The academic hiring season is fast approaching. As you prepare for your academic job search, here are five crucial documents you can begin to draft.
1. Your CV
Make sure your CV is up to date and well organized according to the academic triad of research, teaching and service. It should emphasize research and the qualifications that make you an excellent candidate for faculty or postdoc positions in your field.
2. Your job letter
Write a basic job letter draft, including the appropriate information about your research trajectory and your teaching experience. You will need to write an additional paragraph to tailor your letter for each job you apply for and frame your research and teaching history according to the needs of each specific department. However, if you write the basic elements now, you will have a draft that only needs edits, saving you time and energy later.
3. Your research statement
Remember that your research statement is an explanation of your research past, present and future. Work on a detailed research plan for your next project and make sure that you can articulate it for the hiring committee. Your research statement shows that you have engaged in productive, quality research and that you have a well-developed, detailed plan for your next research endeavor, including plans for publication and obtaining funding.
4. Your teaching statement
Your teaching statement should begin by making a claim about the good that can be brought about by education in your field. It can then explain, with real-life examples, the pedagogical methods you use to achieve that good. Your statement should also offer quantitative proof (FCQs) of the benefits you have contributed, and then finish with a strong conclusion about the value of education in your field.
The teaching statement will need to be tailored to the specific population and pedagogical concerns of the department to which you are applying, but you can save time by writing the methods, examples and quantitative proof sections now.
5. Your diversity statement
Your diversity statement will explain your values and goals around diversity and equitable access to education. It will share how you exemplify those values and achieve those goals in your research, teaching and service. The diversity statement is highly individual—for example, a diversity statement for an institution focused predominantly on teaching and serving a population comprising mainly first-in-family Spanish-speaking students might look very different from one intended for an R1 institution with a majority-white student body. It will be helpful to draft a basic diversity statement now that contains information about your diversity and equity efforts to date and establishes your personal values and goals.
Preparing now for the academic hiring cycle will take some pressure off later. Drafting your documents in advance allows you to polish them well before they’re needed. Once the postings in your field go out, you can then devote your time and effort to researching your target institutions and tailoring your documents. Review our CV guide and academic statements guide to learn more.
Career Services is here to help
For more tips, plan to attend the upcoming Academic Job Search Seminar Series for graduate students. Beginning June 3, this free seminar series will lay out the basics of an academic job search.
You can also meet virtually with a graduate career development advisor. Learn more about getting started with Career Services.