Strategic Success: Mastering the SLAC Job Market in a Transforming Educational Landscape
In today’s rapidly evolving academic environment, landing a position at a Small Liberal Arts College (SLAC) requires more than impeccable academic credentials; it demands a strategy that is meticulously tailored and demonstrates a solid understanding of what a tenure-track job at a SLAC concretely entails. This talk serves as a compass for PhD students eager to navigate the complexities of the SLAC job market, providing an in-depth look at the attributes that hiring committees seek. In this talk, not only will I share how I secured four tenure-track offers in this year's competitive job market, but I will also draw on my experience serving on hiring committees for positions in French, Spanish, Arabic, and German.
We will delve into the essential distinctions between SLACs and R1 universities when it comes to the job market, underscoring the need that candidates demonstrate a concrete plan for high demand teaching and service jobs, while maintaining a publishing agenda. You will learn why projecting a clear scholarly identity beyond your PhD, rather than dwelling on your graduate research, is paramount. Participants will gain insights on what they can do in the years prior to entering the job market to ensure their future success, as well as the specific questions that arise during Skype interviews, the importance of distinguishing your job talk from your dissertation defense, and the impact of crafting a persuasive 5-minute chalk talk, even as a humanities scholar. The talk will guide you through strategies to sidestep common traps that impede success and go over strategies to answer hard-hitting questions from the hiring committee. Special attention will be given to each step of the job market cycle and how to tailor your candidacy to the new challenges arising on today’s job market.
