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Graduate Student Journal of Psychology                                                         Copyright 2007 by the Department of Counseling & Clinical Psychology  
2007, Vol. 9                                                                               Teachers College, Columbia University                          ISSN 1088-4661 
 
 
 

Navigating a Successful Academic Career in Psychology: 
Tips and Recommendations for Graduate Students 

 
David N. Miller 

University at Albany, State University of New York 
 

Jessica Blom-Hoffman 
Northeastern University 

 
Sandra M. Chafouleas 

University of Connecticut 
 

T. Chris Riley-Tillman 
East Carolina University 

 
Robert J. Volpe 

Northeastern University 
 
Graduate students in clinical, counseling, school, and other fields of psychology frequently are eli-
gible for and interested in pursuing academic careers. Many graduate students, however, may be 
unsure of, intimidated by, or lack information about this process. The purpose of this article is to 
provide useful and practical information to doctoral-level graduate students in psychology, who are 
considering or aspiring to possible academic careers. Three areas were selected for review because 
in the view of the authors they represent three different phases in the life of a beginning assistant 
professor. Tips and recommendations are provided for interviewing for academic positions, achiev-
ing early career success in academia, and balancing work and home/family obligations.  

 
 

Graduate students in clinical, counseling, school, and 
other fields of psychology are frequently eligible for and 
interested in pursuing academic careers. Many graduate 
students, however, may feel intimidated by the prospect of 
a career in academia, and/or lack information about the 
academic hiring process, as well as issues that typically 
confront those in academic careers. For example, research 
suggests that doctoral students in psychology often do not 
perceive themselves to be adequately prepared for the ex-
pectations and realities of academic life, such as navigating 
the tenure and promotion process (Meyers, Reid, & Quina, 
1998). Although there is some information available on this 
topic in the professional literature (e.g., Darley, Zanna, & 
Roediger, 2004; Rheingold, 1994; Sternberg, 2004), much 
of it is scattered among several sources and may not be 
readily available or within easy access to graduate students 
in psychology. 

The purpose of this article is to provide what we hope 
is useful and practical information for graduate students 
 
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to 
David N. Miller, University at Albany, S.U.N.Y., 1400 Washing-
ton Avenue, ED 240, Albany, NY 12222; e-mail: dmil-
ler@uamail.albany.edu. 

considering or aspiring to possible academic careers in psy-
chology. As early-career academic psychologists ourselves, 
we were fortunate to receive useful career advice from a 
variety of friends, mentors, and colleagues. It has been our 
experience, however, that many graduate students have 
frequently not been the recipients of helpful and practical 
advice in this area. In an attempt to address this issue, we 
offer below tips and recommendations for those graduate 
students in doctoral psychology programs contemplating a 
possible career in academia. Our recommendations reflect 
our collective experiences as academic psychologists, and 
we believe our experiences may be useful to others inter-
ested in pursuing academic careers. Our recommendations 
may be particularly relevant to those doctoral students who 
are nearing completion of their graduate studies, who have 
at least to some degree crystallized their research directions 
and goals, and who have already begun their academic job 
search.  

In discussing recommendations for aspiring faculty, 
many different issues could be reviewed, including how to 
negotiate the decision process to pursue an academic career, 
how to develop a line of research, how to enhance one’s 
skills in teaching and grant writing, and many other relevant 

49 



MILLER, BLOM-HOFFMAN, CHAFOULEAS, RILEY-TILLMAN, AND VOLPE 
 

50 

topics. Due to space limitations, however, we focus specifi-
cally on providing tips and recommendations in three areas: 
(1) interviewing for academic positions; (2) achieving early 
career success in academia; and (3) balancing work and 
home/family obligations. These areas were selected be-
cause, in our view, they represent three different phases in 
the life of a beginning assistant professor. Specifically, is-
sues related to interviewing are paramount when one first 
begins the academic job search, achieving early career suc-
cess becomes an important issue once one has received an 
academic appointment and is pursuing tenure and promo-
tion, and balancing work and family represents an ongoing 
struggle that will occur both during and after the tenure 
process. We begin our discussion with tips on interviewing.  

