A survey-based analysis of the academic job market

Abstract

Many postdoctoral researchers apply for faculty positions knowing relatively little about the hiring process or what is needed to secure a job offer. To address this lack of knowledge about the hiring process we conducted a survey of applicants for faculty positions: the survey ran between May 2018 and May 2019, and received 317 responses. We analyzed the responses to explore the interplay between various scholarly metrics and hiring outcomes. We concluded that, above a certain threshold, the benchmarks traditionally used to measure research success – including funding, number of publications or journals published in – were unable to completely differentiate applicants with and without job offers. Respondents also reported that the hiring process was unnecessarily stressful, time-consuming, and lacking in feedback, irrespective of outcome. Our findings suggest that there is considerable scope to improve the transparency of the hiring process.

Preprints: Their Evolving Role in Science Communication

“…An additional important element of research assessment relates to hiring and promotion processes. While the processes at individual universities and research institutions vary, both in approach and on the level of public information available (Fernandes et al, 2020) , there are examples of institutions that have stated support for the use of preprints as evidence of productivity. The University of California Davis (US) has announced to faculty the addition of a "preprints" category in the online faculty achievements database, and the Dean of UFRGS Research (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) has encouraged the use of preprints and their inclusion in projects, work plans, and activity reports.…”

“…Preprints can also influence hiring decisions in the absence of formal policies. In a survey of job applications among early career researchers (270 applicants, with a majority of US representation), most of whom (85%) were working in the life sciences, 55% of respondents had posted at least one preprint and 40% had an active preprint not yet published in a journal at the time of the faculty job application (Fernandes et al, 2020) . Several respondents mentioned that preprints were helpful in their job search as proof of productivity before journal publication.…”

Making Job Postings More Equitable: Evidence Based Recommendations from an Analysis of Data Professionals Job Postings Between 2013-2018

“…Additionally, individual universities have incorporated these principles into many facets of the institution, such as the University of Michigan's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Certificate (n.d.) for graduate students and the University of California Berkeley's (2018) strategic plan. However, one area that has received less attention from the DEI&A perspective is the job search process in academia, which is opaque and favors those on the inside (Fernandes et al, 2020).…”

Towards inclusive funding practices for early career researchers

“…The ability to obtain funding can have a significant impact on the career progression of early career researchers (ECRs) in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM) fields (Wright 2017;Pickett 2019; van den Besselaar and Sandström 2015). The path to an independent position is difficult for several reasons, including lengthy training time, job market saturation, and lack of sustained funding (Polka et al 2017;Faupel-Badger 2017;Fernandes et al 2020). Obtaining research funding demonstrates the researchers' capacity for designing an independent project and building a research focus (Callier and Polka 2015).…”

“…Obtaining research funding demonstrates the researchers' capacity for designing an independent project and building a research focus (Callier and Polka 2015). While independent funding is not a prerequisite for attaining a faculty position, there is an increasing trend that having previously secured funding is an advantage in STEMM (Pickett 2019;Fernandes et al 2020). Furthermore, there has been a steady rise in the age at which investigators receive their first funding, and a decades-long decline in total research funding worldwide (Daniels 2015).…”