Assistant professor of criminal justice skills for your resume and career

Colleges and universities fall into different categories which value different skills and accomplishments. The most obvious division is between schools that emphasize research and those that pride themselves on their teaching. Research institutions are looking for scholars who can publish a lot in exclusive journals and presses, thereby enhancing their reputation. They are looking for evidence of research skills: publications, awards, letters of recommendation that praise the candidate's writing and thinking. Teaching schools, on the other hand, are looking for excellent teachers. In the buyer's market we now have, they can require high research ability as well, but some will actually be scared off by too much research. They will worry that the candidate will focus on their research instead of their teaching and that they will seek to leave as soon as they can. These schools are typically looking for teaching experience, high student evaluations, and letters that single out these qualities for praise, whereas research schools typically don't care a lot about these sorts of things. Thus, the qualities one type of institution values, the other can be apathetic towards or even avoid. Teaching schools far outnumber research schools, so there are far more jobs in the former than in the latter.

Soft skills are most important to working once one has gotten a job rather than important to getting a job since those are quite difficult to discern from applications and brief interviews. That is one of the reasons schools can be wary of hiring with tenure; a person could look great on paper but be a nightmare to work with, and you're stuck with them.

I believe that tenacity, organizational skills and time management, and the ability to work long hours are crucial to getting tenure and succeeding in academia more broadly, in some ways more important than raw intelligence (if such a notion is coherent). Failure and rejection are endemic to the job; anyone who gets discouraged easily will do so. One must persevere in the face of sometimes harsh criticism and hostile conditions (especially now that much of the country has turned against higher education and the humanities in particular), and one must be able to juggle multiple responsibilities that make considerable time demands. In this, the tenure track resembles other early-career positions, such as medical residency or working towards partnership in a law firm. The untenured often must do the scut work that no one else wants to do, made more difficult by the fact that they are frantically trying to learn on the job with little to no guidance. It is not at all unusual for early-career professors to teach 4 classes per semester, at least some of which are new and/or large, do all the grading for them, serve on multiple committees, and write for elusive publications, all at once.

I would say being able to work with AI may be something that is more important in the next 3-5 years. Right now it’s a new technology and people are just now learning how to integrate it in the workplace, but I feel it is possible the future workforce of tomorrow will necessitate some form of being able to use AI technology.

I assume you mean the Criminal Justice workforce. The ability to think critically and make rapid decisions is vitally important when discretion is a key component of a position.

Being aware of options and the parameters, bringing them to a final appropriate choice in a given situation. An appropriate choice is governed by administrative, legal, political constraints. Discretion is oppositional to the administrative control of the individual; essentially, Criminal Justice employees, for the most part, are on their own when making important decisions in the field.

One must also understand the various cultures they will interact with and be able to communicate effectively with the diverse population they are likely to serve. So much of the job is mental. Obviously, familiarity with various techniques will be required depending on the position.

The ability to write in a coherent manner. A simple well-formulated email can leave an impression on a coworker or supervisor. Understanding Word, Excel, and other business programs is necessary. Understanding the difference between texting with a friend verses a coworker is essential. I believe right now, during the global pandemic, computer and technology skills will be very valuable. A lot of employers are expecting individuals to meet through Zoom and Microsoft teams calls. Technology allows people to work from home and still accomplish their job tasks. With new technology skills also brings new types of communication skills. Being able to communicate effectively while using online tools will be very valuable to employers.