The Academic Job Search Handbook - Softcover

The Academic Job Search Handbook provides an eminently practical and comprehensive overview of the process involved in searching for and obtaining an academic position. Based upon the authors' experience advising thousands of graduate students, the book is written in a style that is clear, straightforward, and "user-friendly". The handbook begins with an examination of academic careers and institutional structures. It then takes the reader step-by-step through the application process, from developing relationships with advisors years before going on the market to making the most of a new position. Specific steps discussed include positioning oneself in the market; learning about job listings; preparing vitas, cover letters, and abstracts; establishing references; participating in conferences; and negotiating offers. Readers will find the search timetable, as well as the sample vitas and cover letters, particularly useful. Mary Morris Heiberger and Julia Miller Vick have also included an appendix of scholarly and professional associations, reinforcing their consistent emphasis on learning the conventions of one's own discipline. The Academic Job Search Handbook is a valuable contribution to the entire scholarly community. It will be an indispensable tool for candidates for academic positions, as well as for those who advise then, including graduate chairs, graduate advisors, and placement counselors.

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.