Applying for academic jobs
You’ll most likely make your decision to seek an academic position
several years before you finish your formal schooling. The steps you take before graduating
are crucial to positioning you well in academia. Experts weigh in on:
 Building your network. As soon as you start grad school, begin attending as many professional
meetings and conferences as you can, say experts. Introduce yourself to professors you envision
as future colleagues.
Gaining teaching experience. While in grad school, become a teaching assistant, or
offer to lead study sessions for undergraduate students, says Miguel Gallardo, PsyD, an assistant
professor at Pepperdine University.
When to apply. “Most universities today begin reviewing applications a year ahead
of time for a faculty member who will start in the upcoming fall,” says Frank Collins, PhD,
a professor and former clinical director at Oklahoma State University. Students typically interview
throughout their final year of their program or while they are on internship. And it’s not
uncommon that students haven’t completed their dissertation before they interview.
“In the summer before their last academic year, students should be talking with their
adviser about interviewing, getting a C.V. together and looking at ads,” notes Mark Zanna,
PhD, professor and former chair of the University of Waterloo psychology department. “Most
students will not have finished their PhDs when this process starts.”
Early planning. For Tonya Dodge, PhD, an assistant professor at The George Washington
University, the process began when she got to grad school. Her adviser suggested that if she wanted
to begin applying for academic positions in her fourth or fifth year of grad school, she should start
researching and publishing in her second and third years. “It’s the sort of thing where
you can’t all of a sudden be a competitive applicant because you write a good personal statement,”
she says. “You have to prepare early in your academic career.”
—E. Packard
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