Late one night, as the evening wound down at a conference, a #phdstudent asked me how to land a job at an R1 university.
It was late & I was tired - after hours of chatting about fun topics, the job search took me off guard - so I didn’t answer the question very well.
So to make up for a rambling answer, I thought I’d post a more thought through response here.
First, understand academic job markets are not fair.
It is much harder for students from non-elite schools to land spots at research universities.
Elite status is used by many as a proxy for quality of training (which is nonsense - but it is what it is).
You must have a stronger record if you are from a non-top school.
Second, recognize that personality matters.
Landing a position at a top school requires more than pedigree.
You need to convince people you are nice & good to have around.
Third, recognize that trajectory matters.
Research schools want people who will publish. If you don’t have several high quality projects, that are advanced, it’s unlikely that you will lend a job at a research school.
That trajectory reflects the past four or five years of work. So you can’t just whip up a record on your cv.
Fourth, method matters.
You need to be able to talk convincingly about your method.
I couldn’t on the job market. It cost me a chance at a top school.
Fifth, what you teach matters.
Many schools screen first on teaching fit - even the famous ones.
We all want people who improve our programs - so do our Deans.
Be attentive to what people advertise & be attentive to what the market demands the year before.
Sixth, listen.
Too often, #Phdstudents don’t listen to the cues from the interviewer or mentors.
Take some time to learn listen. It will help you navigate the search process.
Finally, patience.
It can take many interviews to find the right place. It can even take one or two years on the market.
It’s not fun to look - be patient - and if you have the right set of competencies - something will work out.
Best of luck!
