Sarah Hutchins | Oct. 15, 2007
Durham’s advice: |
Even though most have spent the last several years studying, some graduate and doctoral students aspire to spend their careers on college campuses as professors or researchers. Friday, they heard advice from University of Iowa associate professor Gigi Durham, who spoke candidly to a small group of graduate students about academic careers.
“The situation now, and I hate to say this and I hate to add to the stress, is tougher now,” Durham told the group assembled in the Ernie Pyle Lounge. “There are fewer tenure line jobs, so if your goal is a tenure line faculty position, the competition is fiercer.”
Durham shared pointers in three areas: preparation, the search and the application process.
The preparation
“The situation now, and I hate to say this and I hate to add to the stress, is tougher now,” Durham told the group assembled in the Ernie Pyle Lounge. “There are fewer tenure line jobs, so if your goal is a tenure line faculty position, the competition is fiercer.”
Durham shared pointers in three areas: preparation, the search and the application process.
The preparation
TIP:
|
Durham said that being active in conferences as early as possible is an important first step. The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), International Communication Association (ICA) and National Communication Association all have conferences and discounted membership fees for graduate students.
“Really try to submit papers to the conferences if you can,” Durham said. “If your professor says your paper is good, believe them and send it in. You really need to have at least one publication and certainly several conference papers.”
Durham advises students to avoid journals with a 95 percent rejection rate — this includes some conference journals — right away and to ask professors for suggestions on where to publish. The fact that a person is part of the publishing process is more important than the name of the journal.
Conferences are also important for their networking benefits.
“Even if you don’t have a paper to submit, just go and network and socialize,” Durham said. “It’s really important to do it. If you can, hang out with your adviser and your adviser can introduce you to people who will remember you later.”
Students who become involved in conference activities raise their visibility, Durham said. Students can join conference divisions that are pertinent to their interests, attend business meetings or interview for jobs on site.
Durham also warned that journalism academia is a “tiny world” and news travels fast. Making a good first impression at a conference can bolster your reputation with more than one person. However, an egregious presentation can ruin your chances with multiple schools.
Finally, Durham said, it is important to know the differences between an academic and a professional CV (curriculum vitae) and to start compiling one early. An academic CV contains different information, is multiple pages long and organized differently than a corporate résumé.
“The search committees are getting tons of applications and they’re looking through the first cut to see if you have all of the qualifications,” Durham said, “so it is important to organize it in the expected way.”
The search
“Really try to submit papers to the conferences if you can,” Durham said. “If your professor says your paper is good, believe them and send it in. You really need to have at least one publication and certainly several conference papers.”
Durham advises students to avoid journals with a 95 percent rejection rate — this includes some conference journals — right away and to ask professors for suggestions on where to publish. The fact that a person is part of the publishing process is more important than the name of the journal.
Conferences are also important for their networking benefits.
“Even if you don’t have a paper to submit, just go and network and socialize,” Durham said. “It’s really important to do it. If you can, hang out with your adviser and your adviser can introduce you to people who will remember you later.”
Students who become involved in conference activities raise their visibility, Durham said. Students can join conference divisions that are pertinent to their interests, attend business meetings or interview for jobs on site.
Durham also warned that journalism academia is a “tiny world” and news travels fast. Making a good first impression at a conference can bolster your reputation with more than one person. However, an egregious presentation can ruin your chances with multiple schools.
Finally, Durham said, it is important to know the differences between an academic and a professional CV (curriculum vitae) and to start compiling one early. An academic CV contains different information, is multiple pages long and organized differently than a corporate résumé.
“The search committees are getting tons of applications and they’re looking through the first cut to see if you have all of the qualifications,” Durham said, “so it is important to organize it in the expected way.”
The search
TIP:
|
Most job advertisements start to appear in October and November. However, some schools will start to list their openings as early as late August.
