Decision Sciences Journal

DOCTORAL ISSUES

Career Advancement Strategies in a Buyer's Market

by Ken Boyer, DePaul University
Susan Amundson, Arizona State University
Robert Handfield, Michigan State University
Manus (Johnny) Rungtusanatham, University of Wisconsin - Madison

W ith the profusion of candidates for a limited number of faculty positions, the current academic job market for Ph.D. candidates can be described as a buyer's market from the perspective of universities. A key question asked by many candidates pertains to order qualifiers and order winners. What are the former and are there any winners? The following observations and suggestions are drawn from our own experiences in the job market and are intended to address the issue of order qualifiers/winners. Each of us followed a different path to our current position, as originally discussed in a session on career advancement strategies at the 1996 DSI Doctoral Student Consortium in Orlando.

The academic job market for various disciplines continues to be relatively tight. Gone (for the time being) are the golden days of multiple offers for new Ph.D. candidates. Nowadays, we seem to be dancing to the tune of multiple candidates for few job openings. Yes, there has been an improvement -- from a ratio of 10 candidates to 1 job, to the latest data showing a ratio of 3 candidates to 1 job -- but it will most likely be quite a while before the laws of supply and demand shift in favor of job- seeking candidates, if ever. In the interim, the overriding question for new candidates, or for that matter, individuals thinking about getting a Ph.D., has got to be, "How do I best position myself to maximize my chances of getting a good job offer?"

While there are no hard and fast answers guaranteed to work, there seem to be a large number of order qualifiers and potential order winners. The following insights are derived from our combined experience on the job market, numerous interviews as job candidates, and our recent experiences in looking at the job search process from the employer's perspective.

Publication Record

Publication, publication, publication. Much like the real estate slogan (location, location, location), the importance of developing a research portfolio cannot be overstated. As schools are besieged with applications, search committees are increasingly turning towards quick and objective means of screening out applicants. At Arizona State University and Michigan State University, for example, one important criterion is the publication issue. More and more, job candidates are expected to have at least one refereed journal publication and/or multiple conference proceedings before going out on the market.

The implication of this criterion is quite profound. Schools are demanding that candidates provide evidence of communication, research, and presentation skills and are unwilling to "bank" on a candidate's dissertation. As such, doctoral students need to write and submit papers early in the process. At the University of Minnesota, for example, Ph.D. students are required to have a publishable paper before a proposal defense. While it certainly is preferable to have papers published in refereed journals, this is a very difficult objective given the long lead times associated with the review and publication process. Therefore, it is crucial that candidates provide evidence of scholarly activity -- through working papers submitted for review, conference presentations, working with established faculty, etc. In the current academic job market, evidence of such research activity is truly an order qualifier.

Finish Your Dissertation!

Yes, we know you've heard this before, but it can't hurt to hear it again. The truth is that in the current buyer's market there is little or no reason for universities to consider candidates without completed or very close to completed dissertations. As the Nike slogan states: Just Do It.

Choosing an Advisor

As Ph.D. students decide on whom to select as their advisor, they must realize that this individual has the ability to impact their career in ways that are often not explicitly stated. Yes, your advisor signs off on your dissertation, but before that stage, you need to assess whether or not your advisor is willing and able to promote you within your chosen field of study. This promotion means engaging you in his or her research that can lead to publication before completion of dissertation, introducing you to his/her contemporaries in the field, and, most importantly, being an active supporter past the completion of your dissertation. Therefore, it is vital to choose an advisor with a successful track record and with whom you get along personally and professionally. Of course, much of this promotion also relies on your ability to "push" your advisor. Being passive can be detrimental; being too aggressive can alienate your advisor. A balance has to be struck.

Teaching

Universities are placing an increasing emphasis on teaching when evaluating prospective faculty members. What implications does this have for candidates? First and foremost, this implies that all candidates should have taught at least one class in which they had complete responsibility for the design of the course, instruction, and grading.

