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Career Articles

We here at HigherEdJobs appreciate the efforts it takes to be successful in your job search. We have compiled some original and/or exclusive articles below that we feel will be practical and inspirational during this process. As always, we appreciate the privilege of helping you achieve your goals.

  • New!   Molding Glass and an Academic Career - HigherEd Careers Interview, May 2013   
    by Andrew Hibel
    Sculpting glass can be similar to molding a career as an art professor. It takes time, dedication, creativity, patience and, of course, special techniques both in the classroom and the studio in order to be successful. Professor Chad Holliday, this month's HigherEd Careers Interview guest, discusses his passions of being a professional artist as well as teaching art and spreading awareness to our colleges and local communities.
  • To College or Not to College - Author In Residence, May 2013
    by Bill Smoot
    Across the country, a lively debate about the value of college has been gathering steam. Long a staple of the American dream, a college education has become the target of skeptical questioning, an inquiry invigorated by rising college costs and faltering job prospects...
  • Write Your Own Ticket to Success - Career Tools Article, May 2013
    by Peter Weddle
    More often than not, the first impression you make with a recruiter is in writing. So, if you want to stand out like a dream candidate, write like one.
  • From Outer Space to Cyberspace: The Astronaut Turned Online Academic Dean - HigherEd Careers Interview, April 2013   
    by Andrew Hibel
    Dr. James Reilly has traveled to many different places - Antarctica, the deep ocean waters and even into space as an astronaut with NASA. However, his most recent expedition has led him to the position of associate vice president of strategic relations, STEM programs, for American Public University System, where he previously served as dean of the school of science and technology. Dr. Reilly shares his interesting background, discusses the world of online learning, as well as offers inspirational words and career advice for all to consider.
  • How to "Draft" your Message for a Second Interview - Career Tools Article, April 2013
    by Justin Zackal
    This month culminates one of the most extensive job interview processes in professional sports when college football players are selected by new employers in the 2013 NFL Draft April 25-27. Teams are permitted to bring 30 players to their facilities for official visits before the draft, this nearly two months after players are measured and interviewed by teams at the annual NFL Scouting Combine.
  • Who Are You Again? - Career Tools Article, April 2013
    by Peter Weddle
    We humans are increasingly unable to remember the past. For job seekers, that means we must be as proactive about staying remembered as we are about being memorable. We must hold onto employers' and recruiters' memories as well as stand out in their minds...
  • Secrets to Navigating Campus Politics - Career Tools Article, April 2013
    by Justin Zackal
    What are new professionals lacking when they enter careers in higher education? That question was asked last month at the NASPA Annual Conference in Orlando during a session called "What Does It Mean to be a New Professional?" The answer most often given by speakers at the annual gathering of student affairs administrators in higher education is something that all professionals in academia should observe.
  • Expertise and Meta-Lessons: Two Elements of Great Teaching - Author In Residence, April 2013
    by Bill Smoot
    I have always hated that H. L. Mencken quote-become-a-cliché, "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach." What galls me is not just its cavalier anti-intellectualism and mindless denigration of teachers, but the fact that it is a lie.

    Indeed, when I traveled the country interviewing great teachers, I found that behind so many great teachers there lies a great doer.
  • Don't Be a Job Seeker, Be a Person of Talent - Career Tools Article, March 2013
    by Peter Weddle
    Employers address you that way on their corporate sites. Recruiters use the very same term to describe applicants for their openings. But, you should never ever accept the label. Don't let anyone categorize you as a "job seeker." Compel them to see you as a "person of talent" instead.
  • Do You Lose the Education of Athletes in the Madness of March? - HigherEd Careers Interview, March 2013   
    by Andrew Hibel
    How is a successful balance between academics and athletics reached on campus? Our guest this month, Beth Goode, senior associate athletic director and senior woman administrator at Stanford, explains how her university focuses on developing a student-athlete as an overall person, which means cultivating and strengthening values to succeed both in the classroom and in the student-athlete's chosen sport. She also shares the ins and outs of working in the highly competitive, but exciting field of intercollegiate athletics.
  • Median Salary Up Two Percent for Higher Education Professionals - Career Tools Article, March 2013
    by Justin Zackal
    Salaries are up again for mid-level administrators in higher education. This is according to data released today, March 25, by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR).
  • Fifty Faculty and Administrators Named to ACE's Fellows Program - Career Tools Article, March 2013
    by Justin Zackal
    With higher education changing more rapidly than experts could imagine, it's important that great leaders emerge. But how do you identify them?