“Interestingly enough, the weaker schools advertise first and the powerhouse schools like Stanford and Madison wait until the last possible minute,” Durham said. “They know grad students are frantic and the early schools think they can scoop the students who think they won’t get a job. So it’s better to hold off and see what schools advertise.”
Once job advertisements start to appear, Durham said students should not become overly anxious and apply for jobs that are not right for them.
“There’s no point in telling yourself you can teach anything if you don’t have the experience,” Durham said. “It comes through so clearly in the CV that the applicant is not qualified and your application just gets tossed out.”
Durham suggests looking at the qualifications for the job to see if they match. Some areas, like years of professional experience, can be flexible and it is appropriate to call the search committee chair and ask how rigid the requirements are.
Most classes with open teaching positions are skills courses so professional media experience is beneficial.
“If you don’t have prior professional experience, there are things you can do to fill the gap,” Durham said. “One way is to be doing research in areas that are highly sought after now, like public relations and new media. Another way is to get teaching experience while you’re in graduate school. People have been very successful at that.”
The application and interview
“Interestingly enough, the weaker schools advertise first and the powerhouse schools like Stanford and Madison wait until the last possible minute,” Durham said. “They know grad students are frantic and the early schools think they can scoop the students who think they won’t get a job. So it’s better to hold off and see what schools advertise.”
Once job advertisements start to appear, Durham said students should not become overly anxious and apply for jobs that are not right for them.
“There’s no point in telling yourself you can teach anything if you don’t have the experience,” Durham said. “It comes through so clearly in the CV that the applicant is not qualified and your application just gets tossed out.”
Durham suggests looking at the qualifications for the job to see if they match. Some areas, like years of professional experience, can be flexible and it is appropriate to call the search committee chair and ask how rigid the requirements are.
Most classes with open teaching positions are skills courses so professional media experience is beneficial.
“If you don’t have prior professional experience, there are things you can do to fill the gap,” Durham said. “One way is to be doing research in areas that are highly sought after now, like public relations and new media. Another way is to get teaching experience while you’re in graduate school. People have been very successful at that.”
The application and interview
TIP:
|
A main component to the application is the cover letter. Durham said it is important for students to explain how their experience would mesh with the university’s curriculum. It is also important to describe research, work and service experience along with future plans.
“Show what you’re looking forward to and that you’re going to be active in the future as a faculty member,” Durham said. “The more specific you can be the better. They want to see that you have an upward trajectory for your career.”
The next step is the phone interview. Durham said that often applicants are not informed about when they will be receiving a phone call and that the best way prepare is to write down talking points ahead of time.
If an applicant moves on to the next level, he or she will take part in an on site interview that usually lasts two to three days.
“These will be grueling,” Durham said. “You’re meeting with the search committee, the faculty and people in other departments working in your area. They’ll be asking you a lot of the same questions, but you need to be ready with your questions, too.”
The final component is the research presentation, which Durham recommends practicing, and a teaching demonstration.
Durham also emphasized that while the process can be stressful, students do not need to be too worried.
“You’re in a very good position to be hired. You automatically have a cache that other people don’t have. You will get good jobs. You will.”
“Show what you’re looking forward to and that you’re going to be active in the future as a faculty member,” Durham said. “The more specific you can be the better. They want to see that you have an upward trajectory for your career.”
The next step is the phone interview. Durham said that often applicants are not informed about when they will be receiving a phone call and that the best way prepare is to write down talking points ahead of time.
If an applicant moves on to the next level, he or she will take part in an on site interview that usually lasts two to three days.
“These will be grueling,” Durham said. “You’re meeting with the search committee, the faculty and people in other departments working in your area. They’ll be asking you a lot of the same questions, but you need to be ready with your questions, too.”
The final component is the research presentation, which Durham recommends practicing, and a teaching demonstration.
Durham also emphasized that while the process can be stressful, students do not need to be too worried.
“You’re in a very good position to be hired. You automatically have a cache that other people don’t have. You will get good jobs. You will.”
Questions? Comments? Email the Web editor.
