A survey-based analysis of the academic job market

Many postdoctoral researchers apply for faculty positions knowing relatively little about the hiring process or what is needed to secure a job offer. To address this lack of knowledge about the hiring process we conducted a survey of applicants for faculty positions: the survey ran between May 2018 and May 2019, and received 317 responses. We analyzed the responses to explore the interplay between various scholarly metrics and hiring outcomes. We concluded that, above a certain threshold, the benchmarks traditionally used to measure research success – including funding, number of publications or journals published in – were unable to completely differentiate applicants with and without job offers. Respondents also reported that the hiring process was unnecessarily stressful, time-consuming, and lacking in feedback, irrespective of outcome. Our findings suggest that there is considerable scope to improve the transparency of the hiring process.

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A Seller's (& Buyer's) Guide to the Job Market for Beginning Academic Economists

The Journal of Economic Perspectives ◽

10.1257/jep.2.2.137 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 137-148 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Richard Carson ◽

Peter Navarro

Keyword(s):

Graduate Students ◽

Random Sample ◽

Phone Call ◽

Job Market ◽

Job Interview ◽

Faculty Advisor ◽

Hiring Process ◽

Survey Results ◽

Academic Job Market ◽

Doctoral Dissertations

In an effort to increase the stock of information available to sellers and buyers in the academic job market for beginning Ph.D. economists, this paper presents the findings of a survey of the 1985-86 hiring process by economics departments. The findings are based on a stratified random sample of all economics departments ranked in the top 20, and 380 other economics departments. Sellers in this job market, typically graduate students in the final stages of their doctoral dissertations, will find answers to questions like: Will a phone call from a candidate or faculty advisor increase the probability of securing a job interview? How many weeks before the AEA meetings are requests for interviews sent out? How long does a typical job interview last and what criteria are applied? How soon after the meetings interview is a candidate likely to be invited to give a seminar at a school? Are elements of the job offer such as salary, teaching load, and summer research money negotiable? How long does a candidate have to accept or reject an offer? The benefits of these survey results will not, however, be limited to sellers.

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Insights from a survey-based analysis of the academic job market

10.1101/796466 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jason D. Fernandes ◽

Sarvenaz Sarabipour ◽

Christopher T. Smith ◽

Natalie M. Niemi ◽

Nafisa M. Jadavji ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Successful Outcome ◽

Application Process ◽

Job Market ◽

Faculty Position ◽

Track Record ◽

Research Track ◽

Future Data ◽

Academic Job Market ◽

Hiring Policies ◽

Postdoctoral Researchers

AbstractApplying for a faculty position is a critical phase of many postdoctoral careers, but most postdoctoral researchers in STEM fields enter the academic job market with little knowledge of the process and expectations. A lack of data has made it difficult for applicants to assess their qualifications relative to the general applicant pool and for institutions to develop effective hiring policies. We analyzed responses to a survey of faculty job applicants between May 2018 and May 2019. We establish various background scholarly metrics for a typical faculty applicant and present an analysis of the interplay between those metrics and hiring outcomes. Traditional benchmarks of a positive research track record above a certain threshold of qualifications were unable to completely differentiate applicants with and without offers. Our findings suggest that there is no single clear path to a faculty job offer and that metrics such as career transition awards and publications in high impact factor journals were neither necessary nor sufficient for landing a faculty position. The applicants perceived the process as unnecessarily stressful, time-consuming, and largely lacking in feedback, irrespective of a successful outcome. Our findings emphasize the need to improve the transparency of the faculty job application process. In addition, we hope these and future data will help empower trainees to enter the academic job market with clearer expectations and improved confidence.

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Tips for Navigating the Academic Job Market

Health Promotion Practice ◽

10.1177/1524839920938802 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 21-23

Author(s):

Darrell Hudson

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Doctoral Students ◽

Job Search ◽

Associate Professor ◽

Early Career ◽

Job Market ◽

Search Committees ◽

Faculty Positions ◽

Academic Faculty ◽

Academic Job Market

There are many unwritten rules in the academy, and much of the advice that doctoral students receive about the academic job search is from their mentors. For many doctoral students, navigating the academic job market can be bewildering. In this article, an associate professor of public health with experience navigating the job market as well as experience on numerous job search committees provides tips on preparing for and navigating the esoteric academic job market for early career professionals seeking academic faculty positions.

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Letter to the Editors: In The Academic Job Market, Will You Be Competitive? A Case Study in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Israel Journal of Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.1560/ijee.55.4.381 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 55 (4) ◽

pp. 381-392 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Jonathon C. Marshall ◽

Paul Buttars ◽

Thomas Callahan ◽

John J. Dennehy ◽

D. James Harris ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Graduate Students ◽

Evolutionary Biology ◽

Job Applicants ◽

Faculty Members ◽

Adjunct Instructors ◽

Faculty Positions ◽

Academic Job Market ◽

Number Of Publications ◽

First Time ◽

Newly Hired

Over the last several decades, the percentage of permanent faculty positions at universities has declined significantly. Increasingly, courses are taught by adjunct instructors, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows rather than by permanent faculty members. This creates intense competition for permanent positions. Data summarizing the general qualifications of newly hired first-time professors in permanent jobs are valuable for students contemplating graduate school and academic careers. These data should also help graduate students and postdoctoral fellows set goals that will enable them to be competitive for permanent academic jobs. Here we present data collected in a survey from 181 newly hired faculty members in the fields of ecology and evolutionary biology from around the world. We report the average number of publications, courses taught, years as postdoctoral fellows, and research grants received for successful job applicants. Our results indicate an extremely competitive environment for permanent academic jobs in the fields of ecology and evolutionary biology.

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