The Academic Job Search Handbook (3rd Edition) [Paperback]

Mary Morris Heiberger (Author), Julia Miller Vick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 2001

The Academic Job Search Handbook provides specific advice on all aspects of job-seeking in an increasingly tight academic market, from the appropriate timetable for the application process, to illegal or odd interview questions, to negotiating offers, starting a new job, seeking tenure, and everything in between. New information in the third edition includes more examples and advice for candidates in scientific and technical fields, as well as more references for those applying for adjunct positions and to community colleges. A new chapter and some of the all-new sample written materials reflect the reality that many new Ph.D.s are considering career options outside academia. The sample materials also include more examples of the "teaching philosophies" now commonly asked for in job ads. This edition offers expanded information on internet search methods and more examples of useful websites.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If one needs a guide, this is the best."--The Nation

About the Author

Mary Morris Heiberger is Associate Director of Career Services at the University of Pennsylvania. Julia Miller Vick is Graduate Career Counselor at Career Services, University of Pennsylvania. They are coauthors, with April Vahle Hamel, of the Graduate School Funding Handbook, also available from the University of Pennsylvania Press, and write a monthly online column, Career Talk, for the Chronicle of Higher Education's Career Network.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press; 3rd edition (July 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812217780
• ISBN-13: 978-0812217780
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #182,262 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > Business & Investing > Job Hunting & Careers > Job Markets & Advice

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential guide & companion for those on the market, August 16, 2002

By 

Amanda Wilcox (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Academic Job Search Handbook (3rd Edition) (Paperback)

The earlier in your graduate career you obtain this book the better, since the section on planning your job search gives great advice about positioning yourself as an attractive candidate well before you start applying for jobs. I found the guide an invaluable companion over the seven month period that comprised my job search. The sample vitas, cover letters, and statements of teaching philosophy were especially useful, as was the extensive section on interviewing at conferences, on campus, and by phone. The tone was reassuring but realistic, and the advice was helpful both in conceptualizing aspects of the search (e.g., think of the interview as a conversation in which the evaluative aspect is made overt) and as a series of friendly, pragmatic tips (e.g., don't check luggage when flying to an interview; bring an escapist novel to read at the hotel). The book also contains sensible discussion of how to negotiate an offer, how to handle illegal or simply bizarre interview questions, what to wear, issues surrounding dual-career marriages, and after you've gotten a position, how to handle your new academic responsibilites and secure tenure. I recommend this book to everyone who aims at an academic position, and in the future, I will recommend it to my students!

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential guide to the academic job search, August 30, 2008

By 

Laura Malisheski "Career Counselor for PhDs" (Cambridge, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Academic Job Search Handbook (Paperback)

The Academic Job Search Handbook is the essential guide for anyone pursuing an academic career. Now in its 4th edition, this book is recognized amongst graduate career professionals not only as a classic in our field, but also as an up-to-date guide book to preparing for and applying to faculty positions. Through straightforward advice coupled with sensitivity toward individual and field-specific differences, Julie Vick and Jennifer Furlong provide extensive coverage of the academic job search fundamentals, including many examples of successful CVs, cover letters, and other application materials. The recently expanded chapters on a variety of special circumstances (e.g. those who are pregnant or new parents on the job market, dual career couples, or older candidates) provide real-life success stories that encourage all applicants to capitalize on their own personal strengths while offering specific strategies to help ameliorate potential concerns of search committees.

As a career counselor for graduate students and PhDs, I experience, through my clients, the enormous anxiety inherent in such a competitive job market. The Academic Job Search Handbook provides an indispensable touchstone to help turn unproductive angst into thoughtful, confident action, through concrete and specific advice. I recommend it to all those aspiring to and navigating an academic career.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for your last 2-years of grad school, April 20, 2000

By 

Marty (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Academic Job Search Handbook (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

This book provides a wealth of information that orients graduate students who are unexperienced with the academic job market with the intricate process of securing an academic position. It doesn't provide discipline-specific information, but it DOES give an overall plan and breakdown of what you can expect during your job search. I found the sample curriculum vitaes and cover letters invaluable guides.