 
Interviewing Tips for Graduate Students 

 
If you have received an invitation to interview for an 

academic position, you can be confident that your creden-
tials are deemed acceptable by the search committee and 
that you are a legitimate contender for the job. Your goals 
for the interview should be to present yourself as a good 
colleague with potential for excellence in teaching and in-
dependence in scholarship. By being cognizant of the issues 
below, you will likely enhance your chances of engaging in 
a successful interview and getting a job offer. 

 
Think Carefully About the Kind of Job You Want 

 
 Some academic positions emphasize research whereas 

others emphasize teaching. A clear understanding of the 
different expectations at research-oriented vs. teaching-
oriented programs is critical. Prior to interviewing, you 
should be clear in your own mind as to how much time and 
effort you want to expend on each of these activities. For 
example, if you have little interest in writing grants or pub-
lishing refereed journal articles, a faculty position in a doc-
toral program at a major research university would be a 
poor match. Taking the time to seriously contemplate which 
type of faculty position best suits your career aspirations 
cannot be overstated. 

 
Learn About the Program Before You Interview  

 
Each psychology program has a different mission. It is 

important that you take some time to learn about the pro-
gram(s) you are considering. This information should be 
utilized throughout the interview to illustrate your “fit” with 
the program, the department, and the institution. For exam-
ple, it is often desirable to be viewed as an individual who 
will “reach out” across programs in collaborative pursuits. 
Keep in mind that frequently the entire department will vote 
on whom to make an offer. If the search committee believes 
you are not only qualified for a position in their program 
and department but also that you are the type of individual 
who will thrive in both, you are more likely to receive an 

offer. For example, chairs of search committees looking to 
hire psychology professors reported that the fit between a 
candidate’s background and the position requirements was 
critical in making hiring decisions (Sheehan, McDevitt, & 
Ross, 1998). 

 
Never Interview For a Job if You Have No Intention of 
Accepting it if Offered  

 
Do not use interviews merely as opportunities for prac-

tice. If you have no intention of taking a particular job un-
der any circumstances, interviewing for it is unethical, a 
waste of both your and the search committee’s time, and 
deprives other candidates of an opportunity to interview for 
it. 

 
Talk Candidly with Advisors, Current Professors, and 
Friends to Solicit Their Views 

 
Both before and after interviewing, it is useful to get as 

many opinions as possible about job openings from current 
professors, advisors, friends, and colleagues. Although you 
do not always need to take their words to heart, gathering 
information about programs and potential colleagues can 
provide useful insights. If possible, contact former faculty 
members at the institution(s) where you are interviewing 
and ask them why they left. Such information can be very 
enlightening. 

 
Be Sincere 

 
You may be tempted to try to present yourself in a way 

that makes you “fit” the wants and needs of the program(s) 
to which you are applying to a degree that is insincere. 
Don’t. If you do, you (and the institution) will regret it, and 
probably sooner rather than later. Be straightforward about 
who you are, what you believe, and why you believe it.  

 
Realize You Are Never Off Stage 

 
During an interview visit, it is often customary for the 

job candidate and members of the search committee to go 
out for breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner. Think you are off 
stage? Think again – you are being watched at all times. As 
such, be cognizant of proper etiquette and ensure your be-
havior is appropriate at all times. 

 
Do Not Overestimate Flattery 

 
Members of search committees may sometimes flatter 

you by telling you how wonderful you are and what a fine 
addition you would make to their department. Show your 
appreciation, but don’t take it too seriously. They may well 
be making similar or identical statements to other candi-
dates. It is in an institution’s best interest to keep as many 
applicants interested in them as possible during a faculty 



NAVIGATING A SUCCESSFUL ACADEMIC CAREER 
 

51 

search; that way, in case someone turns them down they 
can always offer the position to someone else. That said, 
know how to take a compliment. 

