|
|
|
Know the Institution and Its Faculty‹ Focusing Your Application Materials | Job Search Advice.Home Page | Be Proactive › Do your homework. Whether a candidate knows about a department and shows that knowledge in the letter, and links her or his work to that information, can be the difference between getting an interview or not. Especially important is an acknowledgement and connection to the particular nature of the school—small liberal arts, denomination-affiliated, community college, science/technologically focused, regional MA-level state university, and so on. You will be inevitably asked, “Why do you want to come to X?” Have a specific, detailed answer ready that has to do with what that school _is_. If you can’t come up with a specific reason, that may be telling you something. Find and read the mission statement of the school, the college, and the department, if they exist. You’ll often be expected to know it and respond thoughtfully to it. Do your homework—visit the schools’ websites, be prepared with directed questions about courses/curriculum development/expectations/etc, ask genuine questions about the institution/dept, prepare sample syllabi for courses on the books, get your dissertation synoposis down to 4–5 comprehensible sentences and expect to elaborate, and be prepared to talk about plans for future research projects and connections between teaching and research….etc…maybe this has all been said (apologies if so)… I’d add that candidates should do homework (e.g. review the websites) on all the programs/schools to which they apply. I’ve seen candidates come into interviews not only ignorant of the basic shape of a program, but under misconceptions about the school that even a few seconds of website review would have corrected. Also, it takes minimal effort, e.g. one targeted paragraph, for a candidate to tailor a letter of application to the specifics of each program to which application is being made. KNOW the Department/school/program. Look them up online, get as much info as possible. When we interview, we can always tell who is/isn’t informed and/or interested. And we’re always pleased when someone can refer to specifics about our program. It also helps if you know something about the students that you’ll be working with—demographics for most schools can be found online. Research the school ahead of time. I know, I know — most will certainly look at webpages for the department and any faculty they can find…might even see if there are any connections to other faculty they know. But I mean *beyond* that stuff. I once applied for a position at a campus (a branch campus of a large state university) where I thought I’d like to work. I did my geographic homework — loved the location; did my academic homework — liked what I saw about the department and the university as a whole. When it came time for the interview, one of the faculty asked me how — with my research interests — I would balance research with a 5/5/1 teaching load. THAT almost knocked me off my feet. In retrospect I would have never wasted my time and theirs had I known that was the teaching load. In looking at web sites, it’s good to think about which courses in the core and major one might teach. I might also have at the ready a brief verbal description of a new course I might create that would fit and further enhance the Dept’s offerings. It’s also good to look at The Chronicle in order to be familiar with larger issues. Looking for a job is a huge time and labor-intensive job, but so worth it to get a good fit. Most importantly, I think the activity helps clarify goals and identity, if that makes sense. Be familiar with the scholarship of the rhet/comp faculty members at the school you’re applying to. Look up the website for the chamber of commerce of the city/town in which the school is located. Read it carefully. Be prepared to ask interviewers about the town based on this information. Know when it’s fluff. My first position was as a Director of Writing and assistant professor of English. My graduate experience had been at a large research-focused, state university and I (wrongly) assumed that all Director of Writing positions were quite similar. I wanted to make mine out to be like what I’d seen/experienced. I now know that not all positions are created equal (ly) — not just in salary, but in responsibilities and goals. I joined a department that had never had a Director of Writing where I envisioned working with the dept. chair to hire adjuncts/lecturers/faculty to staff writing courses, managing a small budget, culling through comp textbooks and selecting them, developing the writing sequence, adding an advanced comp class, etc. Instead I found myself teaching only basic writing, comp I & II classes (b/c I was the “expert”), not being part of any hiring/staffing process, having books selected for me by the chair, nothing to budget — pretty much in a position as a WPA in name only. ‹ Focusing Your Application Materials | Job Search Advice.Home Page | Be Proactive › |