    The American Council on Education (ACE) has identified leaders through its ACE Fellows Program. This program, the longest running leadership development program in the United States, will add 50 new members with the announcement of the ACE Fellows Program 2013-14 class.
  • Odds Are Ever in Candidates' Favor at The Placement Exchange - Career Tools Article, March 2013
    by Justin Zackal
    The front line of student affairs employee recruitment is certainly at The Placement Exchange. But this is no battlefield, despite The Hunger Games comparison that candidates often use as more of a term of endearment rather than a fear-induced hyperbole.
  • How to Foster Motivation in an Academic Workplace - Career Tools Article, March 2013
    by Kelly A. Cherwin
    You can't make a horse drink but you can put some salt in its oats to make it thirsty as an old saying goes. The topic of motivation in the workplace is an interesting one. The truth is, motivation is something that is an inside-out individual responsibility.
  • Salary Increases for Tenured Faculty at Private Institutions Outpaced Public Institutions in 2012 - Career Tools Article, March 2013
    by Justin Zackal
    Salary increases for tenured and tenure-track faculty in 2012 matched the rate of inflation in 2012, but those working at private institutions fared better than the inflation rate compared to their colleagues at public schools whose pay increases failed to keep pace.
  • Are You a Reacher or a Settler? - Career Tools Article, March 2013
    by Justin Zackal
    Let's face it, pursuing perfection in the job search is often an exercise in futility. As a job seeker, you may find the perfect job but the employer may deem your qualifications above or below its line of perfection. The same goes for an employer who pinpoints the ideal candidate who doesn't reciprocate the same certainty.
  • Passion and Awareness: What Great Teachers Have in Common - Author In Residence, February 2013
    by Bill Smoot
    Justice Potter Stewart famously said that while he could not define pornography, "I know it when I see it." Great teaching may be like that. After interviewing 51 great teachers across the country for my book Conversations with Great Teachers (Indiana University Press), I still could not formulate a definition. I could, however, see common qualities.
  • How to Compete with Employed Job Seekers - Career Tools Article, February 2013
    by Peter Weddle
    It's hard enough to land a good job in today's sputtering economy, but now it's going to get even harder. More and more people who already have a job have started to enter the job market. They're amping up the competition and creating a new challenge for those who are out of work: how do you compete with employed job seekers?
  • Higher Education Job Growth Outpaced By Overall U.S. Employment - Career Tools Article, February 2013
    by Justin Zackal
    The number of jobs in higher education grew during the fourth quarter of 2012, but was outpaced by growth of all U.S. jobs. The number of advertisements for job openings in higher education also continued to grow, but at a moderating pace in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to a new report from HigherEdJobs, the leading source for jobs and career information in academia.
  • What We Can All Learn About Careers From Female Leadership in Academe - HigherEd Careers Interview, February 2013   
    by Andrew Hibel
    When we started HigherEd Careers interviews years ago, we aspired to find experts who can help members of our community reflect, shape and act on their career plans. This month we are proud to share one of our most inspirational and practical interviews featuring leadership and ethics professor Susan Madsen of Utah Valley University. Her insights provide a detailed current look at women in higher education leadership as well as the characteristics of women leaders.
  • Should colleges be judged by job success?  External Article - Career Tools Article, February 2013
    Should the amount of funding for a public university be based on how many graduates get jobs? There is much controversy surrounding this question. Some think that colleges and universities should focus only on job specific skills. Others stress the importance of critical thinkers who have learned life skills along with a liberal arts education. Who is right?
  • Five Reflections for the Skyping Employer - Career Tools Article, February 2013
    by Matt Trainum
    There are few items as crucial to a successful organization as hiring the right people. The proper talent assembled around the table can make or break any effort. And organizations would be foolish not to deploy a range of helpful tactics in their efforts to bring on the best people possible. Hence the increasing prevalence of video-call interviews (i.e., Skype interviews) for everything from interns to vice presidents.
  • 10 Best Practices for a Higher Education Job Search - Career Tools Article, February 2013
    by Kelly A. Cherwin
    At the Modern Language Association (MLA) Annual Convention held last month in Boston, panel members discussed their thoughts on some things that can help (and hurt) a higher education job search. Although some topics relate specifically to a faculty search, many of the ideas discussed in this piece are broad enough that can easily be transferred into most positions and can be helpful as one explores the territory of a career search.
  • It's the Teachers, Stupid - Author In Residence, January 2013
    by Bill Smoot
    Several years ago I set out on a quest to find and interview a number of great teachers across America. One of these was a fencing teacher who had recently retired at the age of 90. During our interview he asked me to pick up a fencing foil, and then he put both his hands around mine to adjust my grip. The new way of holding the foil did feel better. When he removed his hands, I had the strange sensation that I could still feel his touch. I thought back on that moment often, and it became a metaphor for what I came to understand as the acid test of teaching: success lies in what lingers, what lasts, how the student is forever changed by the experience.
  • New Student Programs: A Look Inside Orientation, Transition and Retention Programs - HigherEd Careers Interview, January 2013   
    by Andrew Hibel
    There are many factors that help a new student flourish when arriving on campus and remain prosperous once there. New student programs aid in the successful transition for students who are eager to start their new experience and continue successfully through their college journey. Dr. Cynthia Hernandez of Texas A&M University discusses what makes these programs effective as well as the roles that students, parents, administrators and faculty all play in the transition to college.