strategies for obtaining your first academic position - tips

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Strategies for Obtaining Your First Academic Position Jacquelyn K. Nagel, Ph.D. – James Madison University

Raquel Perez-‐Castillejos, Ph.D. – New Jersey Institute of Technology

Abstract: The multi-‐faceted academic application and interview process will be explained. Various factors that impact your application, such as institution type, experience, research interests, long-‐term career goals, etc. will be explored. This session will provide attendees with the knowledge they need to understand the academic application process as well as tips for developing a strong academic application package and preparing for the academic interview. Tips for developing a strong academic application package and preparing for the academic interview:

1. Academic Application a. Components of application – CV, cover letter, teaching statement,

research statement, references i. Use footers to your advantage to easily place your name and contact info on each page of your application. This way if your application pages get separated, the reader still knows which candidate they are screening.

ii. Your CV should be intuitive. Use logical categories, titles, and formatting so it is easy to find information.

iii. Never send a generic cover letter (phrases such as ”Dear Sir/Madam”, ”Dear Search Committee”, ”your institution” and so on should be avoided).

iv. Your cover letter should be different for each application, and carefully targeted to the University and the Department.

v. Do your homework on both the department and the University, and work this information into your cover letter.

vi. Add titles in your statements to organize the information. This will make it easy for a search committee looking at hundreds of statements to easily find what they are looking for.

vii. The research statement should contain an overview of your current research interests, putting them in the context of the target department where possible.

viii. The department will want to see evidence that you have lots of ideas for new research, and that you are an independent thinker. Sketching out some potential research projects, or ideas for grant applications that you intend to write, is a good idea. If you can identify specific NSF (or other) programs to which you plan to apply, better still.

ix. The importance of a teaching statement depends on your target institution. Certain universities take their teaching

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particularly seriously and will scrutinize this part of your application especially.

x. You always need some teaching experience and it can be achieved in a variety of ways, such as teaching labs, courses, advising capstone teams, short courses, filling in for absent faculty, etc.

xi. In your teaching statement include a selection of courses that you might teach within that department from their current offerings.

xii. Ideas for new courses (undergraduate or graduate-‐level) that you might develop should be included in your teaching statement also. Be mindful of the institution type.

xiii. If you have exceptional student comments from teaching evaluations that speak to your strengths then highlight them in your teaching statement. Same for teaching evaluation scores.

b. Decoding the job description

i. Use the language of the job description in your application ii. If you are unsure about applying because of vague wording in

the job description, then send an email and ask for further details

iii. It helps to know someone at the institution

c. Organizing your information: what is important? i. Your application will not be read in entirety unless properly structured

ii. What does a search committee look for in a junior faculty applicant?

1. Good educational background 2. Good postdoctoral experience and outcomes (if any) 3. Good publication record 4. Evidence of growing independence 5. Good writing skills (for grant-‐writing) 6. Some teaching experience, preferably with good

reviews. iii. How will the search committee determine if you have the skills

they want? 1. CV, cover letter, teaching statement, research statement,

references 2. All parts are in important, but your statements will not

be read unless the CV, cover letter, and reference letters measure up. Your CV is very important, and you should also choose your letter-‐writers very carefully. Many people underestimate the cover letter.

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iv. Submitting a few well-‐targeted and well-‐prepared applications to places you actually want to work, is far better than mass-‐mailing hundreds (or even dozens)

d. Aligning your application package with the institution/position type – in the statements, CV, cover letter, making sure it fits with the institution type

i. Institution Types: 1. Teaching and undergraduate focused

a. More emphasis on the teaching statement b. Research statement might talk about scholarship

broadly, this depends on the target department c. Choose references that can speak to your

teaching ability 2. Research focused with grad programs

a. More emphasis on the research statement b. Choose references that can speak to your

research ability 3. Somewhere in between

a. Show good balance in teaching and research

e. Importance of having others read your application i. Make sure at least three others read your application:

1. someone that knows you and your work – this person will be able to tell you if you are underselling yourself

2. someone that does not know you and your work – this person will be able to tell you if something is worded awkwardly or comes across wrong

3. someone that writes well – this person will help with grammar, punctuation, spelling, voice, tense and other language related issues

f. What to expect

i. It will feel like a full time job putting together the applications due to the research, editing, thought, strategizing, and personalization that should go into each

ii. Again, submitting a few well-‐targeted and well-‐prepared applications to places you actually want to work, is far better than mass-‐mailing hundreds (or even dozens)

2. Academic Interview

a. Phone i. Components:

1. Questions the search committee asks you

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a. Be able to explain how you fit the call – reiterate what you have put in your cover letter (chances are someone listening in has not read it)

b. Be able to answer targeted questions about the goals and objectives of the department and how your background will support them

c. Be able to explain your research interests and how they fit with current research in the target department, as well as name potential collaborators in the target department or university

d. Be able to explain which courses you could teaching or would like to teach using the course number and title for the target department

e. Be able to answer questions about anything you put in your application

f. However useful the “bridging” technique is in media interviews, it is a dud in academic interviews. Chances are the interviewers are asking the same question of every candidate: If you do not answer it properly, the questioner will assume that you either can't answer it or, just as bad, don't want to. The interviewer no doubt thought the question was a good one, and he or she is unlikely to think more of you for not answering it.

