On January 29, HigherEdJobs hosted its inaugural Careers & Coffee, a live virtual event where experienced higher ed professionals share their insight and career advice with job seekers.
Since it is faculty recruitment season, this particular conversation featured Dr. Ilene Crawford, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Cornell College, who shared job search advice for new Ph.D.s and early career faculty candidates. Kelly Cherwin, director of editorial strategy at HigherEdJobs, guided the conversation.
As a long-time faculty member and leader at liberal arts institutions, Crawford’s career path offers an alternative to teaching at research institutions. In fact, she co-authored a recent series on HigherEdJobs about faculty careers at small, liberal arts institutions, which offers an in-depth look at what these jobs entail, how to successfully apply for them, and how to succeed once hired.
Crawford walked Careers & Coffee attendees through the life cycle of the faculty hiring process from navigating applications and initial interviews to on-campus visits and negotiations. She also shared insight about when and how to discuss needs and how to handle rejection.
Concerning the application process, Crawford encouraged candidates to really reflect on what they want and are comfortable with in regard to location, type of institution, etc. as opposed to “taking a broad scattershot approach and applying for every single job that is out there.”
Particularly with tenure-track searches, where the positions are so few, Crawford said it can be tempting to take any position, but she urged attendees to discern if the position could be a longer-term fit for them (and the institution).
For candidates who may be at the point of negotiating offers, she said, “You do have some agency and some options. If you were lucky enough to receive an offer, everyone is highly motivated to get this across the finish line.”
Salary, of course, is always an important factor in negotiations. However, Crawford recommended that candidates ask about positions’ salary ranges before accepting an on-campus interview in order to save themselves some time and heartache. Addressing salary expectations upfront helps job seekers — and institutions alike — avoid getting so far into the process only to find out that there is a gap that can’t be closed.
Cherwin and Crawford took questions from attendees toward the end of the conversation.
We hope this Careers & Coffee session, which was recorded and is now available on YouTube, is helpful for faculty job seekers as they navigate their early careers and job searches.
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