Job Market Packet

by Mike Conlin and Stacy Dickert

Schedule

August through December

On the first of each month, the JOE (Job Opportunities for Economists) comes out and is in Jean's office and the Social Science Library. The big (ie most important) months are October, November and December. The JOE is also on line through the gopher network at the University of Vanderbilt. You can down load it and then print out a hard copy.

Beginning of Fall

Schedule your workshop as early as possible. (Before faculty department meetingin early November where they rank students.) Make sure people writing letters for Semester you can attend. This will also provide you with time to revise your presentation or get a new dissertation topic.

October 1

Persistently ask faculty to have your recommendations done and to Jean by November 10. If you want to go to a liberal arts school, tell your advisors to write the recommendation with this in mind. If they are willing, you might ask for 2 different letters.

October

Make reservations at the main hotel for the meetings. You can get the ASSA forms from Jean or they come autmatically if you are an AEA member. Do so as early as possible and get a room on a low floor (due to elevator traffic) with a refrigerator (so you can buy some snack food). It's a good idea to get to the meetings the day or evening before your interviews start so you can familiarize yourself with the hotel layouts. Included in these forms from Jean is a registration form for the ASSA Placement Service. This service enables you to arrange interviews at the meetings. Some interviewers do not set up interviews prior to the meetings or do not fill their entire interview schedule prior to the meetings. These are primarily private firms and small schools. If you are unsure about this, you can sign up at the meetings.

November-December

The World Bank, IMF and the FED send interviewers to campus. These are good opportunities to practice interviewing, even if you are not interested in the position.

November 10-24

Send out packets (See Mailings Information). Most applications are due by December 1 and a few are due in November. Read the deadlines carefully. Decisions are made at the margin so make sure you are not late on a deadline.

Late November

Get blank interview schedule from Jean and place it in 5x7 index card binder.

Early December to Day Before

Receive calls to set up interviews at the meetings. Most calls come the week of December 15th. It is a good idea to get an answering machine for your office. If you leave town for the holidays, make sure you leave a forwarding number on the answering machine where you can be contacted. Sometimes faculty make the call but most times a secretary calls. Some schools set up interviews through e-mail. Check e-mail over the holidays or arrange for someone else to.

Late December

Prepare for the interview. Go through 5-15 minute presentation of your work with UW faculty and anyone else who will listen.

Early January

The AEA Convention
As mentioned, get there the evening/night before your interviews start to familiarize yourself with the hotel layout, bulletin boards, etc..

1. Try to find out room numbers of the interviews the evening/night before the interview. The front desk usually will not give out room numbers. Instead, you have to wait until they check in, ask the hotel operator to connect you to the person's room and ask them yourself. If they are not in, leave a message to call you with their room number. Also, walk around the night before to make sure you can find the room. The phones will get very busy during the day so make sure you know where you are going ASAP. Try to get as much information before the meetings start. A few places don't arrive until the day of the interview--don't panic, just keep calling until you reach them. It helps to share information where interview rooms are.
2. Some interviewers will tell you when they call you to set up the interview that they will leave a message for you on the central bulletin board (in the main hotel) telling you their room number.
3. It is possible to set up interviews at the meetings through the ASSA Placement Service (see above). There is an area in a hotel where this occurs.
4. You can enroll in the conference for a $25 fee. The $25 gets you a schedule of AEA events and entry into the book publisher's room for some discounted or free books.
5. Keep notes on the index card such as the names of the people you interviewed with and some comments made during the interview. (This is important in case you get a fly back.)

Right After Meetings to Early February

Fly Backs

1. Get a high limit on your credit card. Most places require you to pay for transportation, hotel and sometimes meals, then they reimburse you 4-6 weeks later.
2. Register for frequent flier programs.
3. Try to set up only one trip for interviews in the same area (Ex. FED and Justice in D.C. or D.C. and Boston or LA and Seattle). Be wary of scheduling interviews on consecutive days. You do not need to schedule a flight right away since usually you reserve the ticket less than 14 days in advance so their is no price advantage to reserving right away. This way you can coordinate trips.
4. Carry your suit and things you need for the interview/presentation on the plane with you. Do not check them in.
5. Keep receipts from your travels for reimbursement purposes. Make photocopies of receipts.
6. Some places do not call right away because they wait for the market to clear a little.
7. Write everything down on your index card.
8. A typical schedule is a number of 30 minute, one-on-one interviews with faculty members and deans (university) or colleagues (government and private firms).

You will hear lots of questions about your work and about your future research. At univerisities, you may be asked what you would like to teach and how you would teach it. Review syllabi of courses offered at UW.

Go to lunch and dinner (sometimes breakfast) with several faculty members or colleagues. These are usually more relaxed and informal but not to be taken lightly. This is often the opportunity to learn about the area and environment.

At academic places, your seminar usually starts around 3:30 in the afternoon and lasts between 1 hour 15 minutes and 1 hour 30 minutes. For private firms and government agencies, your presentation will often be in the morning. Make the font on your overheads very large, in case you are in a large room (one student suggests 18 pt font). They are evaluating whether you will make a good colleague. Ask lots of questions about their research, if and be friendly.

Sometime Hopefully

OFFERS

1. They usually give you a 2 week deadline (sometimes less). Often you can extend the deadline.
2. After getting an offer, call places you had fly backs from and prefer. See if they are still interested in you. They may be waiting for someone else to decide before making an offer to you. You may also want to contact places even if you haven't had a fly back invitation yet. They may be able to speed up their process. /LI>
3. Don't expect people to call you and tell you that you are not getting an offer.
4. Sometimes it is possible to negotiate after they make the offer. Talk to UW faculty and get their opinion. Don't make non-credible threats.

After you accept a position, either call or write everyone you had a fly back with and tell them you accepted an offer. This allows the market to clear more efficiently and is professional.

Good luck!!

Return to Job Market Packet Contents