In my last two posts, I suggested that you can decide what kind of academic career you want, and that it’s a good idea to get information and advice from a variety of sources, including informational interviews, to help you figure that out and learn more about the kind of academic career you want.

When you are actually applying for jobs, being interviewed, and so on, it is a good idea to keep in mind that there are 2 parties involved in any job search: the candidate and the hiring organization.

You are looking for a job that meets your needs.

They are looking for a colleague that meets their needs.

That applies to any job. Academic jobs. Non-academic jobs. Slinging beer at your local bar.

If the only answer you have to “Why do you want this job?” is “To pay the rent,” you are probably wasting everyone’s time by applying.

No one wants to hire someone who doesn’t really want the job.

No one wants to hire someone who is going to be miserable.

No one wants to hire someone who is going to be looking for the way out as soon as they walk in the door.

No one wants to hire someone who thinks the work is beneath them.

A job search is not a lottery.

Basic principles of probability apply.

If there are a lot of qualified candidates for relatively few jobs, it is going to be tough to get a job.

But applying for jobs for which you are not qualified, or not a good fit, isn’t going to improve your chances.

Your time is better spent learning more about what kinds of jobs meet your needs and gaining the experience, qualifications, skills, abilities, and knowledge you need to get those jobs.

You probably also have to spend time really identifying your needs, and the knowledge, skills, and abilities you already have.

That is hard work. It takes time. And as you go through the process of learning more about jobs that are out there, and applying for jobs that seem to be a good fit, you will learn more about them and be able to refine your search and improve how you present yourself to potential employers.

Need help:

I’m going to write another post with some resources that you can use to help you clarify who you are and what you have to offer, as well as what you really want.

But sometimes it helps to work through that with someone.

You can hire me to coach you through the process. We talk. I ask questions that draw out useful information. I suggest avenues you might want to consider more carefully.

And I have x-ray vision. Sometimes I see things that you just can’t see and that helps shift things so that you start having a more positive relationship with this whole job search process.

A 1-hour session is $150.

We can get a lot done in an hour. If you decide after that session that you’d like to continue, I’ll invoice you for the next 3 at the difference between the 4 session and 1 session rate, so you still get the 15% discount.

If you buy 4 sessions at a time, you get a 15% discount. That’s $510.

If you book 4 sessions and decide after the first session that you really don’t need more than one, I’ll refund you the difference. All you have to do is e-mail and ask. Though I’ll probably come to the same conclusion and e-mail you to offer a refund.