Build Your Career
Career exploration and preparation are the building blocks to every successful career. Consulting with Career Services can help you identify which career opportunities are available to you.
Tips & Tricks
Preparing for Academic Job Positions
Develop a Cover Letter for an Academic Job Position
Developing a strong cover letter for an academic job position is essential to securing an interview. There are many resources available online that can guide you in writing this letter. In addition, it’s helpful to request successful cover letters from others, to use as an example as you are writing yours. Finally, to ensure that you create the best letter, it is advisable that you ask your advisor(s), mentor(s) and peers to read and comment on your letter.
Develop a Curriculum Vitae (CV)
CV’s are the gold standard for academic job positions. Ask for help from your advisors and mentors as you are creating your CV. There are many resources available online, and the Career Center provides a helpful handout about developing a CV.
CV Resources for Graduate Students
Develop a Teaching Statement
A teaching statement is an important component of an academic job application. It highlights your teaching philosophy, your teaching experience, as well as your plans and aspirations for teaching in the future. Be sure to read the job announcement carefully, as it often articulates which classes the department hopes the job candidate will contribute to. Find resources about creating a teaching statement online, and ask for help from your mentors and peers in designing yours. The following resources from The Chronicle of Higher Education provide a helpful starting point as you write a teaching statement:
Develop and Practice Your Job Talk
A job talk is an incredibly important component of your interview process. Once you have made it to the interview stage, take lots of time developing your talk, and practice it before a variety of audiences. Be sure to research the department you will speak to prior to giving the job talk. Some departments are highly specialized, whereas others consist of faculty with widely variable research programs. Your job talk should be tailored to provide sufficient (but not too much) background to engage your audience. Be sure to attend job talks within your department, or in other departments. Seeing the job talk in action is one of the most effective ways to learn what works and what does not.
Participate on an Academic Search Committee
If your department allows you to, be sure to participate on an academic search committee. If your department does not include students in this process, participate in as many activities as possible with the job candidate (their talk, lunches, meetings), and discuss with other students and faculty how the job applicant performed during the interview.