In a new series of columns, alums of USC Annenberg share stories of their time at the school, discuss their career, and offer advice to students.
Dedicated to Everyone Who Helped Me Do It
(1) Join and peruse LinkedIn. University groups are new, but all groups are useful. Announce your intentions on a myriad of social media. Invite people to join your quest.
(2) Higheredjobs.com for the specifics, Indeed.com for general job ideas. What are the job requirements for your ideal position? Start collecting those credentials.
(3) Live networking. Go around an academic conference or event and talk story about your funny experiences rather than tell people you looking for a job. After the event, contact the people you met.
(4) Continuing education and other classes, particularly ones offered by younger professors. Take these classes live if possible, and leave with business cards.
(5) Research and writing. Pick the low-hanging fruit at first by writing a blog or posting articles in your area of expertise or academic interest. Look at oft-cited articles to see what works in academia.
(6) Look for educational opportunities in your current job. Can you teach something that you already know how to do? If there is a speaker series, offer to speak or moderate. If there isn’t one, start one. Bring snacks for live meetings and record webinars for future listening to expand your potential audience.
(7) Speaking. Can you reach beyond your current job to speak to trade associations, schools, or other academic institutions? Make yourself known as a guest lecturer on a particular topic or industry.
(8) Volunteer. Offer your existing expertise and newly-hatched speaking skills to an academic institution, or be on a board for an academic institution.
(9) Get job ads emailed to you: Indeed and Google alerts, corporate websites, alumni associations, and government entities will send you job ads based on search terms.
(10) Apply for academic or non-academic jobs at schools or corporations. Spread your net wide and re-do/tailor your resume for each job. Get interview experience and learn about departments, projects, institutes, and research groups at each institution. Do contract or temporary work teaching and lecturing.
(11) Revaluate your progress. After your first teaching or consulting gig in academia, look at your evaluations and see how you can improve your performance.
