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DOCTORAL ISSUES

So, You Want an Academic Job?!?

For those of us in the decision sciences, each autumn marks the beginning not only of a new academic year and all of its thrills and promises, but also the beginning of a new recruiting season. While generally less celebrated than the NBA draft, the DSI draft typically begins at the annual meeting in November. I was asked by a colleague to write this column because I have been out of graduate school for a relatively short time (12 years!) and somehow have found myself in an administrative position (department head), so to some extent I should be able to synthesize the two perspectives.

It's no secret that the academic market has been very limited over the last several years, even in what are typically high demand areas like business and engineering. As states cut back their budgets for higher education in the early 1990s, the usual university response was to impose a hiring freeze. In many cases, these hiring freezes lasted three or four years. I believe we are now seeing the beginnings of a thaw. It is difficult to predict the extent to which the market will rebound, but I suspect that the days of each graduating decision sciences Ph.D having multiple offers from which to choose (the situation in the mid-1980s) is a long way off. The implication is that there will likely be an increase in the number of academic positions this year, but the market will be highly competitive.

The silver lining is that salaries appear to be higher than one might expect given supply and demand. We were fortunate enough to hire in operations management last year and salaries were quite competitive because a handful of schools were all going after the same group of five to ten new Ph.Ds.

How can you distinguish yourself? What are schools looking for in job candidates? Frankly, the first thing people consider is where you earned your degree. (If you are graduating from a top-five school, congratulations. If not, don't despair, keep reading). For better or worse, people form opinions based solely on where you studied. If you are not from a top-five school, there are a number of things you can do to make yourself competitive.

First, use the faculty at your school for contacts. Colleagues at other universities value the opinions of the faculty they know at your school. Phone calls and letters of reference can be the deciding factor as to whether or not you make it to the next round of interviews.

Second, if you believe your academic background is just as strong as anybody else's, the texts you used will indicate this. Attach to your vitae a copy of your courses and texts that you used in each course. This is an easy way to convey the rigor of your program of study.

Third, leverage any teaching experience you have gained. Most universities have become more sensitive to the quality of teaching. Being an excellent teacher with experience in a variety of courses can give you an edge. Also, being multidisciplinary can give you a real advantage. For example, having information technology as a second discipline and being willing to teach in that area can work to your advantage (the human equivalent of flexible manufacturing!).

Fourth, be convincing of the relevance of your research. Assuming that you have convinced others that you have a strong, rigorous academic background, assuring that they understand the significance and relevance of your work is extremely important. Your research should mesh with or complement the strengths and thrusts of the college/department.

The DSI annual meeting is your perfect opportunity to convince recruiters that you are an enthusiastic, professional colleague, as well as a good fit for their needs. Good luck with your interviews and I hope you are a first-round choice!

Decision Line, Sept/Oct 1997 (v27n5)