The Academic Job Search Handbook

The Academic Job Search Handbook is the essential guide for anyone pursuing an academic career. Now in its 4th edition, this book is recognized amongst graduate career professionals not only as a classic in our field, but also as an up-to-date guide book to preparing for and applying to faculty positions. Through straightforward advice coupled with sensitivity toward individual and field-specific differences, Julie Vick and Jennifer Furlong provide extensive coverage of the academic job search fundamentals, including many examples of successful CVs, cover letters, and other application materials. The recently expanded chapters on a variety of special circumstances (e.g. those who are pregnant or new parents on the job market, dual career couples, or older candidates) provide real-life success stories that encourage all applicants to capitalize on their own personal strengths while offering specific strategies to help ameliorate potential concerns of search committees. As a career counselor for graduate students and PhDs, I experience, through my clients, the enormous anxiety inherent in such a competitive job market. The Academic Job Search Handbook provides an indispensable touchstone to help turn unproductive angst into thoughtful, confident action, through concrete and specific advice. I recommend it to all those aspiring to and navigating an academic career.

For graduate students looking to the professorship, this book is nothing but helpful. I haven't read other books like this, I have to admit, but as I was clueless as to what happens when going on the job market, this book served me WELL.The authors describe options I hadn't thought of, and ended up having to think about. There's specific descriptions of what happens in interviewing, in different types of institutions, and suggestions for writing up the documents needed for the dossier.I felt I had the comfort of someone knowledgable with this book when sending out my application packets, preparing for the interviews, during the interview, and after. I even knew to write thank you letters. No faculty ever mentioned that to me! Faculty were giving me advice, but very minimally, I found after reading this book and going through the whole job search process.All I know is that I found AND landed a job beyond my dreams, even making more money than I ever thought I would in the teaching field, and I start soon!

The earlier in your graduate career you obtain this book the better, since the section on planning your job search gives great advice about positioning yourself as an attractive candidate well before you start applying for jobs. I found the guide an invaluable companion over the seven month period that comprised my job search. The sample vitas, cover letters, and statements of teaching philosophy were especially useful, as was the extensive section on interviewing at conferences, on campus, and by phone. The tone was reassuring but realistic, and the advice was helpful both in conceptualizing aspects of the search (e.g., think of the interview as a conversation in which the evaluative aspect is made overt) and as a series of friendly, pragmatic tips (e.g., don't check luggage when flying to an interview; bring an escapist novel to read at the hotel). The book also contains sensible discussion of how to negotiate an offer, how to handle illegal or simply bizarre interview questions, what to wear, issues surrounding dual-career marriages, and after you've gotten a position, how to handle your new academic responsibilites and secure tenure. I recommend this book to everyone who aims at an academic position, and in the future, I will recommend it to my students!

This is an excellent first resource for those who soon will be completing a Ph.D. It not only provides advice on compiling one's job search materials, but also outlines the aspects of professional life that professors will encounter in their first few years of employment. It is a book for recent Ph.D.'s who are searching for positions as college professors. It will provide precious little advice for anyone searching for nonacademic positions.

This book provides a wealth of information that orients graduate students who are unexperienced with the academic job market with the intricate process of securing an academic position. It doesn't provide discipline-specific information, but it DOES give an overall plan and breakdown of what you can expect during your job search. I found the sample curriculum vitaes and cover letters invaluable guides.