Book Review: The Professor Is In—The Essential Guide to Turning Your Ph.D. into a Job

by Bethany Chappel, M.Ed.

Academia is certainly its own independently unique world, and author Karen Kelsky, Ph.D. shares the qualities that make it so. She paints a picture of reality for both graduate students and those who have already been a part of Academia for some time now. Kelsky, after fifteen years as a tenured professor at two different institutions, and experience as a department head and mentor, clearly elucidates the potential harsh realities that face those who have earned Ph.D.s and who want to enter and thrive in the collegiate-level teaching profession. She also shares incredible tips and tools to utilize along the way.

The Professor Is In first focuses on the ways in which landing a full-time job at a college or university have changed over the years. One of the most useful sections of the book, and one for which you’ll want your highlighter, are the steps that applicants will need to take to get a foot in the door. The first steps, according to The Professor Is In are these: outlining a job search plan and outlining specific goals. Which academic are you planning on taking? Where will you apply? There are various roads that applicants might want to go down, but regardless, a strong cover letter, CV, and experiences to include in both, are only the first snippets toward walking through an open door and landing a job at a college or university.

For example, take technology: technology makes the world go round nowadays, and Dr. Kelsky focuses on the importance of having and curating an individual online presence that focuses on one’s professional life. She writes that there is absolutely no question about whether or not having a personal website is important. On the contrary, if you do not currently have one, create one ASAP. Maybe it won’t be fancy; it doesn’t need to be, but it does need to showcase your academic abilities and accomplishments. Prospective employers and colleagues want to see what you have done along the way, and where you’re headed.

Kelsky suggests jobseekers Google their own names, too. Sounds a bit egotistical, right? Don’t think of it that way. If you know what your own name search reveals, you can focus on those highlights in interviews (because your potential employer surely has Googled you already). You can expand on your online profile with more relevant experience and details.

Kelsky’s tone is sarcastic at times, but she is truthful, which is appreciated, especially for someone who is going through the often months-long process of landing a collegiate job. The author shares real-life situations that she has encountered, and the ways in which she was able to learn from each one.

For example, she includes outrageous questions that might be asked in an interview and ways to handle them. Kelsky talks about the difficult waiting process, from sending in your application, to sitting by the phone hoping for a call, to agonizing over post-interview feedback. Let’s be real. It can all be torturous, but Kelsy’s book makes a reader feel as though he/she can conquer it all with the right answers, resources, and gusto.

The need for would-be—all really—academics to have pro-active mental health and personal care plans in place is overlooked in The Professor Is In. After all, the world of education is a brutal one, from honing the craft, to applying over and over again for positions, interviewing, working with students, peers, mentors, planning lectures, grading papers, the demands of office hours, etc… It’s easy for faculty to be exhausted and overwhelmed, even during a “slow” part of a semester! Sharing techniques to help one stay positive and focused on becoming a good leader and educator in a healthy way is something that could have added to Kelsky’s book.

A prominent section in Part VII of her book is “Negotiating an Offer.” As critical as it is to land that job, the art of negotiating is often an overlooked and important step. Kelsky writes that many job-seekers feel that they must say yes right away, because it’s “the right thing to do.” However, negotiations occur in many other career fields and Academe should be no different. Work hard to get in, and then get what you deserve, too. The book lays out an example, comparing a negotiated faculty member salary and retirement contribution with a non-negotiated one. It’s eye opening and a good reminder to avoid selling yourself short.

Kelsky even touches the issues that one may face when considering leaving the profession altogether. She counsels the reader that it is okay to walk away from a job that is not the best fit. As educators, there are other possibilities, and a graduate degree can certainly take one far, including outside the academic world.

Having knowledge and a plan will help, but remember that you only live once, and your life should be what you want it to be. After all, Kelsky left higher education and has now become a published author. When one door shuts, another one opens.

She’s tough and real, as far as authors go, but there is no denying that she has created a manual, if you will, for taking yourself from the graduate classroom as a student to the classroom as a professor. This book will school readers on how to land that dream job, with several reminders that reality in academia can make for some hard-learned lessons along the way. Kelsky’s book will help readers  who have been searching for jobs in higher ed. unsuccessfully to build up their confidence. Her honesty is refreshing.

Read it and take notes. The more you take away from it, the greater your chances to find that best fit job, even if you’ve been in the world of academia for some time off the tenure-track. After all, opportunities are out there to learn, grow, and share knowledge with others. Make it your mission to find your perfect path, and remember: school is always in session.