Virtual ECON JMC Advice. This week’s topic is Mentorship and Networks This is the last in a series of 4 threads to help JMCs prepare for the virtual market. All advice is from my own experience on both sides of the interview so take it with a grant of salt. #EconTwitter

First off, sorry this one took so long. I racked my brain trying to figure out what I could say that would not otherwise be covered by the 4 or 5 really great job market guides (Cawley Guide, Academic Job Search Handbook, The Professor is In, etc.)

I landed on this topic because it is something that never really gets brought up. But it is a very strong determinant of who eventually gets the job offer. The harsh reality is, in any academic field, who you know can be just as important as what you know.

If you have not already, find a mentor. Not your advisor. Think about where you want to be in ten or twenty years and find that person. Right now, we are all at home, the cost of asking someone to meet up with you for 10 minutes to discuss research on Zoom is so low.

Look- watch. Just email this. “Hi, my name is <insert name> and I am a grad student at XYZ. I really enjoy reading your research/op-eds/tweets and would like to know more about yourself and your work. Would you have 15 minutes this week to meet up for a Zoom coffee?” Easy.

The worst they can say is “no”. Don’t be nervous. Just keep trying, build those connections. If you want to be the person called for seminars, who gets the inside line on a job, who gets invited to special events you need to know people outside your cohort.

Also, make sure to have mentors at different stages. Late career people can tell you a lot about publishing, but maybe not the tech environment of cutting-edge teaching. Know people on the tenure track so you can share your trials and tribulations.

Realize that one person is not good for all types of mentoring. A great teacher, a researcher you respect, someone who understands work/life balance, someone who may have faced the same struggles for example the LGBTQ+ Econ Communities. These should not all be the same person.

When you’re on the market, make sure these people know you’re on the market, so they have that information. If they’re someone you trust- ask them if they have time to give you comments on your job market packet. They will see things that you won’t.

Find a Center. For example, I do regulation research and found @CSOR_SFU and started showing up to their panels and joined their mailing list. Knowing people who work there can help you meet future collaborators who are interested in the same topics you are passionate about.

Since we are online, you can put together a semi-formal panel on a topic. Reach out to people, even if you have never met them, and ask if they would be interested in a research panel taking turns presenting papers on that topic. Advertise it on Twitter for viewers.

Doing these things helps you develop that face time. The more times someone reads and hears your name, the more likely they will be to recommend you when someone approaches them asking about candidates or someone who would be a “good fit”.

Your network also will know of jobs that are particularly friendly to your subset of research. On the market I knew every job where they would like someone with a regulation background purely because people told me, it often is not in the job post.

I know establishing mentor relationships is scary, and networking is hard. It’s so worth it. You can have the best research on earth, but if people do not know who you are and don’t read it- then it doesn’t matter. Academia is way less lonely with the company.

Well, that is probably it for a while. If you need help with the market or networking, reach out, I would love to give you advice. If you like these posts, let me know, and I will make some more for future JMCs. Good luck on the market, I believe in you.