The UF English Department is committed to providing all of our graduate students with the mentoring and support they need in order to prepare themselves for a successful job search. Throughout the fall and spring semesters, faculty lead workshops on preparing job application materials and on exploring careers open to grads with advanced degrees in English. We also conduct mock interviews and practice job talks and offer support and advice on all aspects of the job search process.
A list of the positions our graduates now hold is available here: Recent PhD Student Placements.
Sample job application materials from recent UF English graduates are available here (UF password required): Marketwise Sample Materials.
Useful Links
General
General resources about career exploration, job search skills, job market insights, and advice for job seekers.
- UF Career Connections Center
- UF Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere: Graduate Humanities Engagement
- UF Graduate School Career Advancement
- MLA Career Resource Portal
- MLA Checklist for Job Seekers
- MLA Connected Academics
- ImaginePhD
- Beyond the Professoriate
- Dr. Sarah Goldberg, Preparing for Life Outside the Academy: A Primer and Resource Guide
- Academic Job Placement Basics (UF English Dept.)
Academic Job Listings
Traditional platforms where you can search for job opportunities. Many of them allow you to sign up to receive notices for jobs in your field.
- MLA Job List
- The Chronicle of Higher Education
HigheredJobs.com
Inside HigherEd
Academic Job Wiki
H-Net
Community Colleges often advertise in local and regional papers. If you are looking for a position in a community college and have a desired location, look at the Human Resources page of the community colleges in that area as these will list all positions.
Preparing Documents: Letters of Recommendation
Julie Platt, “Dos and Don’ts for the Academic Job Search: Letters of Recommendation”
Alternative Academic Career Resources
Resources for alt-ac careers in humanities beyond traditional faculty positions.
- Beyond the Professoriate
- U of Miami: Alt-Ac Resources
- American Studies Association: Alt-Ac Career Resources
- Cornell University: Careers Beyond Academia – Humanities
Preparing Documents: Curricula Vitae
- Curriculum Vitae (CV) Guide – UF
- Curriculum Vitae (CV) Samples – UF
- Academic Job Search: Curriculum Vitae (University of Washington)
- Teresa Mangum “Composing the CV”
Preparing Documents: Cover Letter
- Cover Letter Guide – UF
- Cover Letter Samples – UF
- Cover letters for faculty job applications (UPenn)
- Academic Cover Letters (UNC-Chapel Hill)
- Alain-Philippe Durand, “Keys to the Cover Letter”
- Katharine E. Stewart, “Don’t Blow Your Cover Letter”
- Rachel Herrmann, “On cover letters and applications to UK universities”
Preparing Documents: Research Statement and Writing Sample
- Graduate Student Guide to Teaching and Research Statements – UF
- Research Statement (Cornell University)
- Selecting and Submitting Writing Samples (UMBC)
- Julie Miller Vick and Jennifer S. Furlong, “Writing Samples and Teaching Statements”
- Bertin M. Louis Jr, “Writing an Effective Research Statement”
Preparing Documents: Teaching Portfolio, Teaching Statement, or Teaching Philosophy
- Graduate Student Guide to Teaching and Research Statements – UF
- Teaching Philosophy Statement (Cornell University)
- Writing a Teaching Statement (University of Notre Dame)
- Julie Miller Vick and Jennifer S. Furlong, “Writing Samples and Teaching Statements”
- Gabriela A. Montell, “How to Write a statement of Teaching Philosophy”
- George David Clark,“Developing an Effective Teaching Portfolio”
- Chris O’Neal, Deborah Meizlish, and Matthew Kaplan, “Writing a Statement of Teaching Philosophy for the Academic Job Search”
- A Statement of faith (for some private religious institutions): “Essay Advice: Applying for Jobs Religious Colleges”
Interviews
- MLA Recommended Guidelines for Interviews for Academic Positions
- Six Tips to Prepare for a Zoom Interview (University of Colorado Boulder)
- Colin Brooke, “The Job Talk”
- Bertin M. Louis Jr., How to Prepare for an Effective Virtual Interview
- Karen Kelsky, “Rocking the Phone Interview”
- MLA’s “Interviews, Campus Visits, Job Talks, and Teaching Demonstrations”
- Claire Bond Potter, “Tell Us About Your Dissertation: And Other Commonly Fumbled Interview Questions.”
- Claire Bond Potter, “Receiving the Call: What To Do When Scheduling A Conference Interview.”