DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND RELATED LITERATURE

UNIVERSITY OF YORK

APPLYING FOR ACADEMIC JOBS IN THE UK

Dr. Helen Smith ()

Dr. Alison O’Byrne ()

Graduate Training Program, 2010

The academic job market for PhDs in English really is a buyer’s market. While there are still some people who are able to move swiftly from PhD to permanent job, it can take between 2 and 5 years to land a permanent job. The tips presented today are designed to maximize your chances, as well as offer some advice on how to continue developing your profile while on part-time, short-term, or between contracts.

When to apply:

It’s probably best to apply for things once you have a sense of when you’ll be done, so that you can give a clear sense of when you’ll be submitting/when your viva is (or is likely to be). Remember, you’ll be competing against applicants who have already finished their PhDs, and some institutions (depending on the kind of contract it is, and the stage you’re at if you’re not finished) might immediately put aside anyone who hasn’t already finished as a first step towards eliminating candidates.

Where to look for jobs:

The three main places for searching for jobs in the UK are

The Times Higher Education (

The Guardian (

Jobs.ac.uk ( This is the most comprehensive and easiest to search (though bear in mind that jobs.ac.uk lists jobs in English Literature under Languages, rather than Humanities; their job advice is not nearly as good as their listings).

Some websites can send email alerts for jobs in your field. If you sign up for these, it’s still worth checking the website from time to time. Email alerts are often sent a few days after the job is advertised, and – in cases with a late opening and a quick turnaround – this could mean losing out on time to put your application together.

Support from the department:

When beginning the job application process, it’s worth having someone look over your materials – approach your supervisor or Head of Research School for advice.

It’s also important to keep your supervisor and any other referees aware of the applications you send out in case they are approached to write a reference. Offer to send them a copy of the letter and your cv if they’re approached for a reference so that they can see how you’ve presented yourself in relation to the job description. A referee who has your materials is more able to tailor their letter to each specific job.

The application:

General points to bear in mind:

Convey enthusiasm and sell yourself. It’s an awkward and uncomfortable feeling, but remember that everyone else will be doing it.

Make as much use of the job description as possible to frame your letter of application.

Draw on the person specification and the ‘essential’ and ‘desirable’ attributes as far as possible, drawing on the language they use.

Maintain a clear distinction between letter and cv. Your letter shouldn’t merely talk the reader through the cv that they have in front of them. Be sure, for example, that your project description in your letter is different from the way it’s worded on your cv. Your cv will list the courses you’ve taught: don’t just repeat this information in the letter, but talk about the kinds of teaching you’ve done on these courses (lectures, seminars, tutorials), what texts you’ve taught, the fact that you’ve designed the seminar program yourself, what you’d like to teach if offered the job (how you present this will depend in part on how the job is described in the advertisement).

Present yourself as research active. It’s easy, once you’ve completed the PhD, to continue talking about research in terms of your dissertation or thesis. Doing this, however, means you risk slipping into using the past tense. Once you’re done the PhD, talk about your research in terms of a current book project. A small change, but it makes a huge difference.

Do your research. Have a look around the department’s webpage. Are there any research centres or clusters that you can speak to? Any ongoing research projects that connect with your work?

Try to get a good sense of what the institution wants, needs, and prioritizes. But don’t expect that a teaching-heavy institution isn’t interested in research (or that a research institution is unconcerned about teaching). One way to think about this is that a teaching-heavy institution will want to be sure that you’ve got a clear project and research plans that you can get on with, but will be more concerned to know that you can fit into its teaching culture and contribute widely to the courses it offers. A research institution will want some evidence that you have taught and can get on with it, but will be more concerned to know that you can fit into its research culture and can contribute widely to its research profile. It’s best not to think in terms of ‘downplaying’ one aspect of your profile for certain kinds of jobs, but instead to think about what they’re most interested in hearing about based on the person specification.

It is in the above areas that you will need to tinker/develop/rework for each application. The details of your experience and achievements will of course be the same, but how you package and present them will be different for each application.

The Letter:

Note: in some cases you’ll need a ‘personal statement’ in a space on an application form. This will cover what you would normally put in your letter.

If possible, address your letter to an individual – if no individual is named as the Chair of the search panel, then address it to the Head of Department or School (who will almost always have some role in the hiring process).