 
Do Not Underestimate the Importance of the  
Colloquium 

 
The performance of your colloquium is critical and one 

of the most important determinants of whether or not a job 
offer will be forthcoming. Members of the search commit-
tee and other faculty members will be carefully observing 
your colloquium to evaluate your research potential, your 
style and manner of presenting information, and the degree 
to which your presentation is clear, coherent, and well-
organized. An excellent presentation does not guarantee an 
offer, but a poor performance often seriously jeopardizes 
one’s chances (Iacono, 1981). If this is an area of weakness 
for you, practice your presentation repeatedly, especially in 
the presence of others who can provide you with construc-
tive feedback. Keep in mind that the manner in which you 
answer questions is an important component of the collo-
quium. The more open minded you are to suggestions, the 
better you will be perceived. You do not need to know the 
answer to every question, but you should clearly be able to 
answer most of them. Also, clearly state the limitations of 
your study and any shortcomings in your data. Above all, 
don’t get defensive. 

 
Assume There Will Be Technological Problems  
During Your Colloquium  

 
If your colloquium requires any kind of technology 

(e.g., LCD projector, laptop computer, overhead projector, 
etc.), make your needs clear well in advance of your inter-
view. Plan for problems. The authors have been amazed at 
how often technological difficulties occur during collo-
quium presentations. If you plan on using an LCD projec-
tor, always have overheads available as a back-up in case 
problems with the projector or computer occur. Also, con-
sider burning your talk and vita onto a disk or storing them 
on a memory stick. You can never be over-prepared; having 
these backups ready reflects well on you. 

 
Exhibit a Friendly, Collegial Demeanor 
 

It is useful to remember that one area the search com-
mittee and other members of the faculty will be assessing is 
the degree to which you are someone they would like to 
work with and see every day. Even the most accomplished 
scholar or teacher will not be welcome if he/she comes 
across as aloof or unfriendly. Demonstrating that you have 
a sense of humor is always a plus, but make sure any at-
tempts you make at humor are appropriate; an interview 
situation is not the time to make remarks that may be per-
ceived as cutting or “politically incorrect.” Remember that 

your goal is to ingratiate yourself with potential colleagues, 
not alienate them. 
 
Ask Many of the Same Questions to Multiple 
Individuals 
 

The purpose of this is to observe the degree of consis-
tency of responses across multiple individuals. If everyone 
is saying basically the same things in response to your ques-
tions, that is a good sign. If they are not – or are contradict-
ing each other – that is a potential red flag. If this occurs, 
point out the contradictory or inconsistent statements and 
ask for clarification. 

 
Enquire About the Relative “Weight” Given to  
Research, Teaching, and Service in Making Tenure 
Decisions 

 
Each institution typically awards tenure based upon 

one’s performance in the areas of research, teaching, and 
service (defined as service to the profession, such as re-
viewing manuscript submissions to professional journals – 
and service to the college or university, such as serving on 
various school committees). Service is typically third on the 
list, but the relative value and “weight” given to research 
and teaching can vary enormously depending on the institu-
tion. Ask about this and make sure responses are consistent 
across individuals; if they are not, acknowledge the incon-
sistent responses and ask for clarification. It is critical that 
you ask about the requirements for advancement (tenure) 
from faculty, deans, and (if possible) upper level adminis-
trators. At the time of your eventual tenure review, each of 
these individuals is likely to have a say in your tenure deci-
sion, and it behooves the future faculty member to know 
what each expects. 

