preparing a successful job market entrance chanon adsanatham 11.5.14 [email protected]
TRANSCRIPT
Preparing a Successful Job Market Entrance
Chanon [email protected]
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