All three of us have unique stories as to why we went on the market.<\/p>\n

Julie has moved twice since tenure — once for an opportunity to work with grad students and contribute to a research institute that aligned with an emerging research interest, once to get closer to home and family. In neither case did she really consider herself \u201con the market.\u201d Opportunities that aligned with changes in her scholarly and personal goals simply appeared at the right time. In both cases, she applied only for the one particular position that she eventually accepted. She offers this cautionary note: Pulling materials together for a single job application takes approximately the same initial effort as going on the market full-tilt.<\/p>\n

Liz\u2019s choice to go on the job market pre-tenure was primarily motivated by her family situation, and the position for which she applied aligned with her career goals: to work at institution that emphasized research. When she applied for her current job, she had just successfully completed her third-year review at her previous institution. She was not planning to go on the job market at that time, but she knew that jobs near her family wouldn\u2019t come around often.<\/p>\n

Lisa was encouraged to apply for a position and wanted to live in the location of another. So during her tenure year, she applied for two jobs. She was offered one job and was the top candidate at the other, but the search was cancelled due to budgets. As you can see, only Lisa didn\u2019t make the move (for really intensely personal reasons).<\/p>\n

The point is that doing a job search while you have a job is a different kind of search. We would recommend only going on the market when you have a job when you would be willing to take the job you are applying for. (yes, we aware of the advice that going on the market is a good strategy to get a raise. However, in most locations in TPC, starting salaries are better than other humanities disciplines.). This sort of job search is also a much more narrow search than your first time on the market, but as Julie says above, it still takes a lot of time.<\/p>\n

Following we\u2019ll go through some questions and answers that are pretty typical for this type of job search:<\/p>\n

When do I go if I know I want to?<\/b><\/p>\n

We tend to follow the advice that if possible to do it in your third year so you\u2019ve had a chance (1) to figure out what you really want and (2) to build up your CV to make you marketable. Some folks used to say always go on the market in your tenure year just in case you don\u2019t get it and you\u2019ve already done all that self reflection and organizing. We would only advocate going on the market in your tenure year if you want another job based on the reasons noted above.<\/p>\n

If you are tenured, then it is much easier to choose a time. You just do it.<\/p>\n

Who do I tell?<\/b><\/p>\n

We feel that it\u2019s best to keep the job search as low key as possible. There\u2019s no need to bring on ill will from your current colleagues or at the very least there\u2019s no need to start people talking until there\u2019s a reason.<\/p>\n

Many states and\/or institutions have to make job searches public so there is a point in any search that no matter what it has to be announced. Typically this is at the campus invitation stage where it is not uncommon to know who the other candidates are visiting campus because of these type of laws. If you want your search to stay as private and confidential as possible for as long as possible, it is a good idea to include a sentence in the final paragraph like \u201cI would ask that this application be kept strictly confidential as long as possible under the hiring laws of your institution and the state of XX.\u201d<\/p>\n

How do I get letters?<\/b><\/p>\n

A good rule of thumb for letter writers is to have writers who can address specific aspects of your professional profile such as someone whom you share a common research area with or someone from your teaching center who has visited your classroom. If you follow this rule, finding letter writers is not hard to do. You simply contact folks you feel comfortable with and ask them to write a letter that focuses on specific things.<\/p>\n

However, if you have yet to cultivate these sorts of relationships (and this should be on your to-do list right after you get this job search business settled) then you have two options. First, you go back to your close networks at your graduate institution(s) and provide lots of details on what you\u2019ve been up to. Or secondly, you may need to get a letter from someone at your present institution, which means you may need to tell a person (or two) whom you truly trust.<\/p>\n

There is a lot of mixed advice on whether you have to have a letter from your current institution when you go on the market. If you are trying to keep your search under the radar, you are your own best judge of whether a letter from a colleague — especially an in-department colleague — is worth the potential risk of upsetting people if the cat gets out of the bag earlier than you intended. How have others been received when they have been on the market in your department? Typically, letters from colleagues in your present position attest to your collegiality. If you believe you really need a letter from your current institution, you might consider asking for a letter from someone you’ve worked closely with in your institution who is outside of your department.<\/p>\n

What do I put in my cover letter as to why I am applying?<\/b><\/p>\n

We are of the opinion that you need to be honest as possible without any negativity toward your current institution or colleagues. If you are applying to take a step up, then talking about wanting to do more research is a perfectly fine and acceptable explanation.<\/p>\n

If you are making a lateral move (same type of institution and job) or taking a step down, being upfront is without doubt the best way to go. Toward the end of the cover letter (next to last paragraph is a good place), you can directly challenge the elephant in the room: \u201cThe reason I am applying is XYZ.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caveats: No matter what you say, there will be questions about this during interviews and campus visits and sidebar conversations and email exchanges so you need to think long and hard about the answer(s) to this question.<\/p>\n

What do I need to have done to be able to make this move?<\/b><\/p>\n

This is a tricky question. If you\u2019re wanting to move up to an institution that is higher ranked (either by Carnegie Classifications or based on the recognition of the programs) then you need to be certain that you look like the folks there at the same period in time. In other words, if you\u2019re in your third year, then you need to look just like someone in their third year at the institution in which you are applying.<\/p>\n

So then you are prompted to ask, \u201chow do I know what that looks like?\u201d Well, this is where it gets a little tricky because you may not look like that but you could make up for lost time if you had more time or you may look sort of like that but it\u2019s because you\u2019re doing the thing they really want but they don\u2019t understand the time it takes or \u2026..see how it can get tricky.<\/p>\n