 
Make Sure You Have the Opportunity to Talk, in 
 Private, with Both Current Students and Tenure-
Track Assistant Professors 

 
 Current graduate students and assistant professors are 

most likely to give you “straight talk” at an institution. As 
any graduate student knows, students can give you a sense 
of the climate of a program in a way that faculty cannot. 
Moreover, other assistant professors “are likely to give you 
the best idea of the expectations of the department and the 
reception you would receive if you accepted the job” 
(Iacono, 1981, p. 222). 

 
Do Not Underestimate the Importance of Location 

 
 Remember that you will not only be working in a par-

ticular location but will be living there as well. Use internet 
and other sources to compare cost of living indexes across 
locations of programs where you are interviewing. When 
interviewing, do not be shy about asking people about ac-



MILLER, BLOM-HOFFMAN, CHAFOULEAS, RILEY-TILLMAN, AND VOLPE 
 

52 

cess to recreational areas, what they do for fun, and other 
aspects of the area. For example, if you are a parent or plan 
to be, you will likely want to know about the quality of 
public schools in the area.  

 
Realize That There is No Perfect Job 

 
Each academic position has its own unique pros and 

cons, but even the best of jobs have disadvantages associ-
ated with them. If you don’t perceive any “negatives” at a 
particular institution, you are not looking hard enough. Ask 
faculty to discuss not only what they like, but also what 
they don’t like about their positions and the department and 
institution in which they are employed. If faculty members 
identify problems or things they dislike about the program 
or department, ask them how the faculty or institution is 
attempting to solve these problems. 

 
Realize That Rejection is Inevitable and Should Not 
Be Taken Personally 

 
You will likely get rejected by at least some institutions 

and often not know the precise reason(s) why this occurred. 
As noted by Iacono (1981): “Rejection letters are inevita-
ble, remarkably uninformative, and sometimes insincere” 
(p. 224). Additionally, although rejection is never pleasant, 
try not to take it personally; often the reason you will not 
receive an offer has less to do with your competency than 
with a search committee’s belief that you simply weren’t as 
good a match as someone else for a particular position. 

 
Know What You Want and Get Everything in Writing 

 
You will never have a better time to negotiate for 

things you want or need (e.g., summer salary; laboratory 
space; conference money) than when you receive an offer, 
so be clear in your mind as to what you want – and what 
you can live without. Also, ensure that you get everything 
that was agreed upon in your negotiation in writing. You 
will want to do this not because of a suspicion that your 
hiring institution will try to swindle you, but because col-
lege and university budgets fluctuate and memories of 
promises made may fade over time.  

Once you get an offer and accept it, celebrate! You 
have worked hard, and it has (hopefully) paid off in your 
being hired for a tenure-track position. You will now want 
to concentrate on getting tenure and promotion to associate 
professor, and the next section will describe suggestions for 
easing the transition to faculty life and setting yourself up 
for success in the pre-tenure years.  

 
Tips for Early Career Success in Academia 

 
The first years of an academic job are often the most 

stressful. The following suggestions are provided to ease 

your transition during the probationary (i.e., pre-tenure) 
period of your academic career.   

 
Seek Out Mentorship Inside and Outside the  
University 

 
Many universities will have formal mentorship pro-

grams for untenured faculty members. This may include 
pairing the untenured faculty member with a tenured faculty 
member, workshops with topics on teaching, preparing the 
tenure dossier, and grant writing, and/or social gatherings. 
It is important to recognize that mentoring is critical during 
the transition to academia and continues to be important 
throughout the pre-tenure years. Take advantage of univer-
sity-sponsored mentoring programs for untenured faculty 
members.    

It is also important to recognize the value of multiple 
mentors and to be open to learning from their experiences. 
One mentor may be particularly good at helping you navi-
gate departmental and broader institutional policies. An-
other mentor may share your research interests and be a 
helpful collaborator as you launch your research program. 
A third mentor may be helpful in terms of teaching, provid-
ing guidance as you design syllabi, prepare classroom ac-
tivities, and grade student work. A fourth mentor, who is 
able to achieve a healthy work-life balance (discussed be-
low), can be a role model in learning when to turn down 
opportunities that are not in line with your professional 
goals. By setting regular meetings with your mentors and 
having an agenda for those meetings, you will be able to 
maximize learning opportunities for yourself.      

