with action verbs and include results/outcome…•Repeated introductory phrases like “responsibilities include/d…”

What Goes in My Application Packet?Cover Letter/Letter of Introduction

• Be specific to the position and institution

• include evidence that you’ve researched the position and institution

• MATCH your talents to their needs

• Should briefly describe your research and teaching experience, and also demonstrate

your intellect and writing ability, your enthusiasm and interest in what you do

• Should give a sense that you are "job ready"--that you can start teaching immediately,

have a research agenda already underway, and have some sense of what it means to be a

fully-functioning faculty member in your field

What Goes in My Application Packet?

Research Agenda

•Summarizes your current research

•A list of articles you hope to write in the next 3-5 years

OR

•A statement of the questions you plan to look into, as well as some tentative

thoughts on the types of answers you might have.

•Lays firm foundations for further research whether it stems from current research

or branches into new areas

•Should be as specific as possible

What Goes in My Application Packet?Teaching Portfolio

•Describes and documents your teaching ability

•Should include:

•statement of teaching philosophy

your conception of teaching and learning

a description of how you teach

justification for why you teach that way

communicate your goals as an instructor and your corresponding actions in the

classroom

provide an opportunity to point to and tie together the other sections of your

portfolio

•description of teaching experience (responsibilities)

•course planning artifacts: sample course syllabi, lesson plans, assignments, exams

•evidence of teaching effectiveness: summary of student feedback, department

evaluations

•teaching awards and recognition

•professional development efforts (Econ Grad TA Training, CoAT, FIT, PTP)

What Goes in My Application Packet?

•Academic Transcripts

•Letters of Reference (at least 3; one from your chair)

•Dissertation Abstract

•Writing Sample/Job Market Paper

So I Got An Interview!! Now What??• Short interviews (20-30 minutes or so) conducted in hotel suites/rooms

• Try to be aware of scheduling and hotel locations

• Two to five interviewers

• Be prepared to be knowledgeable about the institution, faculty and

research strengths (its okay to ask who’ll be at the interview)

• Be prepared to discuss your future research goals and agenda and to tie

these interests in to those of the department

• Be prepared to discuss your ability to teach the courses listed on the

job ad (have a text in mind!!)

• Share your interest in the position

So I Got An Interview!! Now What??

Remember the goals of the interviewer!

The institution wants to know:

•How does this applicant’s education, experience and

accomplishments meet our needs/requirements?

•What is her/his potential for adding value to our institution’s or

department’s mission/goals?

“Tell Me About Yourself….”

The 2-Minute Spiel

•Name and profession•Where you were raised, your education, and career history (selective

and relevant to the position applying for)

“My educational history includes……”“My strengths/accomplishments include...”

•Opportunity to explain why you’ve pursued this area of education/employment

•Future focus and goals

“Tell Me About Your Research…”

Be prepared to summarize your research/dissertation in various situations (adapted from Dr. Lee Craig)

•1-2 minute quick meeting at lunch, in the elevator

•5-7 minute interview version

•15 minute extended discussion

•Presentation length (for onsite call back interviews)

What Can/Should I Ask My Interviewers

Ask questions of the interviewers!!

• Teaching loads

• Research / teaching split

• Departmental/university service

• Tenure requirements

• Grantsmanship

• Steps being taken to reach stated goals

Salary discussions should be held at least until on site interviews

Anything Else?• Economics Graduate Program Website

Job Market Resources

http://mgt.ncsu.edu/econ_grad/current/career_resources/JobMarketResources.php

•Going on the Ag Econ Job Market

http://are.berkeley.edu/jobmarket/ag_econ_market2.pdf

•A Guide and Advice for Economists on the US Junior Academic Job Market

http://www.aeaweb.org/joe/articles/2002/2002-09-cawley.html

•Strategy and Etiquette for Graduate Students Entering the Academic Job Market

http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=10587195%28199923%2F24%2921%3A2%3C513%

3ASAEFGS%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Y

• Search for an Economics Job with a Teaching Focus

http://mgt.ncsu.edu/econ_grad/current/career_resources/JobMarketResources.php