The Academic Job Search

Spring – early September

1. If you haven’t already done so, join the APA now. Read no further before you do it. Membership information can be found at the APA web site. Don’t leave this until the week before the first issue of Jobs for Philosophers; you want to be sure that you can access the online version as soon as it is published, and the APA office gets swamped with last-minute applications.

You should also visit the APA site and sign up for the JFP-Alert e-mail list.

2. Make an appointment with the Graduate Placement Officer; I’d like to meet, at least briefly, with each of you individually.

3. Ask your referees for letters or updates of last year’s letter, as appropriate. It’s always better to have a letter with this year’s date on it and some mention of what you’ve done in the past year, so, even if the changes will be minimal, ask for an updated letter.

4. Get your job application package in order, as you want it to be all ready to go as soon as the first issue of JFP is published in October; some ads have very tight deadlines! This means: having an updated CV, teaching dossier, and writing sample. Also, write a draft of the cover letter that you will adapt to individual situations.

5. If you’re applying for a SSHRC postdoctoral fellowship, contact your referees and the prospective host department. Application deadline is October 1. Don’t forget that arrangements must be made with the proposed host institution prior to application, and that the host institution must submit an Institutional Nomination Form.

October/November: Application Season!

This academic year’s publication schedule for JFP:

Access each edition of JFP online as soon as it is published; decide which jobs you want to apply for, and send out your applications immediately. Don’t wait for the deadline!

Some advice: don’t apply for jobs for which you are not suited; e.g., jobs specifying an Area of Specialization other than your own. To do so is to waste your own time and money, and the hiring committee’s time.

Don't forget deadlines for postdocs.

Early December

Register for the Eastern APA meeting if you plan to go; deadline for advanced registration is Dec. 9. This is when departments who will be doing APA interviews will be contacting candidates. This includes almost every American university, and, increasingly, many Canadian universities, especially those that regard themselves as competing with American universities for top candidates. I will be holding an interviewing workshop in late November or early December, and practice interviews in early December. Everyone who is currently on the job market should sign up for a practice interview, even those who think they don’t need it! Good opportunity to get feedback, in a low-pressure situation.

December 27–30

Ruin what should be a relaxing break between Christmas and New Year’s by attending the Eastern Division Meeting of the APA.

January – February

This is when many departments do their on-campus interviews, though some will be on a different schedule and will be doing interviews well into the spring. Don't forget to keep checking the job listings; though most positions are advertised in the fall, some positions open up late and new ones will be showing up well into the spring and summer.

Spring

Keep checking job listings. In particular, jobs in the UK often show up fairly late.