Although the theme of the evening was networking, Maggie began with some general comments about postacademic careers. Much of what she said in her introductory remarks can be found in "The Bible" (and actually a lot of the networking advice can be found there as well) but it is worth repeating some of what she said here. She explained that she and Sue invented the term “postacademic” because “non-academic” seemed pejorative and implied that there were only two options -- either one succeeded in academia or one failed to make it to TT Promise Land. Instead, she explained that the term "postacademic" opens up the possibility for multiple paths and can be framed as a proactive choice rather than an unfortunate fate. Of course, getting those within the academy to use this term and accept it as a positive outcome will take time.
Maggie reviewed some of the critical "Don'ts" for academics and grad students pursuing postacademic careers:
Don’t assume that your credentials speak for themselves – In academia, credentials speak for themselves (e.g. on the CV), but outside of this bubble, credentials can’t carry the burden of proof for you – you have to make your own case
Don’t mistake a CV for a resume -- CVs speak in precise terms while resumes speak in generalities -- no one cares what you taught; they only care that you taught and it's up to you to explain what skills you gained from this experience that might be valuable to a potential employer
Don’t overlook your outside interests – these can be the things that get you a job. Maggie provided the example of a woman whose experience leading summer backpacking trips got her a job because it showed that she could be a team player. Many employers assume that grad students/academics can’t work/play with others, so this outside interest proved to be the thing that put this particular candidate over the top. And then there is the woman who wrote a dissertation on representations of midwives in medieval France who now works as a midwife (or something to that effect – it’s in “The Bible”) – she never dreamed that things would work out that way! You just never know.
Don’t assume that your dissertation is your biggest accomplishment. It’s a big accomplishment to be sure, but you have many skills that employers are looking for – believe it or not, the ability to research complex material is a really valuable skill that comes naturally (perhaps after many years of training) to us!
Maggie then moved on to the main topic for the evening -- networking. If your initial reaction to this is "yuck," then you're not alone. Maggie has given dozens of talks on networking and said that nobody likes it -- well, there's one in every crowd who does (and indeed there was one these freaks in our crowd last night), but mostly everyone hates it. So don't worry if you hate it. But, sadly, just because you hate it doesn't get you out of doing it. We all have to do it. And we have to do it all the time -- even after we get that elusive job -- because networking takes time (lots of it!) and you never know what you'll (want to) be doing next. So get started now and expect a long, long road. Maggie explained that she and Sue both are in jobs that resulted from two years of networking. [Leadfoot editorial interruption: WHOA.]
That's right, it was two years from the time they made initial contact to the time they started in their respective jobs. So, patience and persistence are key.
Fortunately, Maggie offered concrete tips for making this networking business happen (really, would we expect anything less from her?). Her "tips for making networking less excruciating" (which is not to say enjoyable) began with researching your ideal job -- we've all heard this before, but it is important to understand the company or organization you want to work for and the kind of job you would like to have with them. The best way to learn about this is to...network!
Look up as many contacts as you can find who may be related to this job, even tangentially. Even the slightest connection could lead you to that critical contact (perhaps several contacts down the line), so cast your net widely.
Check alumni databases for possible connections within the company, the industry, the region, etc. As Leadfood has indicated, people really do want to help us, and looking to fellow alums is a really safe place to start.
Find staff names on pages of target companies/organizations and Google them. Look for any kind of common interest/link. For example, if they have a PhD, then you can ask them about making the transition to a postacademic career. Or, maybe you find that they just completed a marathon and you can mention that you share an interest in running. Find any kind of common interest and use that as an entry point.
Once you have found contacts, you should send them a brief email to introduce yourself and request an informational interview (see Leadfoot's excellent entries on these!). In the email:
Make sure to cite your common interest
Ask two questions
Ask if they would be willing to meet with you briefly to talk about how to “break into the field.” Using this phrase assures the reader that you are not asking for a job – you’re researching the field.
The other question may have something to do with asking about training programs that might give you an edge, or more specific questions things relating to your career change in that particular field/organization.
Once again: Don’t ask how to get a job there, and be sure to avoid other questions that are equally ridiculous and inappropriate. (These inappropriate questions should be pretty obvious, but if they are not, then I recommend that you consult "The Bible" (esp. 85-87).)
If you don’t get a reply within a week, then Maggie suggests that you send your message again. Your message might have gotten lost in a flooded inbox and the second email will serve as a reminder. If you don’t get a response to the second email, then you should probably let that contact go.
