University Affairs

I came across an excellent video I thought I’d send your way this week. It’s a talk the Susan Basalla gave at Syracuse University on getting ready for the many options you can explore with a graduate degree.

Basalla, along with Maggie Debelius wrote “So What Are You Going to Do With That?: A Guide for M.A.’s and PhD’s Seeking Careers Outside the Academy”. This is a ‘must read’ for anyone considering ‘expanded options’ outside academe. It’s based on two years of research and hundreds of interviews with students, faculty and administrators.

Her video lasts over an hour but I thought I’d give you my comments on her 5 ‘don’ts’ to give you the gist of her approach.

• Don’t mistake your dissertation for your greatest accomplishment – Most of the value of your dissertation outside of academe will come from the skills and qualities you used throughout the process of writing it, not from the content or final product. Remember that when writing your résumé.
• Don’t depend on classified ads – Job searching in the knowledge economy outside academe is a radically different dynamic than inside where postings are de rigueur. People will always hire someone they know or who has been recommended to them before sifting through hundreds of résumés (if they have a choice in the matter) – wouldn’t you?
• Don’t underestimate the value of your non-academic pursuits – In spite of the pressure you will feel to ‘finish in a timely manner’ don’t forget what you care about outside academe. When you are finished, you will be saner if you have had an outlet to remember who you are when you are not being ‘an academic’. You will also be surprised at how often those ‘irrelevant’ activities end up launching you in a terrific career direction – read Basalla’s book for many examples of this.
• Don’t be afraid to start at entry level – especially if you have little or no experience. Learn the ropes, prove yourself and then get ready to catapult. Heck – you’ve been living off of TAships and maybe a scholarship or two for years – at least you’ll be making more than that while you go through this phase. Believe me, things move a LOT more quickly in the private sector – and no one will ask you to write a book to get promoted!
• Don’t try to figure it all out at once – Basalla suggests 3 month windows to reach achievable milestones. Makes sense especially if you are still writing. If you are already in the process of severing the bonds with academe, you may need to get a short term job to pay the bills while you start transitioning. Don’t panic, this is a strategic and temporary state of affairs. You are starting down a path you’ve never seen before. Give yourself a chance to let things unfold. You don’t know how good you are yet, and once you realize this you will wonder what kept you inside the ivory tower for so long.

I’m in Syracuse right now, attending a conference of career advisors who specialize in graduate students. The conference opened up with a presentation by Julie Miller Vick (senior associate director of Career Services at the University of Pennsylvania and Jennifer Furlong (associate director, graduate student career development at Columbia University). You may know them better as columnists for The Chronicle of Higher Education’s CV Doctor and Career Talk.

They have just launched what has been described as ‘the bible’ of tips and advice for academic searchers transparently titled, “The Academic Job Search Handbook”. This is the fourth edition of the invaluable resource. If you are ever going to buy a book on the topic, this would be a good one to invest in. Check out your career centre and ask them to get a copy of this edition, if all they have is the third.

Why am I such a fan? Well, first of all it’s packed with real CV samples, as well as letters with blurbs about what sort of search they were used for and where their writers landed up. I don’t think I’ve seen another resource that does this.

Secondly, it’s written with a realistic approach to the realities of today’s academic job market. The section entitled ‘Additional Considerations’ covers topics like dual academic couples, being pregnant on the job market, issues related to international and older PhDs. There is also a chapter called ‘The Expanded Job Market’, which explores alternative paths complete with sample resumes. As happy as I am that they thought to include such a topic in a book focused on the academic job market, I am left hoping they will one write a whole book on the topic, as I think they could expand that conversation much more than they were able to here.

Their clientele are PhDs from R1 (Ivy League) universities in the States. The very ones often accused of scooping up the prime Canadian positions, as evidenced in a latest hot feature in University Affairs. Yet, this recession, or economic crisis as it tends to be called down here, is a great equalizer. When there are no jobs, all PhDs are in the same boat. Miller Vick and Furlong recommend anyone entering the academic job market for the foreseeable future:

• cast a wide net – apply to any position that sounds like something you can do;
• try to tailor your CV and cover letter to every position and if that’s not possible at least tailor them to the positions you most want
• network – reconnect with faculty from previous degrees, introduce yourself (or your research if that’s less intimidating) at conferences;
• and have a really good Plan B.