The content and structure of the letter will vary depending on the job and what you need to highlight. However, be sure your letter has a clear structure, and each paragraph has a clear role. The sample letters will give you a sense of how this works, but here are some general points to cover in separate paragraphs or sections:

Introduce yourself: Your opening should clearly state which job you’re applying for, who you are, and what you do. If you’re not yet finished your PhD, then you should state something like ‘I’m currently completing my PhD with the Department of English and Related Literature at York under the supervision of X, and expect to submit my dissertation in Y’. Once you’ve finished the PhD, you might say something like ‘I recently received my PhD/I received my PhD in 2008 from the University of York, and I am currently…[a part-time tutor/Temporary Lecturer in the School of English at X, etc]’.

Your research: The next paragraph should outline your research. This should give a sense of the kinds of debates it engages with, the works or authors it draws on, and sense of what’s distinctive about what you do. It is worth returning to this paragraph to revise and improve – ultimately, you want your research to sound exciting. One common criticism is that candidates often don’t provide a full or persuasive enough description of their research. Don’t go over-the-top, but remember your documents will be read by a panel, not all of whom will be in your field (or even your discipline).

While you’re still a PhD student, talk about what your PhD explores. When you’re finished, present this material as your current research or book project – it shows that it’s still active research with a clear publication goal in sight.

Your research doesn’t need to be confined to a single paragraph, but additional paragraphs should have a clear focus. You might (especially if you’ve spent quite a bit of time developing one for postdoc applications) spend some time talking about your next project. You might spend some time talking about aspects of your research that are published or forthcoming, or you might spend some time talking about publication plans (again, this shows you as research active). For example, you can talk about how you’re expanding or revising your dissertation for publication (and if you have a sense of where you plan to send it for consideration, mention that) or about a particular article you’re writing.

The person specification will also give you a few prompts. It might specify ‘A research record in a relevant specialism, which gives proof or reasonable expectation that the candidate is capable of producing research that attains international significance.’ You might mention as ‘evidence’ any papers presented at major international conferences. It might specify ‘An ability to secure external funding’ as a ‘desirable’ attribute. Mention any funding received – AHRC, any conference attendance grants, any library fellowships [more on this below]. You can also quote your PhD examiners’ reports as ‘evidence’ (though choose wisely: while at first glance a comment about how your work makes ‘an original contribution to the field’, remember that ‘original contribution’ is a requirement for a PhD!). If you apply for a British Academy postdoc, make the most of this: the project description can slide into your job application as a description of your next project/future research plans, and you can refer to your project’s grading by the British Academy (‘Although I did not receive funding for this research, my project received an A+ rating’).

Your teaching experience. Titles of courses taught will be on your cv. Here, in your letter, take the opportunity to develop a sense of the role you play in teaching those courses and what kind of teacher you are. Highlight the fact that you’ve had some input into the seminar programs on the courses you teach at York (rather than following a strict week by week outline designed by someone else). Emphasize the range of teaching formats (lecture, seminar, tutorial) that you have experience of, and emphasize the range of topics, genres, periods, etc. that you’ve taught. If you’ve taught Approaches, sell it – every university will have some form of first-year, first-term teaching, so spend some time explaining what Approaches does/what you achieve in your Approaches seminars, etc. Where possible, make a note of teaching outside of your research specialism as well as highlighting the ways in which your research informs your teaching.

Make the most of student feedback. Some jobs will state that they want ‘Evidence of delivering high-quality teaching’ and will use this to short-list candidates. This is a bit tricky to come by, as end of term feedback forms often lack detailed comments and are often more about the course as a whole. But make use of what you can – a comment about seminars containing ‘a good mix of genres’ can be quoted in your letter. Make a habit checking your student feedback for some good soundbites on your teaching. If they haven’t taken the time to write much about your seminar teaching, you could always email students and invite detailed feedback (if you feel comfortable). [I emailed a selection of students I had developed a rapport with, from different seminar groups, explaining that I was looking for student testimonials to include with job application materials – they were quick to respond, detailed with comments, and I was able to draw on them in some detail in my letters of application.]

