A Practical Guide to the Criminology and Criminal Justice Job Market for Doctoral Candidates: Pre-Market Preparation through Offers and Negotiations

Abstract

Upon exiting a doctoral program, many graduate students in criminology and criminal justice hope to enter the academic workforce. The academic job market is a stressful and exciting time in a doctoral candidate’s life, but with some planning and forethought—the process can feel more manageable. This advisory paper provides practical advice to academic job seekers from pre-market preparation through offers and negotiations. While standard aspects of the job market are described, care was taken to also describe some lesser discussed aspects of the job market—such as networking on social media and at conferences and the financial cost of academic interviewing.

Keywords:

• Academic job market
• academic networking
• interview preparation
• negotiations

Acknowledgement

The authors wish to thank Trisha N. Rhodes and Tusty ten Bensel for their helpful feedback on an earlier draft of this manuscript.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 For first-generation academics and many others hoping to enter academe, academic life can be difficult to understand and navigate; indeed, the “unwritten rules” can feel overwhelming (Graff, 2003).

2 To be clear, this is advice for everyone, at all stages of their careers and life.

3 Both authors of this piece met people on their interviews that later became collaborators in some fashion.

4 Depending on the person’s circumstances, the viewpoints of their partner(s), child(ren), and/or loved ones may be important considerations, too.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Dana L. Radatz

Dr. Dana L. Radatz is an associate professor in the Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice at Niagara University. Her primary research interests include batterer intervention programs, evidence-based practices, and victimization. Her research has appeared in Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, Criminal Justice & Behavior, the Journal of Family Violence, and the Journal of Interpersonal Violence. You can email her at [email protected] and find her on Twitter @Dr_DanaRadatz.

Danielle C. Slakoff

Dr. Danielle Slakoff is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at California State University, Sacramento. In 2018, she received her Ph.D. in Criminology and Justice from the University of Nebraska Omaha. Her research interests include media representations of criminal justice, feminist theory, race, LGBTQ+ issues, and intimate partner violence. Dr. Slakoff’s work is published in Violence Against Women, Feminist Criminology, Race and Justice, and Criminology, Criminal Justice, Law, and Society. You can email her at [email protected] and find her on Twitter @DSlakoffPhD.