After your informational interview, be sure to send a thank-you note in which you tell them your next step and ask if you can touch base with them again in a couple of months. Because it is critical that you stay on their radar! This sounds to me a bit like professional nagging, but you have to check in now and then and let them know that you’re still interested. How to do this?
Keep them up to date on changes in your life. Avoid anything too personal, obviously, but notify them of a new email address or contact info, or let them know that you have completed that training program they recommended.
Pass along articles/links that you feel might be useful to them. This lets them know that you are really interested in the field and shows that you would be an asset to the organization.
It is important to be persistent but polite. Try to find a way to contact them every three months or so. Maggie explained that Sue did this with a woman who held her current job (an organization called Arts and Sciences in Baltimore). She kept sending notes and articles to the woman to stay on her radar and eventually she got a call from her saying that she was moving to Chicago and that she thought Sue would be the perfect person to fill her position. This would not have happened if Sue had stopped after the initial thank-you note; it was her persistence that paid off.
To help stay in touch, an audience member also suggested creating a Google/Yahoo alert for your contacts (along with a possible junk email account specifically for such alerts [Editorial interruption: here's how to set up an RSS feed]) to keep track of what they are up to. I'm a little unsure about this because it borders on creepy-stalker behavior, but I see how it could help give you something to talk about when you check in every three months. For example, if you learn that they had given a talk or presentation somewhere, then you might mention that in your email. (I’ll leave it up to you to decide where the line is between creepy-stalker and devoted-professional.)
To help get started with networking, Maggie recommended the book Making A Literary Life, by Carolyn See. This book is intended for writers, but Maggie finds the idea of sending “gracious notes” to be a useful exercise in learning how to write networking emails. She suggested that we send three “gracious notes” (i.e. fan letters) to people who truly inspire us. This can be anyone! It could be the person who designed that little gadget for your mountain bike that has completely changed your life, your favorite author, the maker of your favorite microbrew – anybody! The idea is that if you choose someone who truly inspires you, then you will be able to express sincere enthusiasm. And this will help you when you’re drafting those networking emails. These “gracious notes” should be brief – only three sentences (why you’re writing, what inspires you, and end by asking what they’re doing next). And maybe you’ll get a response, which is nice, but that’s not really the point. The point is to get used to the idea of writing these kinds of gracious notes. And, you might even learn something about yourself and your interests – pay attention to who you are writing to and the common threads/themes that they share. If you write 20 of these, then you’ll start to see commonalities and begin to zero in on what you are truly interested in.
Maggie’s networking bottom lines:
It’s slow – don’t expect success in the immediate term – expect it to take two years before you start to see results
Create possibilities – the burden is on you
Don’t try to figure it out all at once – making the transition to postacademic life is a long and emotional process, so allow yourself time to work through this
Networking is contagious – connections naturally breed connections (but don’t be afraid to ask for connections!)
You are not likely to find a job in the classifieds (this includes everything from the back page of the Washington Post to Monster.com) – the unfortunate reality is that your job will come from networking
In the end, Maggie emphasized that getting that first postacademic job is the best thing you can do to find the perfect postacademic job for you. She encouraged us to be open to taking a job that is just an ok-job because it will give you experience that will make it so no one ever questions your (academic) background again. This will make it easier for you to move on to other jobs – and eventually to that perfect job (well, until the next perfect job comes along). And, having experience doing an ok-job will also help you focus and figure out what you do and don’t like to do. After all, what does a “consultant” actually do, anyway?? You can’t know until you’ve tried it. Maybe you’ll like it; maybe you won’t – just get in there and try it.
And don’t be afraid to start low and work your way up quickly. Maggie acknowledged that this is controversial advice, but she and Sue stand by it because they feel that it is better to do this than to go in overqualified. If you start low, then people will generally be nicer and more helpful to you as you learn a new job/field than they will if you go in at a higher level where people will expect you to be the expert already [Final editorial interruption: Leadfoot concurs with this advice based on her limited real world work experience]. But keep in mind that you may have to really convince an employer that you want to start low and work your way up, because many will assume that you are overqualified. However, this doesn’t mean that you should remove your PhD from your resume to get a job for which you might be slightly overqualified because you won’t want to work for a company that does not value your PhD. Your employer should value your PhD, even if it doesn’t translate to more money for you.
No comments:
Post a Comment