Broad overviews:

https://www.chronicle.com/article/How-the-Job-Search-Differs-at/143089

https://www.chronicle.com/article/The-Community-College-Job/46014

Things to do before approaching the job market

Teaching Experience

o A community college position is a teaching position, first and foremost. Departments

are most interested in candidates who have a solid background in teaching intro-level
courses. TA experience is good, teaching is better.
o Look for teaching opportunities via Summer at Brown, nearby lecturer positions (don’t
forget to look at nearby community colleges!), and departmental offerings.
o If none of the above pan out, get creative. You may find opportunities at local high
schools or community ed programs.
o Try to develop a broad TA portfolio. Almost all community college philosophy programs
will offer the following courses, and hiring committees like to see that applicants have
some experience relevant to teaching them:
 An intro survey course
 A logic course (sometimes two, in the form of a deductive logic course and a
‘critical thinking’ course)
 Ethics
 Ancient and early modern
o Larger departments may also offer courses in social/political philosophy, existentialism,
philosophy of religion, etc.

Pedagogical Development

o Your studies will likely limit the amount of teaching you can do. If you can, try to
complement this with documented pedagogical training.
o The Sheridan Center at Brown is a tremendous resource here. The teaching certificate
and seminars look great on an application. They culminate in the ‘teaching consultant’
program, which offers outstanding and unique experience, and will help you to create a
highly effective teaching portfolio (Which saves you quite a bit of work when it comes
time to apply for jobs)

Where to look for jobs:

Collected listings:

 https://www.cccregistry.org/jobs/index.aspx
 https://www.higheredjobs.com/twoyear/
 https://www.communitycollegejobs.com/
  JFP

District/College Websites, e.g.:

 https://bristolcc.interviewexchange.com
 https://www.pcc.edu/hr/jobs/
 http://www.slcc.edu/hr/employment.aspx
 https://www.alamo.edu/about-us/jobs-across-the-alamo-colleges/

Applying

Adjunct Positions:

o Apply broadly to as many adjunct pools as you’d be willing to entertain

o Be sure to have an application in the HR system before inquiring/contacting dept. chairs
o Consider finding ways to introduce yourself to departments that are of special interest
to you—check to see if they offer the occasional colloquium or public event. You might
even offer to see if they’d be open to you participating in these.

Full Time Positions:

o Look out for new listings regularly—some schools advertise widely, but many don’t
o Peak season for listings Oct-Feb

Tips

o Be sure to submit all required documents, and to check with the district/college HR
office once you’ve done so. HR will generally not allow a hiring committee to see your
application unless all requirements are met, and they may not tell you if you’ve fallen
short of requirements. HR departments have been known to lose documents, too.
Don’t feel shy about pestering HR!
o Spend a bit of time getting to know the college and the department before submitting
your materials. If possible, incorporate elements of the college mission into your cover
letter, and address any experience you have that is relevant to specific features of the
position.
o Calling some attention to your research and publication background is good, but
emphasize your teaching experience, tying this explicitly to any questions specified in
the application prompt.
o Some applications will invite ‘supplemental/additional materials’. This is a great place to
attach a teaching portfolio, if you happen to have one.

Interview

Adjunct

o Interview process generally less rigorous than full time, but typically involves some face-
to-face interview with a small committee (about 3), and may involve a brief teaching
 demonstration (format may be similar to the first-stage interview described for full-time
faculty below)
o Typically a one-stage interview process

Full Time

o A two-stage process
o The first interview will be shorter (30-60 minutes)
o Interview committees may involve only one or two ‘discipline experts’. You can
expect a philosopher or two in the room, but you may be addressing a wider
audience comprised of faculty from other disciplines and administrators. It’s worth
bearing this in mind, especially when you field discipline-specific questions. Non-
experts may be looking to see how effectively you can communicate about your
field with students who have no background in philosophy.
o The majority of the interview will comprise your responses to a set of questions that
have been determined by the committee in advance. These questions will be
scripted, and the committee will generally not be allowed to deviate from them. In
most cases, HR policies will also forbid them from asking substantive follow-up
questions.
o Here’s a sample set of questions (Note that only a small portion of the set directly
addresses philosophical issues, and even there at an introductory level):

1. Tell us your most inspiring experience as a philosopher and how you would
communicate this to your students.

2. What aspects of your background, experience and education have prepared you to
teach philosophy at ______?

3. _____ students exhibit a wide range of abilities, motivational levels and preparation for
college work. What strategies and techniques have you used or would you use to address
these differences in academic preparation?

4. Tell us about strategies you have used to motivate students from diverse backgrounds
and to help them develop higher level thinking skills.

5. Explain, as if to a student, the key distinctions between Kantian and Aristotelian

approaches to moral philosophy.

6. Describe, as if to a student, the motivation behind (and challenge confronting) the

ethics of care.

7. Here at _____ there are significantly different rates of academic success across racial,
ethnic and social class backgrounds. Why do you think these gaps in academic
performance exist? How might you contribute to narrowing these gaps?

8. What is your approach to using technology in your teaching?

9. What, ideally, would you like for a student to take away from one of your philosophy
courses when she reflects upon it after finishing her education?
 10. What questions do you have for us?

 You will also give a brief (15-20 minutes) teaching demonstration (NOTE: This
may take place during the second interview, rather than the first). You may be
given a specific topic in advance when invited for the interview, but may also be
asked to select a topic that you would typically address in an introductory level
course.
 In either case, you would do well to build your demonstration in such a way as
to do all of the following in your allotted time:
 Establish the problem/issue you want to address
 Find a way to make a relevant to your audience
 Tie it to the broader aims of the course you’re hypothetically teaching
 Work through the substantive content of your presentation
 Solicit participation from your audience
 Offer concluding remarks that reiterate key points, and point toward
where you might go next in your course
 Time constraints will be firmly enforced
 It’s common for first interviews to be granted to 10-15 applicants
o The second round is typically extended to 2-4 applicants.
 You will again address a set of pre-scripted questions. Your audience may be
larger this time, and involve higher-level administrators who ultimately make
hiring decisions
 If you did not give a teaching demo in the first round, you’ll give it here. It is
unlikely you’ll be asked to give demos at both stages.

The Offer

o There’s little negotiating to be done once an offer has been made, as key elements of
the job (including teaching load and salary) are generally determined by a collectively-
bargained contract
o These are a matter of public record, so you can know your salary scale and
teaching requirements in advance by looking for the faculty agreement online
o With that said, there are sometimes smaller areas of flexibility
o Adjunct
 There will typically be a cap on the number of courses you’ll be eligible
to teach per academic year. This tends to max out at about 60% of a full
time load. But it’s worth asking how re-hiring works, and how much
control you can expect over your schedule
 Full Time
 Ask about departmental teaching overload policies, as this is where any
opportunities for additional income will primarily reside
 Ask about the possibility of course release time in exchange for college
service
 If you’ll be moving, it may be worth asking about the possibility of some
sort of stipend attached to a service project to cover expenses
 Ask about your expected schedule—will you be expected to teach
during specific times/days, or will you have full control over your
schedule?