“History is a body of knowledge. More importantly, it’s also a way of producing knowledge, a way of looking at the world. Historians possess habits of mind that employers require. The historian in the room will ask good questions, demand better evidence, consider multiple perspectives, and make strong arguments. S/he will also remain curious, flexible, open-minded, and self-motivated. When presented with a problem, the historian won’t panic but will rather think through the dilemma and, perhaps, develop a creative solution.” – Tim Herbert, University of Illinois at Chicago.
For historians entering the job market, there’s a host of resources available to assist your career search. Whether entering academia or not, finding a job takes planning, organization, and knowledge of where employer’s post their openings. This page is dedicated to aggregating career diversity and professionalization resources for historians to build themselves into the best candidates possible. Included here are lists of on campus resources, job-search websites, articles discussing professionalization, and guides to the job market.
Check back for frequent updates! If you have a resource that would fit this page, please forward it to Grace Tomasi (gtomasi@iastate.edu).
Academic Job Finding Resources
Non-Academic Job Finding Resources
Professional Research and Think Tanks
Professionalization Resources
Iowa State Graduate College Career Page: https://www.grad-college.iastate.edu/career/
Iowa State Liberal Arts and Sciences Career Services Page: https://careers.las.iastate.edu/
UC Berkeley Graduate Student Professionalization Guide: https://grad.berkeley.edu/professional-development/guide/
ImaginePhD: https://www.imaginephd.com/
MyIDP: http://myidp.sciencecareers.org/
AHA Career Resources page: https://www.historians.org/jobs-and-professional-development/career-resources
Chronicle of Higher Education: https://www.chronicle.com/section/Home/5
Academic Job Finding Resources
Where Historians Work: https://www.historians.org/wherehistorianswork
AHA Hiring Process Guidelines: https://www.historians.org/jobs-and-professional-development/statements-standards-and-guidelines-of-the-discipline/guidelines-for-the-hiring-process
Academic360: https://www.highered360.com/
Academic Careers Online: https://www.academiccareers.com/applicants.htm
Academic Jobs Wiki: http://academicjobs.wikia.com/wiki/Academic_Jobs_Wiki
Academic Keys: http://www.academickeys.com/
H-Net Jobs Guide: https://www.h-net.org/jobs/home.php
HigherEdJobs: https://www.higheredjobs.com/default.cfm
Idealist: https://www.idealist.org/en/?type=JOB
OAH Job Guide: https://careers.oah.org/jobseekers/
PostDocJobs: https://www.postdocjobs.com/jobseekers/
UniversityJobs: https://www.universityjobs.com/
VersatilePhD: https://versatilephd.com/phd-career-finder/
Non-Academic Job Finding Resources
Chronical of Higher Education: https://chroniclevitae.com/job_search/new?cid=UCHETOPNAV
USAJobs: https://www.usajobs.gov/
VersatilePhD: https://versatilephd.com/phd-career-finder/
Independent Educational Consultants Association: https://iecaonline-jobs.careerwebsite.com/
History Associates: https://www.historyassociates.com/who-we-are/careers/
Historical Research Associates: http://hrassoc.com/about-us/employment/
American Alliance of Museums: https://www.aam-us.org/
American Cultural Resources Association: https://acra-crm.org/
Global Museum: http://www.globalmuseum.org/
National Council on Public History: https://ncph.org/cms/
U.N. Foundation: https://unfoundation.org/
U.S. Agency for International Development: https://www.usaid.gov/
William J. Clinton Foundation: https://www.clintonfoundation.org/
Chronical of Philanthropy: https://www.philanthropy.com/jobs
Council of Foundations: https://jobs.cof.org/
Idealist: https://www.idealist.org/en/?type=JOB
National Council of Non-Profits: https://careers.councilofnonprofits.org/
Professional Research and Think Tanks
U.S. State Department Think Tank Directory: https://www.state.gov/s/p/tt/
World Association of Non-Government Associations: https://www.wango.org/about.aspx
Association of American Publishers: https://publishers.org/job-center
Association of University Presses: http://www.aupresses.org/index.php
Publishers Marketplace: https://www.publishersmarketplace.com/jobs/
Department of Defense: https://www.defense.gov/
Department of Education: https://www.ed.gov/jobs?src=ft
Department of Health and Human Services: https://www.hhs.gov/
State Department: https://www.state.gov/
National Endowment for the Arts: https://www.arts.gov/
National Endowment for the Humanities: https://www.neh.gov/
Partnership for Public Service: https://ourpublicservice.org/careers/
“Searching for Jobs Outside the Academy?” by Christina Copland, July 30, 2018.
“Can You Train Your Ph.D.s for Diverse Careers When You Don’t Have One?” by Leonard Cassuto, August 22, 2018.
“Academic Job Searching for Dummies” by Gabriela Montell, March 16, 2001.
“Getting Psyched Up for the Market” by Mary Morris Heiberger and Julie Miller Vick, August 29, 2003.
“Your Official Job-Application Checklist” by David D. Perlmutter, October 21, 2012.
“Your Unofficial Job-Application Checklist” by David. Perlmutter, November, 19, 2012.
“The Repurposed Ph.D.” by Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow, November 1, 2013.
“Careers for Students of History” by Constance Schulz, Page Putnam Miller, Aasron Marrs, and Kevin Allen, 2002.