Perfect Match: A Step-by-Step Guide to Landing a Leadership Position in Higher Education

Each process raises excitement and requires care and forethought in how you present yourself as a candidate, stand out from the crowd, and manage the earliest steps in the possible new relationship. Maria Thompson and Susan C. Turell's Perfect Match provides a unique, step-by-step guide to "dating" your prospective institution effectively and landing a leadership position in higher ed. You will also find in this book samples and templates for an effective cover letter, a curated CV, and an assessment of your prospective institution's degree of commitment to equity and inclusion.

"From crafting a compelling professional profile that captures the attention of search committees to leaving your current position and negotiating the terms of your new dream job, Thompson and Turell provide you with the tools and strategies you need to navigate the higher ed job search process with confidence and clarity. Whether you're a seasoned administrator looking for a new challenge or a rising star eager to make your mark, Perfect Match is your trusted companion for landing the right leadership role at the right institution for you." - Shannon B. Lundeen, Ph.D., Vice President of Programs and Operations, HERS (Higher Education Resource Services)

"Maria Thompson and Susan Turrell have created here a very pragmatic tool that can help higher education professionals who are thinking about next career steps. The format used provides concrete exercises and insightful questions that can help rising professionals learn more about themselves, focus on opportunities that likely will be most fruitful and rewarding, while at the same time avoiding career missteps." - L. Jay Lemons, President, Academic Search

From the Authors:

"We wrote Perfect Match as a comprehensive guide for those seeking a leadership position in higher education. You may have noticed that most other tips and guides are written generically. Often, guides assume a "one size fits all" approach, and sometimes ignore the needs of candidates who come from groups underrepresented in leadership. Unexamined, leadership is often defined from the perspective of those who hold identities with privilege: whiteness, maleness, straightness, able-bodiedness, and more. While the concepts and ideas in Perfect Match are applicable to everyone, we wrote this workbook with a lens to specifically support people who are underrepresented in leadership positions. Higher education needs leaders who bring expanded and more inclusive leadership styles, and who enter from different pathways-along with those who enter from more traditional ones. We include supportive ideas to assist underrepresented leaders in finding institutions that help them to thrive. From department chair and director to positions at the cabinet level, we need people new to leadership who bring inclusive perspectives. We hope this guide provides practical tips and insights on how to present yourself in the best possible light during the job search process."