Editor's note, from Kelly Cherwin, director of editorial strategy:
As we reflect on 2025, we at HigherEdJobs were interested in what resonated across the higher ed community. What you as a higher education professionals chose to read, listen to, and spend time with throughout the year offers a meaningful glimpse into the questions you may be navigating about careers, leadership, belonging, communication, or just how to keep moving forward in a complex field.
The stories, interviews, podcasts, and other conversations highlighted here reflect a community thoughtfully exploring the future of academia, and we are proud to contribute to the conversation. For us, success isn't measured by clicks alone. It's about the impact our work has on your professional journey. As we head into 2026, we hope these themes continue to spark reflection, connection, and thoughtful momentum for the year ahead.
What Resonated Most With Readers?
This year's most-read pieces shared a common thread. They met higher ed professionals in the middle of uncertainty. Whether readers were navigating a delayed job search, managing interview nerves, or working through the interpersonal realities of leadership, these articles resonated because they acknowledged how complicated career decisions can feel. Instead of promising easy answers, they made space for reflection and helped readers feel less alone in moments that often go unspoken, which is why these stories continued to draw interest throughout the year.
This article shows how asking the right question at the end of an interview can leave a strong impression on a search committee. It focuses on one standout question ("What does it take to be a good colleague in your department?") and explains how it signals collaboration, cultural awareness, and genuine interest. The piece also helps candidates understand how this question can reveal departmental values while avoiding common missteps that can hurt their candidacy.
This Ask the Expert article builds on a podcast episode about spotting red flags during interviews. It highlights how small details, such as unclear answers or inconsistent communication, can point to broader concerns about culture and expectations. The piece reinforces that interviews are a two-way process and urges candidates to listen closely to what employers communicate.
Written from the perspective of a vice president of student financial aid services, this article challenges outdated perceptions of financial aid offices. It argues that the work is far more relational and student-centered than the name suggests, and shows how language, culture, and communication can reshape access, and student success.
Most-Read Across Social Channels
There were also articles that rose to the top on our socials, where readers were especially drawn to advice that they could quickly apply or share with their networks. These highly clicked pieces reflected strong interest in job search strategy, workplace culture, and leadership perspectives.
An uncomfortable interview can linger for years, especially when it leaves you questioning your own readiness or worth. This article uses one such experience to examine how interview behavior reveals an organization's true culture, not just its hiring standards. By unpacking red flags, power dynamics, and moments of inappropriate questioning, it encourages job seekers to see difficult interviews as valuable information rather than personal setbacks.
Few careers in higher education come with a clear map, and this piece leans into that uncertainty as a defining feature of the profession. An instructional designer, faculty member, and education researcher Jordan O'Connell reflects on a career shaped by repeatedly saying yes to new roles, responsibilities, and institutional challenges. The article demonstrates how adaptability, and a willingness to grow through ambiguity, can sustain a long-term commitment to higher education and its mission.
Leadership lessons are rarely learned in theory, and this article draws instead from decades of lived experience inside higher education. Written as a reflective look back at a long career, it contrasts effective and ineffective leadership through real moments involving communication, conflict, change, performance management, and overall trust. The article emphasizes that strong leadership is rooted in direct communication, empathy, accountability, and a willingness to engage with discomfort.
The HigherEdJobs Podcast: Podcasts That Sparked Reflection
This year, the most listened to episodes covered a wide range of topics, including career advancement, leadership transitions, professional development, and student support, with recurring conversations focusing on military-affiliated students, empathy in practice, and navigating change with care.
This episode explores how higher education professionals can keep moving forward without burning out. Centered on the idea of "good enough for now," the conversation focuses on finding sustainable momentum, recognizing when adaptability becomes overload, and allowing space to pause without losing direction. The discussion offers practical guidance for early and mid-career professionals looking to grow with intention while navigating competing demands.
Decisions about disclosure and authenticity are rarely straightforward, especially in professional spaces shaped by unspoken expectations. Through a candid conversation about workplace culture, it explores how identity shapes career decisions and belonging. The discussion also explores the power of storytelling and advocacy in reframing disability as an asset rather than a limitation.
Job searching is often framed as something to endure, not enjoy. This episode asks a different question: whether joy has a place in the process at all. Through a conversation tied to an article of the same name, coping strategies for managing stress, discouragement, and uncertainty during a search are explored. The discussion offers a more compassionate lens on job searching, reminding listeners that momentum and well-being do not have to be at odds.
Career Questions That Mattered Most in 2025
Hiring insights, interview tips, and finding a good fit were the most sought after topics for higher education professionals throughout the year.
In this Ask the Expert article, expert Christopher D. Lee addresses a common concern among job seekers: managing interview anxiety. He reframes nervousness as a natural response to high-stakes interviews and emphasizes preparation as the most effective way to build confidence. Drawing on insights from leadership, psychology, and hiring practice, Lee discusses how research, rehearsal, and mindfulness can help candidates channel nervous energy productively.
Many higher ed professionals eventually face the moment where they realize that advancement may require leaving an institution they know well and care deeply about. Drawing from long-term leadership experience, the piece walks readers through how to think critically about next steps, from geographic flexibility and institutional type to role scope and cultural fit. It emphasizes that upward movement is not just about titles, but about alignment, readiness for responsibility, and choosing opportunities where both the work and the institution truly fit.
Job searching is often framed around finding a single, ideal "dream job." This episode takes a broader view, examining how that definition shifts over time, particularly for seasoned professionals. Through a conversation with Mac Pritchard, the discussion explores clarity, evolving priorities, and the realities of navigating experience, age, and expectations in today's hiring landscape. The episode offers a thoughtful, practical lens on job searching, reminding listeners that alignment and sustainability matter more than chasing a fixed ideal.
Continuing the Conversation in 2026
Looking at the content that resonated most this year offers a reminder that we, as higher education professionals, are not navigating this change alone. We hope this collection provides perspective, encouragement, and helps you feel supported as you think about what comes next in your work and career.