Your CV:

Your cv should follow a fairly straightforward format: you’ll see differences in the set-up of the different examples offered in the packet, but the important thing is to be sure that you present what you have in a clear, concise manner, and be sure that your project description is differently worded than it is in your letter [panels want to see that you can talk about your project in a number of different ways]. Remember that for jobs in the UK you do not need to reduce your CV to two sides, though you should aim to be concise. Be ruthless in cutting out anything that is not directly relevant to your academic career. You should not include details of unrelated work experience, hobbies and interests, driving ability etc.

Some people include a ‘Works in Progress’ or an ‘Under Review’ section on their cv. It isn’t necessary to include this. Some panels will see this as an unnecessary attempt to present yourself as someone who’s publishing, others will see it as a legitimate stage in the publication process and worth noting. It may be more helpful to add a sentence or two about works in progress or under review in the letter rather than simply listing them on your cv. You might also consider separating articles and reviews by headings on your cv.

The sample letters and cvs provided by the department will give you a sense of the variety of formats these documents can take. They should provide helpful tips on format and structure, as well as offer a sense of what kinds of things you might include and how.

What happens next?:

The job advertisement should give you a time-frame – when interviews are likely to be held, when you might hear back from them. You’re unlikely to hear from them unless you’re shortlisted.

One thing that’s worth doing while you’re compiling your application materials is to try to imagine the work the panels need to do. They’re looking for a new colleague who will need to take on specific responsibilities – have you shown that you can undertake them? They’re looking to draw up a shortlist from a pile of applications – have you presented yourself as enthusiastic and exciting?

The Job Interview:

If you’re invited for interview, you’ll be contacted with specific instructions.

Writing samples:

You may be asked for a writing sample – and you may be given a specific word length. It’s worth having something in mind, as you’ll need to send this off quickly. Spend a moment in a covering letter or an email (if asked to submit it this way) introducing the piece – explain that it’s part of a larger chapter on X, it’s an article currently under review at Y, it’s part of a new project on Z.

You may be instructed not to send something that is already in print. Even if you aren’t specifically instructed not to, it’s worth sending something that’s not yet in print (something that’s forthcoming would be fine). A panel’s point of view may be that they can access this article already, and want you to send something newer.

Stick to the brief: if they’ve asked for a sample of about 6,000 words and you send a sample of 10,000 words, you won’t be doing yourself any favours!

The presentation:

You’ll also be given instructions relating to the job presentation. This can take a number of different formats, and it’s important to develop a clear sense of what’s expected of you (and why!) and work from there. Each type of presentation is different, and when in doubt, be sure to clarify what it is they’re looking for. And remember to speak to the brief. Don’t go off piste, and spend half of a presentation on teaching talking about your research project. If there’s a connection between research and teaching, mention it, but be sure to focus on what they want to hear about.

With any presentation, remember to sign-post to make it easier for listeners to clearly follow along. Handouts and other aids are always a good idea. If you use something like powerpoint, make sure it’s pertinent and interesting rather than a series of bullet points, and prepare your presentation in such a way that if for some reason the technology fails on the day, you can carry on regardless.

It’s also important to remember that not everyone in the audience will have seen your application. It’s often the case that only the panel members have seen your materials. Be sure to introduce your material with some context so that those who aren’t on the panel can get a sense of where you’re coming from.

Remember that you are being judged not just on the intellectual content of your presentation, but on a number of other factors: most importantly, how you address an audience (can they imagine you as a good teacher?) and whether or not you seem likely to be a pleasant colleague. It’s a good idea not to risk actual jokes, but good humour, and an ability to deal with questions and challenges graciously, even if you are disagreeing with someone, will be well received.

The most common types of presentation formats are as follows:

Project overview. This is another version of the description of your project, but over the course of 15-20 minutes or so. The important thing is to present a balance between the general and the particular, and give a sense of how your research is situated within your field. The structure is up to you, and depends on the kind of research you do. If there’s a different methodology or approach to each chapter, you might want to talk about each chapter, but try to avoid a plodding ‘chapter one looks at X, chapter two looks at Y’ approach. Thematic connections would be another way to divide your work up into ‘aspects’ and ‘concerns’. If you have a theoretical framework and methodology that carries through, with each chapter exploring a different text or texts as ‘case studies’, then spend some time talking about your theoretical framework and its significance (for about a third of the presentation) and then move on to one ‘case’ as an example of how this works. Where possible, you might end with a couple of sentences about a next project, and its relationship to your current research.