 
Understand University Expectations 

 
You should have a broad sense of university expecta-

tions related to research, teaching, and service from the 
interview process before you accept your faculty appoint-
ment. As described above, before accepting a position, it is 
important to determine if the university’s expectations are 
consistent with your professional strengths and goals. Many 
universities have a new faculty orientation that will fre-
quently provide valuable information regarding pre-tenure 
expectations. It is important to fully understand expecta-
tions regarding research productivity (including the pro-
curement of external funding), teaching load, and service at 
the departmental, college, university, community, and pro-
fessional levels, and to make sure that your range of re-
sponsibilities and the time allotted to each is reflective of 
and in balance with these expectations. For example, if your 
university places the greatest emphasis in their tenure deci-
sions on research productivity with a secondary emphasis 
on teaching, you should allocate your time in each of these 
activities accordingly (i.e., spending most of your time en-
gaged in research and publication). Your university mentors 
can provide guidance in this process and help you to set 
boundaries.     



NAVIGATING A SUCCESSFUL ACADEMIC CAREER 
 

53 

 
Begin to Assemble Your Tenure Dossier During Your 
First Semester 

 
Assembling the tenure dossier can be a daunting task. 

This task can be made less overwhelming if you are well 
organized and develop a working dossier that you continue 
to refine throughout the pre-tenure years. Start off with a 
large binder divided into three sections for teaching, re-
search, and service, and a package of clear plastic sheet 
protectors. As you develop teaching products such as syl-
labi, presentation slides, rubrics for grading student work, 
materials for class activities, and student evaluations, slide 
these materials into the sheet protectors in the teaching sec-
tion of the binder. As you publish papers or write grant ap-
plications, slide these into the research section. Save per-
manent products that document your service activities in the 
service section of the binder. Over the pre-tenure years, 
these materials will begin to pile up, and it is good to have 
them all in one location. This type of organizational system 
will also enable you to consolidate information for your 
annual merit reviews and the dossier that you assemble for 
the third or fourth year review. It is also a good idea to scan 
these documents at the end of each semester so you have 
electronic copies of them.        

 
Update Your Vita on a Regular Basis 

 
Your vita is the single most important document for 

demonstrating your skills and accomplishments. Update it 
regularly, particularly early in your career (i.e., pre-tenure). 
In the day-to-day business of academic life, it is easy to 
forget seemingly little things you did during the day. Did 
you serve as a guest lecturer at another university? Did you 
do a community service presentation? Did you form a dis-
cussion group for graduate students interested in pursuing 
academic careers in psychology? Make sure these and other 
items, which may be easily and quickly forgotten, are on 
your vita as soon as you do them. Also, when documenting 
your publication accomplishments, do not simply report 
your refereed journal articles and book chapters. In addition 
to these, have separate sections for Manuscripts in Submis-
sion, Manuscripts in Preparation, and Research in Progress. 
That way, readers of your vita (e.g., reappointment and ten-
ure committees) can clearly see the trajectory of your re-
search development. 

 
Choose Projects Carefully, but Follow Your Bliss 

 
Carefully consider any possible research projects be-

fore committing to them. Reappointment and tenure com-
mittees not only examine a faculty member’s quantity and 
quality of research, but also its thematic consistency. De-
velop expertise in a particular area and a research line that 
can potentially lead to a series of publications in that area. 
That said, if a particular topic excites you but you perceive 

it as being outside of your research area, consider doing it 
anyway. Academic freedom is an earned luxury of the aca-
demic life, so take advantage of it. In the words of the late 
mythologist Joseph Campbell, “follow your bliss.” Also, 
consider that an interest you wish to pursue but perceive as 
being outside your area may not be if you simply reframe it. 
For example, the psychologist who studies both sport psy-
chology and addictions may see these as different interests, 
when, in fact, they could be viewed as two components of 
an overall interest in health psychology. 

