Career Resources
On this page you will find a range of career resources for PhDs in the humanities who are seeking jobs in and outside the academy, as well as guidelines and tools for faculty members and hiring departments. Although resources have been organized by audience, we recommend browsing all of them. It is useful for job seekers to understand what they can expect from hiring departments and for hiring departments to know what guidelines job seekers have been given.
Academic Job Market Data
- Reports on the MLA Job List
- Reports on the Surveys of Earned Doctorates
- Humanities Indicators Project from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, especially:
- Our PhD Employment Problem, Part 1 and Part 2 (2014)
- The Career Paths of Modern Language PhDs: Findings from the 2017 MLA Survey of Doctoral Program Graduates (2018)
- Where Are They Now? Occupations of 1996–2011 PhD Recipients in 2013 (2015)
- Data on Humanities Doctorate Recipients and Faculty Members by Race and Ethnicity (2010)
The Job Search: Information and Recommendations
For Job Seekers
In this section, you will find information relevant to both the academic job search and careers outside the academy. We strongly recommend that all job seekers browse the resources below to familiarize themselves with a broad range of career options.
- MLA Job List
- The MLA Job List Blog: Job Search and Career Advice
- Job Sites for Positions in Business, Government, and Not-for-Profit Organizations (2015)
- Guidelines for Search Committees and Job Seekers on Entry-Level Faculty Recruitment and Hiring as well as Postdoctoral Applications (revised 2023)
In addition to the guidelines, we also recommend these specific statements and recommendations from the MLA:
- Checklist for Job Seekers (revised 2023)
- Recommended Guidelines for Interviews for Academic Positions (revised 2020)
- Statements on Reimbursement, Tenure Policies, and Acknowledgment of Applications (2000–02)
- MLA Guidelines on Letters of Recommendation (revised 2023)
- MLA Recommendation on a Minimum Salary for Full-Time Entry-Level Faculty Members (revised 2023)
- MLA Recommendations on Minimum Per-Course Compensation for Part-Time Faculty Members (revised 2023)
- Advice to Graduate Students: From Application to Career (revised 2020)
Resources from the MLA’s Connected Academics: Preparing Doctoral Students of Language and Literature for a Variety of Careers
- Primer for Life outside the Academy (2016)
- Preparing for a Career at a Community College (2017)
- Career Exploration Activity Packet (2016)
- Transferable Skills and Resumes for Humanities PhDs (2015)
Additional resources for job seekers:
- Administrations Censured by the American Association of University Professors. Access to this list is provided in accordance with the action of the MLA Delegate Assembly.
- Chronicle Vitae and Inside Higher Ed offer ongoing discussions of career issues.
For Faculty Advisers
The MLA encourages faculty advisers to become familiar with the most recent data on academic hiring and to share this information with their graduate students. In addition, we recommend the following faculty resources on doctoral education and on assisting students with career planning.
- MLA Guidelines on Letters of Recommendation (revised 2023)
- Report of the Task Force on Doctoral Study in Modern Language and Literature (2014)
- Doctoral Student Career Planning: A Guide for Faculty Members and Departments of English and Other Modern Languages (2017)
- Rethinking the Master's Degree in English for a New Century (2011)
- Chronicle Vitae and Inside Higher Ed offer ongoing discussions of career issues.
For Hiring Departments
The MLA encourages all faculty members serving on hiring committees to review the following documents, which contain best practice recommendations for hiring entry-level faculty members in MLA fields.
- Guidelines for Search Committees and Job Seekers on Entry-Level Faculty Recruitment and Hiring as well as Postdoctoral Applications (revised 2023)
In addition to these guidelines, we also recommend these specific statements and recommendations from the MLA on interviews, hiring, and compensation:
- MLA Recommendation on a Minimum Wage for Full-Time Entry-Level Faculty Members (revised 2023)
- MLA Recommendations on Minimum Per-Course Compensation for Part-Time Faculty Members (revised 2023)
- MLA Guidelines on Letters of Recommendation (revised 2023)
- Recommended Guidelines for Interviews for Academic Positions (revised 2020)
- Disability and Hiring: Guidelines for Departmental Search Committees (2006)
- Using Sign Language Interpreters (2003)
- Statements on Reimbursement, Tenure Policies, and Acknowledgment of Applications (2000–02)