Their advice is well taken. This job market is not for the faint of heart, but it doesn’t have to defeat you either. By increasing your knowledge about how to do your best, and expanding your options, you will ride out the storm and likely find yourself in a position that will be more than you dared dream was possible.

The Chronicle ran an advice column this week on the etiquette of academe – or rather the lack thereof. Academics, it seems, are not immune to social gaffs, inconsiderateness and sometime unadulterated rudeness.

No doubt, we all have stories of major faux pas in the academic workplace. But make no mistake, what is tolerated as eccentric or annoying in a tenured professor will be much less tolerated by faculty who are further down the food chain. It is perhaps unnecessary to say job seekers should be on their best behaviour at all stages of the job search. It is wise to remember that if you only start minding your manners with your first interview, you may have already burned your bridges to programs and departments where your reputation as a boor or cad is well established. In an incestuous sector like higher-ed, such a reputation can be difficult, if not impossible to shake, once established.

This call to civility is no less imperative for tenure track and adjunct faculty. With competition for any academic position at an all-time high, you simply cannot forgo basic etiquette with students, staff or fellow academics. A word of warning – never underestimate the influence of a disgruntled student or departmental secretary on your T&P file!

Reading over the list provided by ‘Female Science Professor’, the anonymous author of the Chronicle column, you will notice a broad range of scenarios and issues, from the absent-mindedly forgetful, to the downright unethical. Some of these may sound like they happened in your own program. There may even be one or two you are guilty of yourself.

The point to take away from this is not to memorize a chapter of Miss Manners, but to simply follow the golden rule, ‘Do unto others …’ and clean up your messes if you do slip up. Saying a heartfelt ‘sorry’ once you realize someone may have taken offence at something you said or did still counts in today’s world.

I’m going to switch gears a bit this week, based on a conversation I overheard recently between a TA and an undergrad, who was one of her students. The TA had been talking about Congress and the value of academic associations in learning more about a field of study, and the student mentioned that she belonged to the student chapter of the professional association for human resources managers.

The TA expressed surprise that there was that sort of resource outside the traditional professions: doctors, lawyers, and teachers. That’s when I realized that many PhDs, although otherwise more knowledgeable than most people about many topics, generally have little knowledge of the world of work outside of academe. So I thought this week I’d introduce the wonderful world of professional associations to those of you interested in exploring non-academic career paths.

Professional associations exist for almost any occupation you can imagine. The 2009 edition of Associations Canada, a directory of national, provincial and regional associations, registered charities, nonprofits, has over 20,000 entries. Just like in academe, what associations do, and how they do it varies quite widely. But for the most part, all professional associations have the same core mandate: to provide a common source information exchange, professional development and networking opportunities for its members. Some associations also have a regulatory function as well and oversee the standards, designations and education of people publicly representing that association.

As mentioned, some associations have student chapters to provide opportunities for people not yet practicing in a field. Some also host panel discussions and guest speakers which are occasionally open to the public. Many associations also provide targeted job postings to their members, which employers in the field appreciate because it minimizes the amount of inappropriate applications they receive compared with more publicly available sites.

I remember considering a career in technical writing at one point so I attended a presentation hosted by the Society for Technical Communication just to listen to what was considered innovative and interesting in that field. I learned a lot that evening about the types of people in the field, common issues and trends, and got a good sense of whether this was a direction I would be interested in pursuing further. Clearly I was not, and that evening was pivotal in me making that decision by providing a level of insight that I never would have had access to otherwise.

If you are interested in doing a little shopping around for possible career alternatives, or have a career goal, but have no contacts in that field, going through lists of professional associations can be a good place to start. Your can check out your university career centre for the Associations Canada directory – it’s a standard resource. You can also browse through the list of national professional organizations listed on the Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials site. 

By using all those data collecting skills you’ve acquired over the years, you’ll be able to gather a remarkable amount of information and resources in very little time and get a point of reference even in fields where you have no history or contacts.