What are the expectations regarding teaching skills? Obviously schools wish to hire the best teachers possible, but this does not mean that your teaching evaluations have to be well above average or that you should have won teaching awards. What is more important is a demonstrated commitment to learning new methods of teaching and developing new techniques. There is a substantial learning curve associated with teaching. Universities understand that candidates will continue to develop as teachers over time. How can candidates demonstrate a commitment to teaching? One way is to show improving evaluations or comments from students over time. Another way is to provide descriptions of the methods and techniques that you use in class. Be prepared to answer questions about your teaching and to discuss ideas that you have tried or are planning to try. Not all of these ideas have to be successful. A commitment to teaching starts with a willingness to experiment a little. Candidates with such a commitment have a better chance of developing into excellent teachers than candidates who use the exact same methods and techniques every quarter.

Moving Beyond Your First Job

Many students coming out of a doctoral program will not immediately find a tenure-track job. Fortunately, there are possible alternatives, including adjunct, visiting, and postdoctoral positions. In some cases, your Ph.D.-granting institution may also hire you to cover classes. Three of the four authors of this article followed one of these three alternative paths to eventually land a tenure track position. With the excess of supply over demand in the job market, universities are increasingly employing visiting and adjunct instructors because they can employ new Ph.D. holders who will provide high quality teaching at a fraction of the cost of tenure-track faculty. From the university's point of view, this makes great economic sense. Yet, this does not mean that a visiting or adjunct position is without value to job candidates. A visiting or adjunct position provides a way for new Ph.D.s to earn a much better salary than as graduate assistants, and, more importantly, refine their skills in teaching and research.

The important thing to remember at this point is to be patient. Try to learn from your colleagues at your new school. This includes students, since every university has a different corporate culture. Try to be flexible in your new position and adapt to the new systems and procedures at your new school. In the long run, a year or two at another university should prove to be a great learning experience as your career develops. In working toward your longer term objectives, an important first step is to determine what type of job you want to land in the long term. Do you wish to land a position at a teaching or research school? The answer to this question will lead you to look at a smaller cluster of schools, and allow you to focus on a few schools which seem to be your ideal target job.

In addition, it is critical to remember that in choosing a target school, you must also find ways to make yourself appear to be an asset that the school really needs! That is, you must find ways to align your skills, research interests, and publication record with those of the faculty at the school, in such a way that your skills are complementary, or fill a void that the school desperately needs to meet. The problem in doing so, is that every school has different requirements. The skill sets required may be:

Quantitative vs. empirical
Manufacturing, service, or information-system related
Theoretical vs. applied
Doctoral, MBA, or undergraduate-focused teaching

The bottom line is that it is important to have a clear understanding of your target schools, otherwise it is much like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Bear in mind that faculty will generally seek to find people that they can work with in the long term, and who will also be "tenurable." That is, they will seek to find people who have the potential to get tenure, based on what the current or future standards for tenure may be. Faculty are generally not hired with the intention of setting them up for failure. Therefore, candidates must convince faculty that they will be good colleagues and will be up to the challenge of tenure.

Handling Disappointment

While following the advice provided above will hopefully assist candidates in the job search process, there is no guarantee of success. Despite their best efforts, many Ph.D. students will not experience positive outcomes when they first enter the job market. Applicants may send out dozens of applications and packages of materials, and may receive few or no job interviews, and possibly no offers. The toll that this takes on the candidate in terms of self confidence and personal/professional self- respect can be extremely high. While the candidate may know that rejection in the job market is not personal, and that becoming employed depends on finding the right match with a school, nevertheless, the job search process can be extremely painful for the candidate on a personal level. Many excellent job applicants have gone without campus interviews or job offers, and unfortunately, it appears that this situation is continuing and will continue into the future.

In the face of disappointment, candidates should engage in frank but gentle self-assessment, and determine where they will focus their efforts at obtaining employment. An honest understanding of one's own strengths and limitations is crucial for successfully laying out job search strategies. Some candidates may decide to go into industry rather than academia, whereas others may take jobs that were not their first choice. Others may decide that persistence, additional publications, and trying the job market multiple times are the appropriate career strategies. Whatever decision the candidate makes should be oriented towards his or her particular abilities, personal circumstances, and career goals. There is no "one-size-fits-all" strategy for one's career; multiple paths from point A (the unemployed Ph.D. student) to point B (the employed professional) exist.

It is important to remember, however, that many highly competent, talented people are competing with each other for a limited number of positions. If the candidate fails to obtain a desirable job, it is important that s/he continue to believe in his/her own abilities, maintaining a sense of self confidence and self worth throughout the very difficult job search process. Best of luck!

Decision Line, Dec/Jan 1997 (v28n1)