 
Approach Research in a “Pipeline” Fashion 

 
While still in graduate school, one of the authors re-

ceived some extremely helpful advice from one of his men-
tors, a widely published and highly respected scholar. This 
very productive academic described his “2-2-2 rule,” which 
essentially states that one’s goal as an academic (in a re-
search institution) should be to simultaneously have two 
journal articles in submission, two articles in preparation, 
and two studies for which data is being collected at any one 
time. Maintaining this level of performance on a consistent 
basis will ensure a continual “pipeline” of research produc-
tivity and greatly enhance one’s probability of receiving 
tenure. 

 
Schedule an Annual Meeting with Your Dean or  
Department Chair to Review Your Progress 

 
Typically, new faculty are reviewed for promotion and 

tenure after completion of their fifth year. Prior to their ten-
ure review, faculty members also are typically twice re-
viewed for reappointment. Although formal evaluation oc-
curs at these times, there is no reason to wait until reap-
pointment or tenure reviews to receive feedback on one’s 
performance. Instead, get in the habit of meeting at the end 
of each academic year with your dean or department chair 
to discuss your progress and review your vita. Deans and 
department chairs will be familiar with the norms and ex-
pectations for tenure at your college or university, and their 
feedback can be highly instructive.  

 
Set Ambitious Yet Realistic Goals 

 
As you begin your first faculty appointment, you may 

find that you have no idea where to begin. You need to 
navigate a new college or university system, develop new 
relationships with colleagues and students, prepare new 
courses, and set up your research agenda. In addition, you 
may be asked to jump right into service at the department 
and/or university levels. It is important to recognize that it 
is normal to feel overwhelmed during this time and that 
your mentors can be of assistance. One of the best pieces of 
advice one of us received from an advisor was not to collect 
data during the first year. Although getting one’s research 
off the ground as quickly as possible is always beneficial, 



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54 

doing this the first year on the job may be unrealistic and 
frequently impractical. Instead, consider focusing on pro-
jects such as writing up papers from pre-existing data (e.g., 
your dissertation), writing an internally funded grant, and/or 
setting up the research infrastructure necessary for conduc-
ing future studies. Ambitious-yet-realistic goal setting is a 
critical skill for achieving success.  

When setting ambitious-yet-realistic goals, it is impor-
tant to think both in the long term and the short term. After 
deciding on the long-term goals, break them into smaller 
semester-by-semester sub-goals to make sure they are real-
istic. These can be reviewed with mentors to determine if 
you are “on the right track” to achieving your tenure and 
promotion goals. Set goals that take you well beyond ten-
ure, and you will often find that tenure will take care of 
itself. One of the most important long-term goals is to try to 
balance both personal and professional commitments. The 
following section will offer some advice in this area.   

 
Tips for Balancing Work and Home Life 

 
The ability to balance work and personal life is corre-

lated with lower levels of stress and burnout, and higher 
levels of job satisfaction, engagement, and the intention to 
stay on the job (Mickey-Boggs, 2004). Statements like this 
provide validation for the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors 
experienced when balance is missing. That is, even a brief 
period of unbalance can create seemingly unbearable, in-
tense pressures.  

Burnout and balancing difficulties have been reported 
as more prevalent among women (Mickey-Boggs, 2004), 
and this finding appears to have some relevance within aca-
demic psychology as well. For example, although survey 
findings about academic jobs in school psychology have 
suggested that many women faculty members perceive aca-
demic climates to be generally positive, gender disparities 
also were perceived (Akin-Little, Bray, Eckert, & Kehle, 
2004). In that study, women reported experiencing stress in 
balancing work and personal obligations. More specifically, 
women cited inadequate parental leave and inadequate and 
unaffordable child care as being major concerns. As such, it 
appears prudent – particularly for women – to attend early 
in your career to fostering strategies for creating and main-
taining balance between work and home life. Although the 
tips we present below are not necessarily new, each does 
serve as a useful reminder about the above. As noted by 
Hopson (n. d.), you cannot expect life balance to come 
solely from your job. Life balance includes additional fac-
tors, such as a sense of emotional support from friends, 
hobbies, and relationships.  

