My Job Market Advice

Timeline Overview

Tip: I felt like I just needed to get through November, which was a huge push of finishing my JMP and applying to more than 100 jobs. However, that was just the beginning. It’s important to pace things, starting the summer leading up to the market, so that you don’t burn out at the most important time, which is interviews and then fly-outs.

Preparation Materials

Documents to Prepare Early

Start in the spring before the market so you can iterate:

• Research Statement (3 pages)
• Teaching Statement (2 pages)
• CV (finalized)
• Website (live and indexed by Google)

Job Market Paper (JMP)

• Have a public-facing draft by September 15 to get feedback and apply to early jobs. Send it to your network, prioritize getting comments on your introduction and abstract.
• Should be nearly finalized by October 31. This lets you use all of November to focus on applying to jobs.
• Most important parts: Introduction and abstract
• Tip: Don’t get caught up in “the game” of writing an intro for your JMP. Some people say the JMP has to be a certain length. I focused on making it as compelling as I could, just as I’d try to for any manuscript.

Post-Doc Applications

• Develop a 1–2 page proposal for one research question to use for post-doc applications

Letter Writers

• Identify your letter writers the year before the market
• Make sure they understand your work well
• Ask them in August so they have enough time to write a strong letter
• Create a system to manage requests—you’ll ask them to submit letters hundreds of times
• It’s their job to support you, but make it as easy as possible for them

Job Tracking

• Set aside time once a week starting in early September to track jobs
• Use a spreadsheet to organize applications
• Save the JOE link when possible—some positions close and you lose access to the job description, but JOE will still have it (helpful for interview prep)
• Email me if you’d like to see my system

Applications

• In November, submitting applications will be your main focus
• Watch for review dates: JOE sometimes lists a deadline that’s later than when they actually start reviewing. Look for “We will begin reviewing applications on…”
• Most assistant professor positions are due between November 10 and December 1

Interviews

Mock Interviews

Do mock interviews with:

• Faculty
• Alumni
• Other people on the job market
• Friends

Interview Prep

• Use the pyramid pitch form structure to prepare talking about JMP (talk to Ken Gillingham or econ dept people about this more). The main thing here is you should have a one-minute pitch of the research question and key findings. You can then pause after a minute, ask if they’d like you to go on. If they say yes, say your contribution, your methods, your data. The second part should bring your answer to be 5 minutes total. Prep this and practice this.
• Prep for at least an hour before each interview
  • Know the school and department you’re talking to
  • Have 3 specific questions written down to ask at the end—make them specific to the department to signal genuine interest

After Interviews

• Send thank you emails after each conversation
• Keep a sheet of everyone you meet with notes—this is your network for the future, but also helpful to look at before a potential fly out.

Mindset

“Every job is a job you want until you have the offer.”
— Faculty who helped prep me for interviews

Website Checklist

• Have a website
• Make sure it’s indexed by Google so your name comes up in search results
• Host your JMP on the site
• Include a clickable link in your JMP PDF that points to the most recent version hosted online
• Include your CV, research statement, teaching statement, and short research bio

Where to Find Jobs

• JOE (Job Openings for Economists)
• Zoe Plakais Substack
• ResEcon listserv
• There are other ag econ/natural resource job boards to potentially look at

Helpful Resources

• Cawley, John. A Guide and Advice for Economists on the U.S. Junior Academic Job Market. 2018.
• At YSE, Julie Vance can help read statements, cover letters, prepare your seminar, and prep for interviews

Interview Questions to Prepare For

Common Questions

1. Tell us about yourself as a researcher / What’s been your research agenda / What questions do you find interesting?
2. Tell us about your JMP.
3. Tell us about your research pipeline.
4. What’s your teaching experience / approach / What classes can you teach?
5. Where will you go for funding?

Other Questions You May Get

1. What would you tell a policy maker about this decision? (common at think tanks)
2. How have you taught yourself things?
3. How would you teach a diverse student population?

Fly-outs

• Make sure you have a suit and some nice clothes for dinner the night before. You may go out to two dinners.
• They pay for your travel and hotel.
• They should give you a schedule ahead of time: Do prep on the research and interests of the search committee. Try to do it for everyone else you’ll meet with too.
• Make sure you’ve practiced your seminar many times so you don’t have it in the back of your mind while also doing meetings.
• Fly-out interview days are extremely long. Ask for bathroom breaks, even if you just need a mental break. Bring a snack and water. Ask for coffee.
• Remember: So long as you clear the bar of competence, they will ultimately be looking for a colleague. Be personable, show interest in other people’s research. Whenever I was tired, I’d ask about other people’s interests so I could have some time listening instead of talking.

Disclosure

This is the advice I noted down during my job market experience. I ultimately applied to 141 jobs, 94 of which were tenure-track (TT) assistance professor (AP) positions. I ended up with 14 Zoom interviews, 7 of which were for AP positions. I had two flyouts: one at a private university where I was offered the positions as their first choice, and a second at a land grant university where I was the second choice candidate. In the end, I accepted a post-doc position because of a combination of time for my research, pay, and alignment with my personal life.