Academic
Placement
NAU Politics and International
Affairs
Zachary Smith
523-7040
The NAU Politics and
International Affairs department offers students completing the doctoral
program a placement service. The placement coordinator will, after you have
completed your comprehensive exams, assist you in identifying academic
positions, developing your placement file and in preparing for the job
interview. Talk to your advisor about when you should go onto
the job market (generally no earlier than when you have achieved ABD status).
Securing a job is a long and
involved process - expect to spend 10 hours in the beginning getting ready and
then expect to spend 2 hours each week looking for new positions. If you do not
put this amount of effort into the job search your chances of landing a job
will be greatly reduced. By the end of the year you should have sent out in
excess of 100 applications. We have had several students not secure academic
teaching position in the recent past and we have had others who have accepted
positions at institutions which many of us feel were well below their potential
- these failures have almost always been due to the failure of the student to
look for jobs each week and to apply for every job fully - as described below.
You will
be developing two (or more) placement packets. These packets should contain:
1)Your vita (with fields listed
generally and alphabetically) not to exceed 3-4 pages.
2) Your academic record. This is
something no longer than one page long which will look like a transcript of
grades. Make it look real and official (although don't call it a transcript)
and list all the relevant classes you have taken, when taken, and the grade you
received - chronologically. If you have taken independent study classes or
directed reading classes you should list these as an independent study with a description
of the content. Such as
Hence this one page document
should look something like this when completed....
ACADEMIC RECORD
ELMER FUDD
NORTHERN
Course Semester
Taken Instructor Grade
3) teaching
evaluations and statement of teaching philosophy.
4) Your writing sample. This should be a reprint of something you
have published. If you have not
published anything provide a research paper (and think about another line of
work).
Your packet should reflect the
position you are applying for. If, for example, you have studied both American
and Comparative then you should have two packets--one leading and stressing
your American stuff (e.g. list American courses you can teach first, have
"further research interests" stress your American interests etc.). The other doing the same for the second field. Don't waste
your time applying for a position which asks for someone in "American Politics
and Political Theory" by sending out materials that identify you as a
political theorist who also does some American politics -- you won't be
seriously considered for the job. Your cover letter should also reflect one or
the other field.
A cover letter very specifically tailored to the particular position you are
applying for. Write the application letter directly to search chair. This
letter should:
a) Be no more than one page long--no inserts at this time.
b) Identify the position you are
applying for and when you will be available.
c) Say something nice about the
institution or the location so as to personalize the letter. ("It has
always been my career goal to teach in a small liberal arts institution like
Central Baptist" or "My husband and I have longed to get back to
rural
d) Indicate what you can
teach--obviously tailored for this position. (Don't write what you have taught
- say what you CAN teach.)
e) Indicate that letters of
recommendation will arrive under separate cover soon. Tell them what else is in
the packet.
f) Thank them.
Letters of recommendation. Request letters
of ecommendation from three references. Send
your request for letter to faculty members with a cover memo. Remind the writer
of some of the things about you that are special and of your relationship with
the writer (e.g. I took two seminars from you and received A's; have taught 3
classes and received instructor ratings of 1.9, 1.8, and 2.2; have published
"From the Esoteric to the Absurd" in the Journal of the Irrelevant;
and presented papers at two conferences). If you are going after jobs in
different areas be sure your letter writers understand
that their letters have to be generic--i.e. should not refer to your
expertise in any particular area. Have
them deliver letters to the department on their letterhead – the department
will send ouot these letters – that is all the
department will do for you in the process.
Show your list of schools to your
major professors. They may know someone at the institution and be willing to
send an additional letter to that person.
Although not necessary, in this
competitive market I would also suggest you follow up your application letter
with a phone call two weeks after sending it out. "Hi this is ---- I am
calling from
Put together the packet you will
mail. As indicated above this will consist of:
a) full
vita reflecting this particular position (let me review it first),
different one for different jobs!
b) writing
sample (published if you have it--otherwise a paper you have presented [with
cover page indication when and where it was presented]--or, the last option, a
paper you are proud of.
c) teaching
evaluations (both the computer summaries with the cover sheet which describes
what the numbers refer to and the written evaluations you have received).
Include some description of that the evaluation mean.
Your vita should lead with the
vitals--who you are, your degree, the classes you can
teach. By way of example:
Zachary A. Smith 1490 E. Appalachian
Ph.D., Political Science
Home (602) 774-0354
Office (602) 523-7020
I. Personal [You may
choose to leave this out.]
Married, no
children. Health, excellent.
II. Education
Ph.D.,
M.A.,
B.A.,
or
A.B.D.,
1989-present,
1986-1989,
1985-1986,
1982-1985,
1980-1982,
A variety of courses taught in
everything from small graduate seminars to large introductory lectures in
Public Administration and Policy and including: Environmental Policy, Natural
Resources Policy and Administration, Environmental Law, Water and Land Use,
Public Policy, and Policy Analysis and Evaluation.
