The Job Market

Abstract

John Guillory is correct, of course, when he claims that what graduate students want most is a job.¹ This book has aimed to give you the practical information and advice that you will need in order to earn that job someday. Ironically, one of the areas in which too many departments fail to provide proper training for their students is job market preparation. Since even the most qualified Ph.D.s will struggle to earn jobs if they aren’t educated about how the academic market works, it seems appropriate that this book should conclude by outlining the process of applying for professorial positions in one of the most competitive job markets in America. In this chapter, then, I discuss the following issues related to job hunting in the humanities:

• Deciding when to go on the market

• Applying for appropriate positions

• Building a strong application

• Preparing for interviews

• Interviewing at conferences

• Interviewing on campus

• Accepting a job