 
Maintain a Positive, Flexible Attitude 

 
Throughout your life, it is highly unlikely that you will 

be rewarded simultaneously on all fronts. That is, it is a rare 
day when your child tells you that you are the best parent in 

the whole wide world, your students compliment your lec-
ture as the best ever heard, and you get an acceptance letter 
to a top-tier journal after a first round of reviews of your 
manuscript. “Balance” at all times is probably an illusion – 
in reality, you are more likely to find concurrent success to 
be a rarity. Acknowledging this will help you maintain a 
positive, flexible attitude as you are faced with different 
challenges. For example, when you get that rejection letter, 
maintaining a positive and flexible attitude can make it eas-
ier to mentally note, “revisions will clearly need to be done, 
but right now I am heading home to work out and walk my 
dog.” Accepting that “things happen” can thwart negative 
thoughts and feelings that can easily throw off your balance 
and allow you to handle situations that arise with a more 
positive, flexible perspective. 

 
Plan Ahead 

 
As noted in the previous sections, advance planning 

can be very helpful in facilitating a successful academic 
career. Planning ahead not only creates a vision for your 
career path, but also can help maintain balance between 
work and home life. For example, if you have decided your 
research goals for the next three years, it becomes easier to 
say no to projects that come up in the interim. That is, if a 
project is not closely related to your goals and does not 
provide “gain” in another realm, then you should probably 
not agree to take on the project. Planning ahead can also be 
of assistance in the short term as well. For example, we 
routinely list our common projects, note the current stage of 
each, and set timelines for completion. We are then able to 
prioritize and focus on those we need to complete within 
the month, semester, year, etc. Routine re-evaluation of our 
“plan” facilitates better communication and efficiency with 
regard to our work – which, of course, makes us happier 
(i.e., more balanced) when we get home each night. 

 
Stay Organized 
 

Related to planning ahead, getting and staying organ-
ized is another strategy for facilitating work and home bal-
ance. Currently, one of the biggest organizational chal-
lenges can stem from technology. Thus, investing time up-
front to create efficient systems for organization and storage 
of all technology needs (e.g., computer files, email, calen-
dars) can prevent disorganization down the road. Specific 
advice will be at least partially dependent on the technology 
available in your workplace (e.g., server storage); thus, 
building connections with your instructional technology 
(IT) staff can be important. Also, thinking about how you 
will store your “paper” also becomes relevant to staying 
organized. One strategy that some of us have used for stay-
ing organized with regard to teaching is to set aside about a 
week per class prior to the beginning of each semester to 
sort through materials, prepare the lecture, group everything 
needed for each class together, and then file away or toss 



NAVIGATING A SUCCESSFUL ACADEMIC CAREER 
 

55 

the things that won’t be used. This advance organizational 
strategy helps prevent running around 20 minutes before 
class trying to figure out what to do and where the needed 
materials might be.   

 
Stay Connected 

 
Academic jobs can be lonely. Hopefully you will find a 

position in which there is a wonderful, collegial atmos-
phere. Even in that climate, however, you can expect that 
most of the work will be done by yourself. You will be de-
veloping an independent line of teaching and research, of 
which the responsibility for accomplishing the associated 
tasks (think LOTS of writing) will fall on you. It is easy to 
become caught up in completing the never-ending tasks, so 
it becomes important to take the time to connect with col-
leagues, both within and outside your university, to create a 
network of people who can understand the situations you 
are faced with and provide a needed “reality” check. One 
good place to find those people is within your graduate 
school cohort. Although you may not necessarily have simi-
lar research interests or live in a similar geographic region, 
fostering and maintaining a network of supports that begins 
in graduate school is a good way to stay connected, and 
thus, keep balance. In fact, as our “network” has grown 
over the past few years, we eagerly await the time we can 
get together to socialize at annual conferences! 

