Academic Job Search Timetable

The academic job search has a relatively predictable recruitment season, but with different fields of study announcing faculty openings at slightly different times. Many fields advertise jobs in the summer and early-fall months a full year before they seek to have the position filled, whereas other fields post openings as opportunities become available. This recruitment rhythm is U.S.-centric, and the timing of openings and deadlines will vary among different countries.  

You can always be preparing for a future academic job. Consider periodically reviewing faculty job postings to learn which skills, knowledge, and experiences future employers are seeking. Adopting this habit during your degree program means you can assess aspects of your development and determine if extra preparation might be needed. The recommendations below follow a two-year period.  

2 Years Before a Position Begins 

  • Connect with your faculty to learn more about the recruitment rhythm for your academic field.  
  • Think about the kinds of institutions that would be your best fit (e.g., R1, liberal arts, urban, teaching intensive, etc.) 
  • Consider where in the country you would be willing to move. 
  • Research other career options that are viable with your skills and training, identifying steps to move forward. 
  • Search online to get an idea of what types of positions are posted, making note of: 
  • When you find them (i.e., when the application cycle typically starts); 
  • Where you find them (e.g., professional associations, higher education publications, university employment sites, etc.); 
  • What application materials are typically required. 
  • Set goals to enhance areas of your professional development that the hiring market values, such as training in: 
  • Teaching and instruction 
  • Evaluation and data analysis 
  • Technology in the classroom 
  • Budget management 
  • Grant writing 
  • Universal design 
  • Mentoring 
  • Inclusion and belonging 
  • Community engagement 
  • GenAI in the classroom 
  • Volunteer for a leadership role within a professional association or student group to which you belong. 
  • Identify opportunities to attend and present at future conferences. 
  • Determine publications and discipline-specific journals to pursue when seeking publication. 
  • Explore if there are opportunities for you to participate in departmental hiring committees to broaden your understanding of the process. 

18 Months Before a Position Begins 

  • Update or write your curriculum vitae (CV). 
  • Set a date to complete your dissertation – hiring committees may not be willing to consider candidates who do not yet have a conferred doctoral degree. 
  • Join others who are undertaking an academic job search as there are benefits to working side-by-side with those who are going through a similar experience. 
  • Begin to identify specific institutions that are of interest to you in the geographic areas to which you are willing to move. 
  • Determine whether there are any specific steps to request letters of reference from those whom you desire to provide them. 
  • Continuously collect and organize all materials you expect to need when you prepare your application materials. 
  • Ask your advisor and other faculty about their honest impressions of your readiness to enter the academic job market, particularly strengths you might feature in your application materials. 
  • Inform your contacts about your progress and seek input from those you respect. 
  • Think about yourself as faculty (not as a student or postdoc trainee) and reserve time to explore areas of future research and possible funding opportunities. 
  • Continue involvement with conferences and consistently seek opportunities to get published. Make it a point to present and/or network at conferences in your discipline. 
  • Concentrate on the tasks that are central to the academic job search but continue to take action steps toward additional career plans.  

1 Year Before a Position Begins 

  • Create a near-final version of your curriculum vitae (CV). 
  • Arrange for letters of reference to be written, including arranging a meeting with each individual to share specific details that you would like them to highlight in their reference. 
  • Identify and draft specific application materials that you need to create. These might include, but not be limited to, the following statements: Teaching, Research, Diversity  
  • Determine if you need a portfolio and begin preparing one, getting input from those who have experience. Portfolios often include student evaluations, sample syllabi, etc. 
  • Consider choosing a free dossier service to help organize and facilitate your applications for specific jobs. Job applications are often submitted through a dossier service when not sent directly to the university or department that is hiring.  
  • Attend academic job search workshops offered by the Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills, perhaps through your professional association(s), and/or academic department. 
  • Continue to work on your dissertation and research. 
  • Attend conferences, as you never know who you will meet or if they can be a resource to uncover emerging positions. 
  • Keep current with research and emerging topics in your discipline – interviewers will ask questions about this, as well as your future research plans as a faculty member. 
  • Outline the research presentations and/or teaching demonstrations that you might give as part of a campus interview. A research presentation should not be your dissertation defense. 
  • Practice your delivery of presentation(s) and teaching demonstrations in front of knowledgeable peers and faculty. 
  • Engage individuals in and beyond your departments to help you practice your interview skills. Do not rehearse silently in your head but practice out loud as that is how interviews occur.  

The Summer Before You Apply for a Position 

  • Prepare your application materials and seek feedback. It is common to make 3-5 revisions of your written materials. 
  • Provide the writers of your letters of recommendation with any content that will help them to write the best letter possible. 
  • Research institutions and departments for which you would like to work. Make note of how they describe their culture, the learning environment, expectations for students, etc. 
  • Look at faculty profiles within departments for which you would like to work to get a feel for the research that is being done. 
  • If applying to roles that include teaching, develop one or two syllabi for courses you would like to teach. One course might be introductory and another advanced. 
  • Make sure your digital footprint (Academia.edu, ResearchGate, Google Scholar, LinkedIn, etc.) is up to date with compelling content. 
  • Share with the faculty in your department, especially new hires, that you would like to speak to them about their academic job search experience. 
  • Keep everyone in your support network informed of your progress, readiness, and next steps. 
  • Plan what you are going to wear and be sure it is something in which you feel comfortable and meets professional expectations for the environment in which you will be interviewed. 

During The Fall Application Cycle & Beyond 

  • Actively find job listings and apply for openings for which you are well aligned. 
  • Ask people in your network to share openings they become aware of.  
  • Confirm that your dossier is complete with reference letters and application materials. 
  • Commit to staying organized. The jobs to which you apply will require different application materials and you will want to be sure that you provide exactly what they request.  
  • Tailor your application materials for each job, reflecting the priorities contained within the job description, as well as the institution’s values (e.g., community engagement, developing global citizens, etc.) and the department’s goals (e.g., developing a new curriculum, increasing the number of majors, offering new courses, etc.) if known. 
  • Continue to practice your interviewing and presentation skills. 
  • Develop questions to ask during your interviews that are not searchable on an institution’s website. 
  • Make note of your strengths and weaknesses during interviews, adjusting your approach going forward. 
  • Send thank-you notes/emails to those you encounter during interviews. While one institution may not hire you, a committee member may have a colleague at another institution and recommend you as a possible fit. Remember – everyone is a future colleague at this point through either future employment or professional association involvement. 
  • Consistently thank those in your network and/or seek additional advice as the application cycle unfolds. 
  • Continue to engage with steps toward your other career options. 
  • Think strategically about what you might do to benefit your future candidacy in next year’s hiring cycle. 
  • Read about faculty job negotiations and involve those you respect in conversations about strategies. 
  • If you accept an academic position, consider ways that you can share your experience with others in your department. 
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