Breaking into Academia

Academic job searches have a unique timeline, application material, and interview process compared to other industries. If you’re seeking a faculty role, consider the points below as you plan your search.

Timeline

Full-time faculty roles are typically posted about 6-12 months ahead of the assignment. While you’ll occasionally see shorter timeframes, it’s common to see posts go live from July through late September. Decision times vary based on the start date of the role. Offers can be made as early as December or as late as April and can vary based on the institution. These roles are posted when a university knows it will have a specific full-time opening.

Adjunct roles, however, may be posted much closer to the anticipated start date. Some schools may also have ongoing postings or “adjunct pools” in order to have qualified applicants quickly in case a need arises, even if there is no planned opening at the moment. Each university manages the process of hiring adjuncts differently. While many postings include a deadline, applications are reviewed as they are submitted. Don’t wait until the deadline to submit! Rather, have documents drafted before you start your search and personalize those when you find an opportunity you want to pursue. 

Documents

Aspiring faculty members are often asked to provide more application documents than peers in other industries. Standard required documents include:

  • Curriculum Vitae (CV): Your CV demonstrates your ability to teach and engage in research/the industry. Common sections include education, teaching experience, research experience, grants/fellowships, and publications. Our CV Guide includes a sample CV and shows a strong example of how to format your document.
    *Within your experience sections, add bullet points explaining your accomplishments, skills utilized, and responsibilities. See our Effective Resume Writing Guide for examples of how to build strong bullet points.
  • Letter of Intent: Often treated very similiarly to a cover letter, a letter of intent highlights the following key details: interest in the role and the institution, relevant research, publications, and teaching experience, a brief note about your teaching philosophy or research vision depending on the role, and how you can contribute to the department.

Universities and colleges may also ask applicants to provide any combination of the documents below:

  • Teaching statement/philosophy
  • Research statement
  • Sample publications
  • Writing sample
  • Sample syllabi
  • Research interests
  • Evidence of teaching or evaluations
  • Sample of scholarly work
  • Example of statistical advising activities
  • References

Review annotated and sample faculty application material for more details on these niche documents and to better understand how you might approach these.

Interview Process

For each round of interviews be sure to research the institution, the program(s), and your interviewers. Additionally, prepare questions for each set of people you’ll meet.

1st Round Interview – Virtual/Phone Interview

The first round interview is typically with the hiring committee, which is often made of up faculty from the department at hand, though may include others. This initial screen typically involves standard questions about your interest in the role and institution and about your background. When interviewing, the committee is hoping to find that you can do the job, are enthusiastic about the opportunity, have an interest in their institution, and are a fit for their team.


2nd Round Interview – On Campus

Second round interviews may be a half- or full-day on campus, including meeting with other members of faculty, the dean, students, and partners across campus. The following are common elements of an on-campus faculty interview.

Meeting with search committee
The committee will have additional questions getting more in-depth about your interests, related background, and how you’ve handled situations previously that are relevant to the faculty role at hand.

Demo lecture/class
If giving a demo lecture or class, be sure to clarify what topic(s) the committee wants you to cover, how long you’ll have, what technology you may have access to, etc. If your demo lesson is during a regularly scheduled class, you might ask what the students have been learning about recently so you can plan accordingly. If you have students present for your demo lecture/class, engage them as you would if they were truly your class.

Job Talk/Presentation
Tenure track will usually have a presentation about your research or background, to which faculty, students, and other campus partners may be invited. If you are interviewing at a research institute, expect to talk about the your research goals and plans for the upcoming years. As you would for a demo lesson, clarify what the committee would like you to address, how long you’ll have, and who is expected to be in attendance. Plan your content and delivery accordingly. This presentation may be in lieu of or in addition to a demo lesson.

Meeting with department head or Dean
Make sure you’re prepared for the Dean. Consider what type of university are interviewing for (e.g., research vs. liberal arts) to anticipate the kinds of questions you may receive. If you’re interviewing for a tenure-track role at a R1 university, the Dean may ask a lot of questions about your research. For a non-tenure track role at a liberal arts college, you may get more questions about your classroom or practical experience. Expect to talk about what you you’ve previously done and want to do in terms of service to the university.

Tips

If you’re entering the faculty job search for the first time, consider these tips to strengthen your candidacy.

  • If you lack collegiate teaching experience, seek adjunct positions (even while you’re still in your PhD program if your schedule allows). In addition to building your CV, you could further use this as an opportunity to build relationships with other faculty who maybe willing to provide guidance, mentorship, or even referrals.
  • Even if you’ve never had a grant accepted, practice writing or try applying for them. Offer to support faculty in their grant applications to get some practice and be able to speak to your knowledge of and experience with the process.
  • If you’re interested in research, ask your faculty members what they’re working on and how you can support this. This will help you build your CV and may even help you get your name on some publications.
  • If you’ve presented at conferences, add these to your CV. This might be helpful particularly if you don’t have many publications.
  • Seek opportunities to get involved on campus beyond what’s required of you and document this. Research what kinds of service are available to you now and volunteer your time. Ask your current faculty members what services opportunities they participate in at UMass Lowell and recommendations they may have for you to get involved on campus as a graduate student.
  • When an offer is made, make sure you get everything in writing. Not only is the decision only formal once it’s in writing and signed, but – with often large gaps between offer and start date – you will want to have documentation to refer back to as you’re preparing for your first day!

If you’re thinking about pursuing a role in academia, start drafting your application material early. Speak to faculty mentors in your life about what they look for in candidates, and ask them if they’d be willing to review your application material. In applications and interviews, don’t undersell your body of work and experiences. If you’re invited for an interview it’s because the search committee believes you are a fit for this role. You’re job is to show them they were right.