For many university staff this is the last week of the teaching year, a time when we say goodbye to our final year students (until graduation ceremonies at least!) and retreat to our homes and libraries or laboratories to start doing some serious research. So as an academic job seeker what sorts of things can we do to maximise our chances in the job market over the coming weeks and months?
Jobs for September
Many universities are currently advertising the short term, temporary positions they need to fill in order to complete their teaching responsibilities for next academic year, so if you are a jobseeker who still doesn’t have anything lined up for 2009-10, don’t panic! There’s still a lot out there. Some institutions, including my own are even advertising permanent positions so be prepared to carry on slaving away at your job applications, and attending interviews, throughout the summer months.
CV Building
For those of us who are perhaps not looking for work immediately but are still interested in building a career in the long term, it’s important at the end of an academic year to think about what sots of things you have done this year to improve your CV. Don’t fall into the trap of only producing a CV when actively job hunting. Try to keep up your CV development at all times. Have you got any new teaching experience? Have you published anything this year? Developed new administrative skills? Taken on new roles within your department? All these things can be added to your CV to show that you are an active scholar and that you are doing things all the time to build your career.
But do have a rest!
Do allow yourself some time of rest over the summer too! It’s a time of consolidation and regrouping for many of us, assess what’s worked in the previous year’s teaching and research, and then learn your lessons and move on, making sure you fit in some annual leave too! September will come around all too quickly!