[The above will be different for
each job and application. Also you may want to put "Teaching areas"
thereby indicating what you can teach not what you have taught.]
IV. Publications and Research
-Dissertation Topic
-Future Research Interests
V. Other Academic Activity
[V. and VI. may not both be necessary in your case. Adjust to suit your needs.]
VI. University/Community
Service [Here some of you might put something like "Other Relevant
Activities" and list jobs that tie into you academic career. Don't list
unrelated things.]
VIII. Honors, Grants, and
Professional Organizations
IX. References
[Include addresses and phone
numbers.]
One of the most important things
you can do to make yourself an attractive job prospect (right behind publishing
and teaching) is have evidence of advising students. Such experience is not
easy to get in graduate school so I strongly suggest you seek out the faculty
members in the department who are involved in undergraduate programs (such as
model United Nations or the Honor Society) and volunteer some time working in
those programs. That will allow you to add to your vita something about
experience advising, working with or supervising undergraduates.
Now it is time to look for a job.
The steps are as follows:
Identify jobs. Here are some useful likks:
http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~zas/Placement.htm
Keep a list of the places where
you have applied and what the jobs are advertising by your phone at home. If
someone is serious about you they will call, usually at home (I once got a call
at
When you get an interview be sure
to have a good talk with your mentor about the interview process. There are a
lot of little things we can help you on. (For example, you don't talk about
money until they want you.) I have provided some pointers below.
At the interview you will either
be asked to teach a class or, more likely, asked to give a presentation of your
research (sometimes both). Be sure you have prepared well for this. I strongly
suggest your research presentation be outlined like a good dissertation or
other proposal: problem, theoretical contribution (very important), methodology
(and appropriateness thereof), and results. Give a couple of dry runs of your
presentation, first to your dog (or cats are very receptive), then to a small
group of friends.
Every student on the job market
this year will be required to give a formal presentation (your dry run for the
interview) to anyone who wants to come listen.
Furthermore it is expected that all students on the market will come to all of
these presentations so that you can critique each other. After you have
selected a time for your presentation you are expected to make flyers
announcing the presentation, with title, and distributing the flyers to all
graduate students and faculty. I will video tape your presentation and give you
the tape so that you can see yourself and hear again the comments of those in
attendance. I suggest you select a date and time for your presentation - in
consultation with me -- as soon as possible. WE require this exercise now
because it has made a huge difference in the ability of students to land a job.
Make sure you personally ask your major professor and the members of your
dissertation committee to come to the presentation.
As a general rule (and this
varies significantly depending on the individual and demand in your area)
expect forty applications for each feeler (further inquiry), two or three
feelers for each interview, and two of three interviews for a job offer. As a
rule our successful placements have sent out several hundred applications. Yes,
that is a lot of paper and a lot of work. I strongly encourage you to apply for
every possible position for which you are qualified--no matter what the
location (although personally, if I were you, I would skip places like
Harvard). Successful candidates in past years have sent out hundreds of
applications.
Surviving the Interview, (read this article:
http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~zas/interviews.htm)
There are a number of things you
can do to maximize the utility of your interview. Remember you will be keeping
a list of all the places you have applied next to your phone at home. When you
get the call be confident and relaxed and find out everything you can about
what they will have you do when you arrive on their campus. If you are going to
give a presentation of your research or if you are teaching a class find out
how long the presentation will be. Practice each several times. Do not ask
about salary or benefits or teaching load--there will be time for that later.
NEVER talk about money matters until you are offered a position.
Before going on your interview
find out everything possible you can about the college, department and faculty.
This means reading their web page and reading the college catalogue (we have
them all on microfiche) paying particular attention to the classes they offer
which you might teach and any overall philosophy of the institution. Also look
up all the faculty members in your new department. Find their specialties (the
APSA directory may help here) and do a search on each in the Social Science
Citation or similar index. Then find and read their articles. This homework
will pay off handsomely later when you work the things you have learned into
conversation (be subtle here "Oh I saw your article...").
Dress for the interview like you
think your possible future colleagues dress. You want to fit in and let them
feel you would fit in with them. So if it is a casual school
in the West dress formal but casual (I would wear a corduroy coat or a blazer
and a tie). For a small private liberal arts college in the Northeast be
as formal as you can be. (The East is more formal generally.) Take a couple of
sets of clothes so that you can dress to match your hosts when you get there.
Finally, and this is most important,
relax and be yourself. At some point someone may ask you something you don't
know. Be honest--don't try and bluff. If your training is solid you will be
able to answer all the important questions. If you have been bluffing up to
this point nothing is going to help you now anyway. So be honest and be
relaxed. The best way I have found is to try and convince yourself that you
don't want the job. I know that sounds weird but it works. I've been offered
every job I didn't want (including NAU--I later wanted it) and I'm convinced it
was because I was relaxed and myself--something that is easier to do if you
don't want the job. (But don't act like you don't want the job - or as the
British might say, "appear keen.")
If you have any questions,
problems etc. please come by and see me.