2. Questions you ask the search committee a. Departmental culture b. Faculty collaboration c. Faculty support for research d. Expected teaching/research/service load e. Young faculty opportunities f. Mentorship

ii. What/how to prepare for the phone interview

1. Research the target department! Be able to articulate how and where you fit within the target department using their language

2. Think of questions they might ask you and prepare answers

3. Treat the phone interview like a face to face interview: a. Dress professionally b. Take notes on the questions you are being asked

(this can help you prep for the on-‐site interview)

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c. Smile while you are talking, they cannot see your face, but the positive attitude will be clear in your voice

d. Have your application and research notes on the target department in front of you

iii. What to expect

1. You will do most of the talking. Know when to stop talking, meaning do not just keep talking to fill silence. Question periods are usually short, so interviewers are looking for relatively short answers. If you find that you are going on and on, stop yourself before someone else does. Overly long answers suggest a lack of self-‐control, uncertainty about how to answer, or, sometimes, an outsized ego.

2. Do not take too long to answer questions. It seems like you are unprepared or shy. If you do not know right away, begin thinking out loud so them know you heard them and then answer the question.

3. You may not know the answer to a question. It's hard to say "I don't know" in a job interview, but search-‐committees members will think more of you if you admit that you don't know the answer than if you give a poor or irrelevant one. Sometimes they will be impressed that you were willing to admit your ignorance.

b. On-‐site i. Components

1. A full 1-‐2 days of interviewing a. Wear comfortable and modest shoes and clothes

that fit well – this is not a fashion show b. Bring snacks if you need them to keep your

energy up c. Have back ups of everything in multiple formats d. Be polite and smile

2. Meeting several people a. Every person you talk to is an interviewer

including staff and students b. Do your best to learn the names of the people

you meet c. If possible, demystify and personalize that

search committee! At the introductions, look each member in the eye and make sure you hear and recall his/her name. Ask what department or area of the college each person represents if

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s/he does not volunteer the information. Yes, the committee is interviewing several or maybe many candidates, but you may leave a lasting impression if your responses are on target and you establish a connection, albeit brief, with each member of the committee.

3. Giving a teaching or research talk, or both a. Don't use an interview to experiment for the first

time with a new technology. If you do use technology in your talk, ensure that it will work, but have a backup plan in case it doesn't.

b. Be prepared for anything to happen so make sure you have multiple copies of your talks in different media

c. Technology could fail, the power could go out, but the show must go on. Do not panic and then project, perhaps subconsciously, a message of "this isn't fair!" Take a deep breath and show that you are prepared, you are flexible, you can roll-‐with-‐it and continue with your presentation.

ii. What/how to prepare for the on-‐site interview

1. Research the target department! Be able to articulate how and where you fit within the target department using their language

2. Research faculty of the target department! Address faculty by their name

3. Bring extra copies of your application materials 4. Have a copy of the schedule with you at all times! 5. Think of questions they might ask you and prepare

answers 6. Dress professionally and be ready for lots of walking! 7. Smile and be polite to everyone

iii. What to expect

1. More questioning. a. Short interviews with several faculty members –

some related to your background area and some not

b. Do not answer inappropriate questions. Things like "Who did you vote for in the last election?" or "So, are you planning on having any more kids?" Politely remind the person that is none of their business. Being gracious is always better, when possible, but in some cases you should push back a little with a reply such as, "Is that a

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requirement for the job?" Committees may not ask such questions. They are usually trained on what is not appropriate (your marriage status, kids, own or rent home, etc...). But open forums, all bets are off and your ability to take that question and turn it into a response about your qualifications for the job are key.

2. Tours a. Be observant about equipment or facilities, not

only what is there, but what each faculty member is given. If you move on to the next stage of negotiation, you will be asked to prepare a list of your needs. Make sure your list is on par with what is currently given at the target department.

b. While on tours, be thinking of what space, supplies, equipment, offices/desks, funding, etc. you will need to get your research or scholarship started.

c. Look for collaboration opportunities. There might be faculty doing research in an area that is closely related to your research, which could develop into a new and exciting area of research.

3. Meals a. Generally, most meals will be with someone from

the target department or university b. This is not a time to rant about what you have or

have not seen. Do not forget you are still on the interview, therefore treat it as such

4. Very little alone time a. Make sure all your interview prep (e.g.,

presentations, research) is done before the interview; you will have very little (if any) time to prep while on-‐site.

b. Sleep will be more important while on-‐site. Plenty of sleep will help you to handle stressful or nervous situations, and stay positive.

5. Everyone trying to figure out if you “fit” a. It is important to be professional and polite, but

also be yourself. The target department wants to know if you will fit with the people as well as the program. Be genuine and be yourself.

b. Not only should the target department and university assess your fit, but you should as well. Ask questions of faculty, staff and grad students to assess if you would enjoy working there. Also

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consider if do you see yourself being successful at that institution.

References

• Sternberg, R.J. (2013) “12 Bloopers to Avoid in Job Interviews” in The Chronicle of Higher Education. http://chronicle.com/article/Bloopers-‐to-‐Avoid-‐in-‐Job/137449

• Cummings, L. (2013) “Applying for Faculty Positions: Preparation” Department of Mathematical Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology.

strategies for obtaining your first academic position - tips

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