Five ideas and a book to help an academic looking for work in perilous times
Life is one thing after another. And just because the universe has already sent us one big stress, it doesn’t mean we won’t be hit with others. ~Dr. Harriet Lerner, psychologist, and author
Are you an academic looking for work in a higher education institution right now? If so, you are likely suffering some major anxiety as you look at the grim statistics about the ever-greater contraction for higher education in the near future. If you are wondering what you can do to help yourself in perilous times, I have a book and five suggestions for you.
You’re not alone in your anxiety. Personally, I worry that with the contraction of the job market in 2020-21, I will not be able to sustain my coaching practice working with academics whether they want to stay in academia or leave it. I love my clients. They are among the most talented, intelligent, fascinating people I know. Most have a real passion and commitment to their chosen research and teaching area. I don’t want to stop working with them. I’d like to continue to help those that cannot stay motivated.
If you are one of those that want to stay in academia, here are my suggestions:
1. Start looking for work now.
Many academics face paralysis when faced with looking for work. Begin by taking a look at the 2nd edition of Scaling the Ivory Tower: Your Academic Job Search Workbook for help with the job search process, whether you are a newly minted PhD or seeking to move to a new institution. There is a new preface addressing how to look for work during a pandemic.
Graduate school teaches you can learn about your topic, and how to do in-depth research on it for publication. Very few institutions even offer any kind of workshop to help academics get a job. This book provides 58 worksheets, examples, templates, and checklists to help with everything from making crucial decisions, handling imposter syndrome, crafting a cover letter, interview techniques and advice, through negotiating a job offer. Everything is designed to help you tell your own unique story to a new audience unfamiliar with you or your work.
Next, begin looking for work where you are. Is there a demand for more online professors in your department? Is there a demand for more teachers, whether in person or online at your local community college? Some of those are seeing an increase in enrollment as students look for safer and cheaper education options. If it looks like your institution is unable to financially weather this latest crisis in education, and you still love academia, look at the financial stability of the institutions around your own geographic area first.
Don’t believe it is not possible to get a job in the middle of a pandemic. Many people think looking for work over the winter holidays outside of academia is hopeless. That’s not true. The truth is the winter holidays are actually a good time to look for work: institutions are looking ahead, and some have new budgets beginning the first of the year. Given the extremely long lag time between interviewing in academia and starting a new position, looking during the pandemic can give you a head start if the institution starts a new fiscal year on July 1st.
If you are a good fit for a position, you should apply, and emphasize what you can bring to the position. If your research can be linked to some aspect of the current coronavirus pandemic, whether related to false social media narratives or actual laboratory work, show how it connects. If not, do not twist yourself into a pretzel to prove your work is relevant.
If you are interested in administrative positions in higher education, now is the time to offer a bold vision and strong leadership. Institutions are struggling, and if you have some exciting ideas to create programs or build enrollment, you may be just what they want and need. Remind yourself this pandemic will end…eventually. And at some point, schools will start hiring again.
2. Stop doomsurfing and doomscrolling immediately.
This applies to you whether you are seeking work inside or outside academia. Too many of us are consuming bad news followed by more bad news followed by yet more bad news. It doesn’t matter whether you are fearful for the US economy, the future of its democracy, the treatment of marginalized groups, or your own career in academia. Too much toxin leaves a brain and body poisoned. Focus on what you can individually do to improve the life around you for you and your significant others right now. Maybe sit down with a cup of tea with your partner, read a book to a child, or memorize a poem for yourself. Get yourself away from the negative narrative, at least for a while.
3. Find time for friends, family, and other social connections.
Those connections will remain long after your job search is finished. Or I should say “finished for the time being.” People are constantly transitioning in their work lives. Those connections may also help you find alternative employment. Take time for some informational interviews to develop new connections. Furloughed people sitting at home may enjoy talking to someone interested in what they are interested in. As you finish a conversation, ask: “Now that you know more about me, who else should I talk to?”
4. Find time to write.
You may feel you are too distracted to write anything publishable. The opposite is true. You can’t look for work all the time, so now is the time to write. Consider freelance work you can do for a small amount of money. Stick with your writing by working in small blocks of time. If you are not seeking work in academia, consider writing a blog. You may find it liberating. If you are passionate about advocating for a specific cause but were constrained by the academic writing style, let yourself go. Being a passionate advocate may create unexpected opportunities and make you an attractive job candidate.
5. Work on Plan B.
Last but not least, this is a good time to get some career coaching! Feel free to contact me for your free 20-minute no-obligation session to find out more about how I work with clients, and what you can expect working with me. Once you become a client, you have access to a large library of resources that are not publicly available.
There is help for academics who want to advance, an academic looking for work or an academic who wants to leave academia
My own work is multi-faceted: I not only help an academic who is looking for work but I also help academics advance their careers in academia, and I help academics who are ready to leave academia determine an alternate career. In either case, we work together to create strategies for moving forward. Take the long view of where you are headed. Don’t focus on the job type. Instead ask, “Who do I want to work with? What does the organization look like? Who will support me both personally and at an organization to make a transition?”
The hidden job market
The hidden job market, those jobs that are never advertised anywhere, is huge. Between 80-95% (depending on whose statistics you read) of all jobs are never advertised. Sometimes jobs are created for people that didn’t even exist before an interview. I know this both from personal experience and the experience of my clients. It may be because employers do not want to spend money advertising. Or they prefer to get people only through referrals, whether that is someone in their own organization or someone they know and trust outside of it. Informational interviews can build your network of connections to help with a transition.
Associations are also struggling to stay afloat, they need strong people that know the industry, understand their mission, and are prepared to do the work to help them survive. It’s not just the education sector that is shifting to more fully embrace virtual instruction and meetings. Learn how to work online more effectively, whatever the topic area or organization.
Conclusion
There is plenty to worry about. One big question is, “What will happen to the education sector if we continue going down the road of privatizing education? Will it revert to the extent that education looks more like the models of earlier centuries, divided again between those educated in private elite institutions and those only able to attend “charity” schools? Will public education cease to be a robust sector supported by taxes? It’s very scary stuff if you believe education is the key to creating opportunities. In case you were wondering, I do believe this.
In the short run, make a decision to be optimistic about your future, and take whatever steps you can to help yourself in perilous times.
Tags: academia, academic, attitude, career, coaching, planning, strategies
