d i g i t a l a d v i s o r . . .

Applying for a Job

Applying for work when you are nearing the end of your program is scary. You are in the midst of trying to do your own research, your dissertation, but well before that work is finished, you need to seek employment, and to learn present yourself to others. Here are a few things you need to know.

a. Employers' Recruitment Schedules

Different kinds of employers have different schedules for hiring new people. For instance, K-12 schools and higher education institutions tend to run on the school year cycle and to bring new people in at the beginning of each new school year. State and Federal government agencies, on the other hand, and private research and consulting companies, have more flexible schedules and may bring in new people at any time of the year.

Another important difference among these potential employers is that the amount of time they take to hire new people is very different. The schedule used in higher education is the most drawn-out process, normally beginning with advertisements in the Fall of one year, culminating in a job offer the following Spring for a position that will begin in Fall of the following year. Most other employers use much tighter timelines for hiring. In fact, government and private employers don't normally advertise until they actually have a vacancy, and because they already have the vacancy, they are anxious to get it filled.

b. Looking for Job Opportunities

Regardless of which kind of employer you are interested in, you need to keep a close eye on the want ads. And you will need to read hard-copy newspaper ads, not Internet ads from those same newspapers, because the Internet versions are usually a couple of weeks behind their hard copy ads.

Also, if you are interested in working in government, as a legislative aide, or in a private research or consulting firm, you will need to think about how to connect with these organizations. They are more likely to use word-of-mouth to find candidates for their openings. Here are some strategies for getting your foot in these doors.

Do some web research. Generate a list of organizations that might be of interest to you. Find out who is in charge of particular divisions that might be of interest to you.
Read the products from these organizations. Read their policy documents and research reports.
Pay attention to names. Learn who the people are who are running divisions, writing policy documents and writing research reports.
Look for these people on the programs of conference meetings. If you find them presenting their work at a conference, make a point of attending their session and then introduce yourself to them after the session. Tell them you are interested in doing the kind of work they are doing, and ask them if they know of openings in their own institution or in other similar institutions.
Try sending e-mail to some of the people whose work you have learned about. This need not be an explicit job request. Instead, ask them for more information about their work, for other publications, or for work in progress. Send them a paper you have written. The goal is to develop colleagues in this field. These colleagues will know of job openings not only in their own institutions but in others as well.

c. Building a Resume

The central document in a job application is your resume. Academic resumes look quite different from business resumes. Instead of listing your objectives and your skills, you want to focus on your education and your areas of expertise. The resume should follow an outline somewhat like this:

A heading with your name and address
A section listing your education background. List each degree you have, the major or area specialization, the year and the institution. Sometimes people add a line to this section giving the title of their dissertation.
A section listing honors or recognitions, if relevant. If you have been designated teacher of the year, won the dissertation-of-the-year award or have been elected to office in a relevant professional association, this would be a good place to list these distinctions. If not, skip the section altogether. Having such a section enhances your resume but not having it doesn't detract.
A section listing relevant work experiences. No need to include all the moonlighting you've done. List your K-12 teaching experiences, graduate teaching experiences, and graduate research assistantships. Start with the most recent and go backward. For each job, list the title, dates you were there, and a sentence or two describing your particular duties.
A section listing any papers you've presented at conferences or that you've published. This section is important. Sometimes new people in the field list papers that have been submitted, even if they haven't yet been accepted.
A section listing references. List any faculty members, previous employers or others who have agreed in advance to write letters for you.
If you'd like to see an example of an academic resume, my egomaniacal human caretaker has her resume on her web page. Use that one as a guide for format.

d. Writing a Cover Letter

Once you find a job advertisement or listing of some sort, you will want to send the prospective employer your resume and ask to be considered for their opening. Your resume will provide them with details about your qualifications. Your cover letter should show them the connection between your qualifications and their needs. Go through the advertisement and identify the main things they are asking for. Then write a letter that addresses those specific needs and shows how you meet them. If, for instance, they say they want someone who can teach, say, a course called "school and society," maybe you have taught TE 250 here, or maybe you have taught a portion of some other class that seems similar. Use your letter to point out matches between your knowledge and experiences and their needs. The letter should be more than a paragraph, but probably not more than a page and a half. To see an example of what such a letter might look like, click the link below:

Sample Letter of Application.

NOTE: If you can't write a paragraph on at least half of things the employer is looking for, you probably shouldn't be applying for that job. Don't waste your own time or theirs if you really aren't closely matched to their needs.

e. What Employers Look for

Employers are looking for evidence of whether you can do the work they need to have done. If you are applying for an academic position, they want evidence that you can teach, conduct research, and do service. If you are applying for a position in a company that provides professional development programs for teachers, they will want evidence that you can do that.

One thing all employers share is that they are more interested in your products than they are in your transcript and your GPA. Products offer the best evidence that you can produce other products. If you've taught a course, they assume you can teach another one. If you've published a paper, they assume you can publish another one. If you've mentored teachers in the field, they assume you can mentor other teachers. Make sure your resume lists all your work experiences and products that might be relevant to future employment.

©Mary Kennedy

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