The job market is super stressful. I’m big on transparency, sharing, and mentorship, so if you have any questions about my experiences, please don’t hesitate to reach out by emailing me: sarahkathrynku@gmail.com
I hope this goes without saying, but please do not plagiarize the content in these documents. I offer them as references, design templates, and examples for anyone who is feeling lost or overwhelmed. I am trusting that they will not get abused.
Where I found jobs
Below are public GoogleDocs of Management PhD jobs. These documents are created and maintained through public access so please be respectful of all the work and information shared. However, DON’T spend too much time looking at these… Imposter syndrome will set in and you may start feeling inadequate compared to some of the candidates on this site. Also, keep in mind that these are from pandemic years! But they’re helpful to get some “insider” information for timelines, postings, interview questions, and to see the general landscape of the management job market.
Be organized
Take the time to be organized and systematic in your job search. I made a spreadsheet to organize the jobs I applied to and eventually got very efficient at submitting applications. Click the button to the right to access the spreadsheet. Feel free to use this as a template for your own job search.
I applied to 39 schools, had 6 initial Zoom interviews (15%), 3 invitations for campus visits (8%), and 2 job offers (5%).
Leverage probability. If you want more interviews, apply to more jobs.
Applications that got me interviews
Initial interviews were conducted via Zoom and lasted between 15-30 minutes. Typically 3-5 search committee members attended, introduced themselves, and rotated questions. All interviews were for tenure-track Assistant Professor positions. These are listed in chronological order:
California State University, Los Angeles: Marketing [Zoom interview]
California State University, Los Angeles: Management (Strategic Management) [Zoom interview]
Loyola University Chicago: Sustainable Business Management [Zoom interview + In-person campus visit + Offer {Accepted}]
Dickinson College: Marketing [Zoom interview + In-person campus visit + Offer {Declined}]
Appalachian State University: Sustainable Business and Management [Zoom interview + Phone call {Already accepted offer from Loyola}]
California State University, Los Angeles: Marketing Strategy [Zoom interview + Virtual campus visit invitation {Already accepted offer from Loyola}]
Read this book
I modeled my job market documents from the templates and advice provided in this book. While this is a very general book and has many sections that may or may not apply to your situation, the information shared is invaluable.
Read this book BEFORE you start applying for jobs so that you have enough time to create documents and get into a rhythm to customize for each application.
My main takeaways:
Include keywords from the job post in your cover letter
Use active and confident language that signals you are a colleague instead of a student
PROOFREAD everything
Always negotiate (feel free to reach out to me to discuss this in more detail)
Make a website
This is the easiest way to market yourself! Having a *professional* online presence builds credibility and legitimacy, just like with brand recognition. I use SquareSpace for this website ($12 per month for a total of $144 per year). It’s an investment that I was willing to make to build and regularly maintain my professional online presence. I truly believe that having a website helped me secure a job. There’s a lot you can do to show your personality and values through a website. I use my website to share lots of resources and I love that I have control over the design and content I share. Additionally, I use my website to host my course syllabi so that they can be engaging, interactive, and updated in real time.
I did a basic tutorial for creating a website in the video to the left for anyone who is interested in getting started with creating their own!
SquareSpace offers an education discount for students that provides 50% off. Leverage this!