Preparing and Applying for a Teaching-Focused Faculty Position

Abstract

With a dose of humor, the author of this chapter chronicles her journey as she searched for a full-time faculty position at local and national colleges and universities after receiving her PhD in community psychology. The search provided excellent first-hand experience that the author shares with readers and includes information about the process, highlighting concrete tools that are needed to be successful. She covers the importance of creating an effective curriculum vitae, teaching statement, and cover letter to land your first interview; how to be more tech savvy, mastering interviews via video conferencing software, such as Skype and Google Hang-Out; and why it is essential to get input on the highly important job talk from prospective academic colleagues. This chapter delivers a sense of the climate and process of entering the higher education market, while leaving the reader with hope for securing that sought-after faculty position.