 
Conclusion 

 
 Academia can provide a stressful but highly re-

warding career. We hope the tips and recommendations 
provided above will be helpful to those graduate students 
exploring and/or considering an academic career in psy-
chology. Graduate students interested in additional informa-
tion are encouraged to review other sources, particularly 
Bain (2004); Boice (2000); Clark, et al. (2006); Darley, 
Zanna, and Roediger (2004); Fernald (1995); Iacono 
(1981); Lang (2005); Nickerson and Gagnon (2003); 
Rheingold (1994); and Sternberg (2004). These texts and 
articles discuss a wide variety of issues in academia and are 
highly recommended. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

References 
 

Akin-Little, A., Bray, M. A., Eckert, T. L., & Kehle, T. J. 
(2004). The perceptions of academic women in school 
psychology: A national survey. School Psychology Quar-
terly, 19, 327-341.  

Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cam-
bridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 

Boice, R. (2000). Advice for new faculty members. 
Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon. 

Clark, E., Elias, M., Harrison, P., Kamphaus, R., Noell, G., 
Jimerson, S., & VanDerHeyden, A. (2006, Winter). At 
least five important activities to complete early in one’s 
career: Advice shared at the school psychology research 
collaboration conference. The School Psychologist, 60, 
11-16. 

Darley, J. M., Zanna, M. P., & Roediger, H. L. (Eds.). 
(2004). The compleat academic: A career guide (2nd edi-
tion). Washington, DC: American Psychological Associa-
tion. 

Fernald, P. S. (1995). Preparing psychology graduate stu-
dents for the professoriate. American Psychologist, 50, 
421-427. 

Hopson, J. L. (n.d.). Work/Life Balance. Retrieved July 25, 
2005, from http://wlb.monster.com/articles/reverse/ 

Iacono, W. G. (1981). The academic job search: The ex-
periences of a new Ph.D. on the job market. Canadian 
Psychology, 22, 217-227. 

Lang, J. M. (2005). Life on the tenure track: Lessons from 
the first year. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins Uni-
versity Press. 

Meyers, S. A., Reid, P. T., & Quina, K. (1998). Ready or 
not, here we come: Preparing psychology graduate stu-
dents for academic careers. Teaching of Psychology, 25, 
124-126. 

Mickey-Boggs, S. (2004). OSU Work/Life: Commitment, 
Performance, & Community. Retrieved July 25, 2005, 
from http://hr.osu.edu/worklife/WLactionplan.pdf 

Nickerson, A. B., & Gagnon, S. G. (2003, Spring). Prepar-
ing, applying, and navigating through life as a junior pro-
fessor. The School Psychologist, 53, 55-59. 

Rheingold, H. L. (1994). The psychologist’s guide to an 
academic career. Washington, DC: American Psycho-
logical Association. 

Sheehan, E. P., McDevitt, T. M., & Ross, H. C. (1998). 
Looking for a job as a psychology professor? Factors af-
fecting applicant success. Teaching of Psychology, 25, 8-
11. 

Sternberg, R. J. (2004). Psychology 101 ½: The unspoken 
rules for success in academia. Washington, DC: Ameri-
can Psychological Association. 

 


	Do Not Underestimate the Importance of the
	Assume There Will Be Technological Problems
	Enquire About the Relative “Weight” Given to
	Make Sure You Have the Opportunity to Talk, in
	Seek Out Mentorship Inside and Outside the
	Schedule an Annual Meeting with Your Dean or
	Department Chair to Review Your Progress

