The Academic Job Search Handbook - Jennifer S. Furlong

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scholarly or professional association functions as the recorder and critic of scholarship in the discipline by producing one or more scholarly journals of refereed articles. It normally also holds a conference, usually on an annual basis, where the most recent research in the field is presented. There are many forms of conference presentations. Individual scholars, seasoned Ph.D.s, and advanced graduate students present papers they have prepared for the conference; groups of scholars participate in panel discussions; and individuals or research teams participate in poster sessions or other small group discussions of their work. Such conferences or conventions provide an opportunity for formal and informal communication on research and are crucial for keeping the discipline dynamic.

      Ideally, even in the early years of graduate study, you have begun to participate in professional networks that extend beyond your department and university. Whatever your field, there is at least one, if not several, scholarly or professional associations devoted to the exchange of ideas. Conferences, social media and blogs, publications, and local and regional meetings are the most common means of exchange. Because of the importance of these organizations, they will be referred to again and again throughout this handbook. If you do not know those that are important in your field, ask faculty members in your department. (See the selected list of scholarly and professional associations in Appendix 1.)

      Calls for papers are probably posted by your department, announced through print and electronic vehicles of your scholarly association, and listed in additional scholarly resources online. If you are early in your career and feel that publications in major journals or presentations at national conferences are slightly beyond your reach at this point, look for regional or local meetings of national organizations and respectable but less prestigious journals. Attend as many presentations as you can. In addition to learning and gaining ideas from the material presented, you can see how others present their work and form your own conclusions about the most effective way to communicate ideas.

       Individual Contacts

      If you are interested in the work of someone at another institution, whether you learn of it through a conference, a publication, or word of mouth, it is appropriate to approach that person, by phone, mail, or email, for a further exchange of ideas. You might wish to inquire whether your advisors have a connection and can make an introduction. Share your comments; send a copy of a related paper or link to an article you wrote. Ask questions. Suggest a meeting at a conference you both will be attending. It goes without saying that your comments and questions should be sincere and intelligent. By taking the initiative, you greatly expand the range of intellectual resources on which you can draw and develop a broad network of professional contacts with whom you can remain in touch throughout your career.

       Social Media/Online Presence

      In between meetings, social media function as ongoing professional forums with conversations similar to what may be found in the breaks between presentations at conferences. Your thoughtful participation in relevant groups gives you an opportunity to enable a large number of people to recognize your name in a positive way, not a bad thing when you consider that yours may be one of hundreds in a candidate pool.

      Scholarly reputations are built by work people publish. Journal referees will prevent you from publishing anything that is libelous, outrageous, or just plain stupid. When you communicate online, you must be your own referee: consider that your potential audience is literally worldwide, that you reach it instantly, and that your communication is archived in ways beyond your control. Your scholarly presence will be enhanced if your online contributions are characterized by good grammar, graciousness and professionalism. It is prudent to look yourself up via a search engine to see what others may already know about you. You may also have concern for not precipitously putting out work that you plan to publish later, given how easy it is to appropriate material from the Internet. Include a copyright statement on all documents you post.

      You impoverish your own work if you do not take advantage of the multiplicity of forums available for the exchange of ideas and of the personal give and take that turns a good piece of work into an excellent one. While you should not do so for this reason alone, as you establish your own network of communication, you also expand the range of people who are interested in your success in the job market. (See Chapter 11, “Online Presence,” for more on this topic.)

       Conference Presentations

      Conferences and conventions are a major means of scholarly communication. They also provide an opportunity to meet people who can hire you or refer you to others who can. By the time you are an advanced graduate student, if not before, you should begin to participate in these meetings, which are an important means of communication in your discipline. As you near the end of your graduate work and enter the job market, conferences begin to play a more formal role in your job search. They may offer a job placement service or give you an opportunity to gain favorable exposure through presenting a paper, and they always give you a way to network informally with others.

      You should almost certainly plan to attend the national meeting of the major association in your field in the year you are on the job market. If you can arrange to give a paper or participate in a poster session, try to do so.

      Each field has its own style for the delivery of presentations. If you are delivering a conference paper for the first time, ask your department what to expect and how to be prepared for it. Be aware of conference logistics, modes of talk delivery, and the types of supporting materials that speakers typically use. In addition, check with your professional association to see whether it provides guidelines that help you answer the following questions.

      Mode of Delivery

      • Do you sit or stand?

      • Do you speak from notes or read a paper?

      • Do you answer questions at a poster session?

      • How formally are papers presented? Is any form of humor ever appropriate?

      • How long will you have to speak?

      • Will there be questions from the audience? Will there be a moderator?

      Presentation Aids

      • What kinds of technology or aids will you need to support your presentation?

      • How large should a poster be?

      • Should you prepare handouts?

      • Will you use presentation software?

      • Are you planning to show video?

      • What kind of technological support will be available at the conference facility?

      Practice your presentation before you offer it. If you can give a departmental seminar, so much the better, but, in any case, deliver the talk to an audience that will give you feedback. Ask your colleagues to question the vulnerable points in your thesis so that you can practice addressing challenges to them. As you practice, make sure to speak loudly enough to be heard, look at your audience, and speak rapidly enough to hold your audience’s attention but slowly enough that they can understand you. Most important, ensure that your presentation will fit in the time allotted for you.

      Your materials, including any slides, should look professional and be easy to read. Visual and oral presentations should reinforce each other. The point of both is to communicate clearly and well, while maintaining the interest of the audience. Consider carefully whether or not handouts will enhance your presentation. If you choose to use handouts, know their content very well, as your audience might ask you in-depth questions about them. Also, know that some people may spend the entire presentation time reading over the handouts and not focusing on what you have to say. These presentations can be excellent preparation for campus interviews, where you are expected to conduct a job talk about your research. (See Chapter 15, “The Campus Visit.”)

       Networking at Conferences

      Conferences

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