As a young #faculty member, my most important mentor told me to be job-market-ready.
I recall my stomach dropping.
I went home, cried in my #beer, talked to my then-partner & expressed all the fear that an #assistantprofessor feels about being #deniedtenure.
When I finished fussing, she said, ‘you talk to him & find out what he meant!’
I moped about for days.
Finally, ‘she who must be obeyed’ put her foot down & demanded I ask for clarification.
My mentor asked ‘what was I talking about?’
I explained. He laughed.
My mentor then told me that being job market-ready meant that a) if I was unhappy, I could leave, b) if opportunity came to me, I could leave, & c) because I could leave, the Dean would be nicer to me.
I calmed down & got to work. I assembled a credible record, built a network, & stayed visible in my community.
HIs advice was pure gold.
When #opportunity presented itself, I moved.
When I was unhappy, I moved again.
Only recently did I understand point c, when an administrator commented that they wanted faculty who were marketable - because it meant they were doing excellent work.
Eighteen years on, I saw the wisdom of my mentor’s words - admin is nicer to job market ready faculty!
I was reminded of my mentor’s words this past week by two incidents.
The first occurred at #HendersonState, which reportedly declared 67 faculty redundant—leaving them without jobs & uncertain futures.
The second occurred when my #student asked for help changing schools. They were unhappy with how their #university treated them. However, they did not have a deep pipeline of papers under review. So their job prospects were bleak.
Both incidents troubled me & made me think about how staying #jobmarketready had helped me in my #career & my life, beyond being able to move.
But how?
First, staying job market ready confers #confidence.
If you know you have options, you will feel better about yourself. You are more able to stand up for yourself if treated poorly or more apt to take on challenging tasks that need to be done.
Second, staying job market ready helps you #setgoals.
Securing a new position at the #earlycareer stage usually requires #teachingexcellence & a credible, systematic #researchrecord.
Securing a new position at the #latecareer stage usually requires the above + a willingness to #contribute to the place.
Keeping an eye on the market helps you track how you are doing & know what you need to do next.
Third, staying job market ready brings #respect.
Beyond your Dean’s office, it brings you respect in the #academiccommunity.
An active #researchagenda & service roles signal you belong & are #committed to your academic community’s goals.
It earns you invitations to vist interesting places & learn new ways of doing things.
So while I’m not looking to move, I plan to stay #marketable because the confidence, goals, & respect it brings are #priceless.
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