The Academic Job Search Handbook
Fifth Edition
The Academic Job Search Handbook
Fifth Edition
Julia Miller Vick
Jennifer S. Furlong
Rosanne Lurie
PENN
University of Pennsylvania Press
Philadelphia
Copyright © 2016 Julia Miller Vick, Jennifer S. Furlong, and Rosanne Lurie
Copyright © 2008 Julia Miller Vick and Jennifer S. Furlong
Copyright © 1992, 1996, 2001 Mary Morris Heiberger and Julia Miller Vick
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations used for purposes of review or scholarly citation, none of this book may be reproduced in any form by any means without written permission from the publisher.
Published by
University of Pennsylvania Press
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4112
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
ISBN 978-0-8122-2340-8
Contents
Introduction to the Fifth Edition
I. What You Should Know Before You Start
1. The Structure of Academic Careers
2. Hiring from the Institution’s Point of View
II. Planning and Timing Your Search
3. Becoming a Job Candidate: The Timetable for Your Search
4. Deciding Where and When to Apply
5. Building an Academic Network
III. Written Materials for the Job Search: Suggestions and Samples
8. Responding to Position Announcements
10. Additional Application Materials
12. Job Hunting Correspondence
16. Job Offers, Negotiations, Acceptances, and Rejections
18. Knowing About and Getting Tenure
20. Dual-Career Couples and Pregnant on the Job Market
22. Cultural and Experiential Diversity
23. Exploring the Expanded Job Market
Appendix 1: National Job Listing Sources and Scholarly and Professional Associations
Appendix 2: Additional Resources
Appendix 3: Sample Application Package
Acknowledgments
This fifth edition of the Academic Job Search Handbook rests on the contributions of all those who have been mentioned in the Acknowledgments of the first four editions. This edition builds on the previous work of the late Mary Morris Heiberger and adds the voice of new coauthor Rosanne Lurie.
We are grateful to all past and current contributors—doctoral students, alumni, postdoctoral fellows, faculty, and administrators—who provided insight and ideas, a reading of the manuscript, or actual job hunting materials. We are grateful to the faculty from many colleges and universities, particularly the University of Pennsylvania and, now, the Graduate Center, City University of New York, who have shared their insight and experience at programs we