Graduate School Channel
Career Insights: Timetable and checklist
for the academic job search
By Virginia Steinmetz, Ph.D., Duke University
Career Center
Two Years Before Graduation
- Select your dissertation committee and
discuss available departmental financial support for the dissertation
wind-up period with your advisor and Director of Graduate Studies.
- Evaluate your teaching experience and
locate further opportunities to teach at [the university] or potential
adjunct positions in nearby institutions. Start designing courses.
- Plan a conference presentation. Survey
job listings in your field and target schools where you would like to
teach. Use the Internet to research those schools.
Fifteen Months Before Graduation
- Plan to complete your dissertation in
the fall - one year before teaching/research positions begin the
following academic year. While you may need to defend your dissertation
after you have secured a position, you should avoid starting your
academic career with an unfinished dissertation or prepare to negotiate
with a hiring department a reduced course load to complete your thesis.
- Discuss available or potential job
openings with your dissertation advisor and committee members. Also
alert peers, faculty contacts at other institutions, and your graduate
career counselor that you are looking for an academic position and when
you will be available.
- Plan another conference presentation
(s) and/or submit an article(s) for publication.
- Set up a credential file at the Career
Center if your department does not handle this procedure for mailing
letters of recommendation to multiple institutions.
- Choose your recommenders wisely and
discuss your career plans with them.
- Prepare your CV. Ask your Director of
Graduate Studies for a discipline-specific model or review the sample
CV's on this website. Make an appointment with your graduate career
counselor if you have format and content questions.
Twelve Months Before Graduation
- Update your CV. Give copies of your CV
and a section (s) of your dissertation to members of your dissertation
committee and other faculty members who are guiding your research and
will write employment recommendations on your behalf.
- Study online job listings published by
your professional association and postings in the journals of your
discipline. In addition, be sure to consult the Career Network section
of the Chronicle of Higher Education at http://chronicle.com/jobs/
- Submit application materials for
conference interviews and/or sign up as directed.
- Prepare for conference interviews by
participating in mock interview opportunities offered by your department
[or the university's Career Center]
Six to Eight Months Before
Graduation
- Follow up promising conference
screening interviews by contacting the faculty who interviewed you to
express your interest in the position (s). Network with new academic
colleagues for further research information and news about job
opportunities.
- If you are invited for an on-campus
interview or are using the Career Center service for mailing multiple
copies of confidential faculty recommendations for new job applications,
update your recommendation file. Submit accurate employer address
information to [the Career Center or office providing Credential
Services]
- Prepare your presentations and
questions for on-campus interviews carefully. Inquire about video mock
interview opportunities in your department or with the graduate career
specialist at Career Center.
- Research the schools and faculties
that will interview you. Don't hesitate to call hiring departments if
you have questions about their position and their interview procedure,
participants or schedule.
After Your First Round of
Interviews
- If you are not offered a
teaching/research appointment or if you do not complete your thesis on
schedule, plan to go back on the job market during the next hiring
season.
- Discuss with your advisor, faculty
committee or the graduate career counselor at the Career Center how to
prepare for your second round of interviews. Use the interim period
wisely to increase your visibility in the profession.
- Try to determine why you were not
hired by the schools where you thought you had a chance. Evaluate your
job search strategies and skills realistically.
Other Readings of
Interest by Dr. Steinmetz
 Virginia
Steinmetz, Ph.D. is Assistant Director for Graduate Students at The
Career Center at Duke University. This article originally
appeared in slightly different form on the Center's
web site, and is posted here
with permission. Please do not repost
without obtaining permission from the originating source. The web site
for Duke's Career Center, which
contains distinct sections with career planning
information and advice for the University's undergraduate, graduate and
alumni populations, can be accessed at
http://career.studentaffairs.duke.edu/.
Duke University in Durham, N.C.
is a member of the IMDiversity-BlackCollegian.com
Graduate/Professional School Channel. To learn more about opportunities for
graduate study at Duke, search for fellowships, or
request application materials from Duke, please
see the
Duke University Profile.
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