Academic promotions are often a rigorous and daunting process. Academics are expected to demonstrate excellence in multiple aspects such as teaching, research and service to the university. Increasingly, it can be important to also show how you have made a difference and had impact beyond academia.
To be considered for a promotion, or a competitive award such as a fellowship, simply listing past accomplishments on a resume is not adequate. Building a compelling case for promotion requires a strategic and thoughtful approach. How do you navigate the competitiveness of the process and craft an application that truly stands out?
In this upcoming webinar, lead of the Women in Research initiative, ARC Laureate Fellow and John Curtin Distinguished Professor Sharon Parker (Curtin University) will share her evidence-based tips to gear yourself up for that next step in your academic career.
She will be joined by Professor Jolanda Jetten (Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland) and Professor Amy Tian (School of Management and Marketing, Curtin University). Both will offer valuable insights and reflections from their experiences serving on academic promotion panels, as well as from their own promotion journeys.
Presentation slides:
Tips from Professor Sharon Parker (Curtin University)
Based on Wil Harzing's FRESH approach:
Promotion is mostly about potential for future, not reward for past. So demonstrate how your promotion will benefit you and the university in the future.
Gather information about the criteria, panel, examples of success, etc and then use this information to make your case and tailor your application.
Evidence Everything:
To show research impact on how your work has changed the field etc (beyond the usual) draw on things from your “good stuff file” (eg positive comments from journal reviews, emails, reprints of your articles in collections etc)
When describing committee work, don’t describe the ‘role’ you carried out. Describe as specifically as you can the activities you carried out and their impact.
Make the invisible visible!!
Have a story to tell, or career narrative, not a list of achievements
Ruthlessly hoard small achievements, emails from students, positive review comments and have them ready for when you go for promotion (and read them occasionally!)
Tips from Professor Jolanda Jetten (The University of Queensland)
Unsure if you're ready for a promotion? Ask your colleagues and mentors—they'll know before you do. Listen to their feedback!
Years ahead of your promotion application, consult mentors and diverse peers to strategise and develop a competitive edge.
You need to understand the criteria but also know that a panel will be looking for more than just ticking boxes. Getting promoted is not a reward for past achievement.
For a compelling promotion case, craft a forward-thinking narrative. It's about your vision and future potential.
Leadership isn't just holding committee roles. Highlight your impact and how you achieved goals as a member/chair of a committee.
In the interview, show passion in your responses. Make your story engaging, not just a document recitation.
Prepare thoroughly for interviews. Practice makes perfect, and mock interviews build confidence.
In interviews, panel members look for more than competence. They are also looking for evidence of being a team player and being a good citizen.
During the interview, stay calm and open; avoid becoming defensive.
Don’t shy away from talking about personal circumstances that shaped your career path (e.g., fixed term contracts or family responsibilities). Panels are instructed to pay attention to performance relative to opportunity and they need to know the details of your career trajectory.
Tips from Professor Amy Tian (Curtin University)
When to apply – Do NOT wait. You will almost never feel 100% ready to go for a promotion, so it's better to apply when you have built a strong case rather than waiting for a perfect moment.
Understand the promotion framework at your university, if one exists. For example, know how your performance is being evaluated.
Familiarise yourself with the promotion process at your institution, including the composition of the promotion panel, the general process, and the rating criteria. This also relates to seeking feedback on your application. Asking the ‘right’ people who understand the system is critical.
Utilise benchmarking data to differentiate your performance. Focus on external benchmarking rather than internal comparisons.
Craft a compelling narrative. Your promotion application is not just a list of achievements. It's about what you did and the impact you made in relation to your work allocation (e.g., teaching and research roles, teaching-only roles, research-only roles). More importantly, highlight the broader impact of your work at the university level and within scholarly and industry communities.
Carefully craft your promotion application. Remember, the promotion panel consists of very busy individuals tasked with reviewing multiple applications. Your job is to ensure your application is evidence-based (using data and figures) and flows logically. Essentially, make it EASY for the panel to say YES by building a clear, evidence-backed argument.
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