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Timeline for an Academic Job Search

Summer to September | October | November to December | December | January to Spring

The Academic Job Search

The nature of the academic calendar makes finding an academic job a yearlong endeavor: colleges and universities place most of their ads in the fall of the year before the new employee starts work. Thus the search is most intense in the fall, when the MLA Job Information List (JIL) is published and you (the candidate) begin to send out your letters of application and respond to requests for more information.

The electronic version of the Job Information List is available in late September; the paper version is published in October. The English Department provides electronic access to the Job List and places several hard copies in 9022 Haley Center.

The search gains intensity and takes a different shape in the winter, as interviews are conducted at the MLA Convention and on-campus. It is times like these when just looking for a job seems a full-time job in itself: little time is left to devote to teaching, research, or writing. As with all job searches, you must plan ahead, follow through, and stay connected.

To start, you will need to register with the English Department's dossier service, coordinated by the office associate for the graduate program. You can access the Academic Job Placement form and Request to Send Dossier forms under "Forms" on the Department's Faculty/GTA home page.

You will then need to request letters of recommendation and compose or select the following materials:

• Letter of Application
• Curriculum Vita (or c.v.)
• Teaching Packet
• Dissertation Abstract
• Writing Sample

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Last updated April 14, 2005