Academic Job Search Coaching

With over 18 years of experience as an educator, Jordan brings a unique skill set, a rich breadth of professional experiences, and a creative approach to coaching.

Think Outside the Box 


Many job searches yield over 200 qualified applications. How can you make yourself stand out to land the interview and the job? 

According to the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), Higher education’s increased reliance on contingent faculty from 1987 to 2021 has resulted in 32% of faculty in 2021 holding tenure track positions. 

In the last 25 years, the number of music majors has doubled but the number of American orchestras has dwindled at 2% per year. 

Impactful Experience

From his experiences chairing and being a member of search committees as well as experiences being a search candidate, Dr. VanHemert has had transformative experiences on both sides of the table. He learned most of what I know about creating effective documents and interviewing outside of my degrees. Since little to no feedback is offered to the candidates who don’t land the job, Jordan can offer you critical feedback on your documents to help you advance to the next stages of the interview process.

Here’s what we’ll do…

Many aspects of getting a job are either assumed to be common knowledge or gate kept from the people who need them the most. The key to this work is breaking down the barriers between you and this knowledge and filling in the gaps to support you in your journey of self-discovery in the application process. The consulting relationship will be catered to each individual’s needs. No experience or background in academia is required.

Materials Covered:

  • CV

  • Cover Letter

  • Teaching Statement

  • Performance Videos

  • Teaching Demos

  • Diversity Statement

  • Mock Interviews 

A Proven Curriculum

The Job Document Rundown

Start with the cover letter and CV. The cover letter and CV are the basic documents that are required in all job searches, and they are the first place where candidates can eliminate themselves from the running. The reasons aren’t always obvious. 

  • This is for the person who has been taking interviews and feels good about their materials but needs a refresher on a single document.

  • Also for those who just want a start getting into the ins and outs of the academic job market with the most common documents

The Job Application Overhaul

Go through an interview cycle with me and get feedback on all of your materials. I’ll share specific information on the job at hand and go through the specifics of how to approach the application. 

  • For someone who wants to hyperfocus on a job to overhaul all of their materials.

  • To learn and see a job application cycle from start to finish. 

The Complete Job Application Cycle

Effective job documents are part of a big-picture strategy in which the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This approach consists of regular coaching for a season (3 months) of the job search in which we will dive into developing cohesive materials that will get you on the shortlist. 

  • Someone who wants to elevate their materials and focus on winning a job. 

  • This is an overhaul of your materials over an entire season for specific jobs. 

What Dr. VanHemert’s clients are saying

My academic coaching with Dr. Jordan VanHemert was incredibly productive and transformative. Dr. VanHemert challenged me to reevaluate and rethink my professional and personal strengths in relation to each application.  After accessing my professional and personal goals, he created a process that resulted in effective and efficient sessions that resulted in several interviews for highly competitive jobs.  I can’t say enough about how my work with Dr. VanHemert not only impacted my application materials, but also gave me more confidence walking into interviews. I would work with him again in a heartbeat.  

Dr. Christopher Fashun 

Director of Orchestras

Belmont University

“Having Jordan in your corner, offering concise and knowledgeable advice, is essential. He has a unique ability to spot potential blind spots, and his reasoning behind every step of the process is always clear and insightful. This clarity and foresight not only make you more aware but also empower you with knowledge for the future. My experience working with Jordan has been nothing short of fantastic!”

Dr. Kendra Wheeler 

Assistant Professor of Saxophone

Louisiana State University


Frequently Asked Questions

  • This program is for anyone who wants to give themselves an extra edge on the academic job market or for those who could simply use another, highly focused pair of eyes on their materials.

  • From my experiences, it is always a great time to get a second opinion about your materials. Often, we work on these materials until we can't look at them anymore, so a fresh perspective is always helpful..

  • I have known that I have wanted to teach at this level for almost as long as I had been in music school, but I never learned these skills in the classroom. I am offering these services to give people the edge that I didn't have going into the market and to help people learn things I learned through trial and error.

  • Interviews are never a guarantee because they are such a heavy lift on a university's resources, and even if you advance, you may not get any feedback from the committee on your performance. I aim to fill in the gaps by using my experiences as a search committee chair, member, and job applicant to give my clients the best chances of moving forward.