Applying For Academic Jobs is Like Moneyball: Part 1 - Read the Job Description

The academic job market is tough. Surely, nobody would argue with that point. However, one of my passions is getting the information out there about how applicants can improve their application materials and increase their chances of winning a job. To me, the very basics of this comes down to one thing: you’re playing Moneyball.

Yes, Moneyball. The 2011 movie starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill as Billy Beane and Peter Brand, respectively. For those who might not be familiar, Moneyball is a film about the Oakland Athletics and their General Manager Billy Beane’s attempts to build a competitive baseball team with less-than-adequate funding. The movie is based on a 2003 book by Michael Lewis called Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, and the movie details Brand’s quantitative approach to winning baseball games.

So much of academic job interviews can be lost in what we do not learn. I have read so many job applications from great candidates who did not paint themselves in the best light due to not knowing conventions that career academics have known for years. However, instead of being shared in the classroom, so many of these things are made available through informal mentorship. This kind of mentorship is often missing from those who are historically underrepresented (minoritized communities in gender identity, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and disabled communities to just name a few) in academia.

You might wonder, “Where am I going with this?” I’ll get there. So many times, hopeful candidates have put their heart and soul into job applications only to receive a generic rejection email that doesn’t tell them anything constructive about their application. I realize that this part of the system is difficult to change because if you get into the weeds with this, questions emerge such as:

1) Whose job is it to give this feedback?

2) How much feedback do you give to each candidate?

3) Is it possible that such a provision would open up an additional can of worms that would be undesirable for HR departments to wade through?

4) Search committee chairs are already tasked with so much in addition to our usual duties (yes, I know that committee service is part of the deal)—is asking an additional thing like this (or in some cases, 200 additional things) too much?

5) Lastly but not least, the question of “Could we be sued for this?”

However, if you want to get a full time, tenure track job in academia, you have to know a few things. I’m hoping this series is enlightening and gives at least one person a better shot at getting their materials another look.

On to part one of the series — yes, because you’ve been so patient to make it this far! But first: back to Moneyball.

In Brand’s first meeting with Beane (that is, the stats guy’s first meeting with the General Manager), he states “Baseball thinking is medieval. They are asking all the wrong questions, and if I say it to anybody, I’m ostracized…”

There is a substantial parallel to what we’re first taught as job applicants. Many job seekers will say, “If I am qualified, I will get the job. The job will go to the most qualified candidate.” The actual truth of the matter is that universities are looking for candidates who best suit the needs of their institution, and with job applicants for a single tenure track position coming in at 100-200, the it is a so-called buyer’s market (in real estate terms). This means of course that due to a surplus of qualified applicants, institutions are left to be able to be incredibly selective. How, then, do you win a job? You speak to THEIR priorities.

Read. The. Job. Description.

Yes, based on the hundreds of applications I have evaluated, the bold, italics, and underlined text are all necessary.

I suppose that I could stop there, but instead of just pedantically screaming this at you like so many search committee chairs might, I want to shed some light on a few specific tips that will help you on your journey.

1) In order for you to maximize your chances of getting shortlisted, your application should speak to how you meet mandatory AND preferred qualifications. If you see the words “The ideal candidate will…” highlight them. In your initial reading of the job description, copy and paste the job description into a new document in the word processor of your choice (google docs, Microsoft word, etc.). Go through and highlight the qualifications with different colors for the ideal candidate (preferred qualifications) and required qualifications. Then, list all of the ways in which you can satisfy these requirements and work them into your documents.

2) Always consider the context of the school. The various types of institutions will tell you about what they prioritize. Investigate their website and see how they view themselves. You will see this through what they choose to share about their students, faculty, and community. In general, spending too much time discussing your research/scholarship/performance careers/publications in a letter for a liberal arts college or a teaching-focused R2-3 institution, is not generally advised unless it is significantly mentioned in the job description.

3) Note the application review date. If you submit your application after this date, it may still be reviewed, but for best consideration, submit well before the deadline and get into the habit of doing so.

4) Read for specific requirements for an application and make sure you meet them. If there are specific video requirements, such as one, unedited 20-30 minute rehearsal clip or 2-3 video recordings from conductor viewpoint, try to find time to make a submission that fits these requirements instead of re-using what you already have. Attention to detail matters.

I hope these tips are helpful to you. I know that these searches can seem daunting (on both sides of the table), and I hope that by providing these resources, I can ease at least a little of the anxiety that accompanies searching for these jobs. Remember; applying for academic jobs is Moneyball: the more you make the shortlist (get on base), the more potential you have to win the job.

For more information like this, feel free to contact me to work together on your job application materials.

I was recently a guest on the Musician’s Guide podcast if you’re interested in what else I have to say on this topic.