A Career in Practice First Steps for Anthropologists - PowerPoint Presentation

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A Career in PracticeFirst Steps for Anthropologists

Riall W. Nolan

Purdue University

February 2014

Why This Webinar?

There are more opportunities for anthropologist practitioners than ever before.

Practice is the largest and fastest-growing sector of anthropology, and demand is increasing.

At the same time, training in anthropology does not usually emphasize the practice option

As a result, some of our best anthropologists are not well prepared for the demands of practice.

How Our Discipline is Structured

Inside the University

Outside the University

Applied

Anthropologists

Practicing

Anthropologists

Academic

Anthropologists

It isn’t just what you know, it’s what you can do with what you know

Commitment to, and acceptance of, social science as a mechanism for change and improvement

Orientation toward client problems and opportunities

Willingness and ability to work with diverse others toward solutions

Practitioners Think a Little Differently from Academics

How Practice is Structured

Main Practice

OptionsorBases

Freelancer

Business Head

Private-sector employee

Public-sector employee

Non-profit employee

University Employee

Key Characteristics of Practice

Orientation to change and improvementPrimarily client-focusedCollaboration with othersNew learning/new specializationsMore than just research

Work inside organizations

Work as a series of projects

Significant problems, real consequences

Responsibility for results

Results Means “Getting Things Done”

Solving problems

Producing results

Getting along with people

Helping them to get along with each other

Generating and using resources efficiently

Finding new and better ways to do things

Three Simple Steps To Getting Hired

1. Get on the List

2. Stay on the List

3. Get Chosen

Visioning

Networking

Info. Interviewing

SWOT Analysis

Portfolio Prep.More NetworkingMore Info. Interviewing

InterviewingNegotiating

Sector

Setting

Function

Base

Starting Points: Your Career Vision

What general area

do you want to work in?

Where

do you want to be located?

What

do you see yourself doing?

Who are you working for? What type of organization is it?

Your Values

What things do you feel

strongly

about

?

How do you strive to

live

?What do you respect in others?

Your Interests

What do you

like to do?What do you already know a lot about?What would you like to know more about?

Your Skills

What can you do that is

useful in several different areas?What things do you think you’re particularly good at doing?

Components of a Practitioner’s Job

Base:GovernmentCorporateNon-ProfitFreelance/Sole proprietorshipSmall businessUniversity

Sector:Social servicesPublic administrationAgricultureEnvironmentInt’l developmentManufacturingEducationMarketingPlanning

Function:ManagementProduction/implementationDesignEvaluation/assessmentData collection/analysisNeeds assessmentAdvocacyPolicy formulation

Anthropological Skills in the Job Quest

You know how to quickly find relevant data and extract its significance.You can pick up the salient points of “local culture” in a setting or organization.You are not daunted by difference. Instead, you’re curious about it.

You

are skilled at asking good

questions.

You are comfortable with

ambiguity.

You can modify your frameworks as you

learn.

You’re not just interested in answers. You’re also interested in what the questions are.

Networking To Identify Opportunities

Networking

provides connections, information,

advice,

and access:

Introduces you to role models and mentors

Provides guidance as you search for organizations and opportunities

Allows you to safely

test

your assumptions

and

expectations against reality

Can provide an entrée into specific agencies

Anthropological Methods You’ll find Useful in the Job Hunt

Domain Analysis:

figuring out how grad programs are defined, structured, and arranged, and identifying the values and concepts which drive them.

Informational Interviewing:

figuring out what the right questions to ask are, and how to ask them. And then figuring out what the answers mean.

Life Histories:

looking at the “career arcs” of students in the program, and afterwards.

Researching Organizations Through Informational Interviewing

What does this organization do and how does it do it?

What are working conditions like here?

What qualifications do you need to work here?

How do they make hiring decisions?

Doing a SWOT Scan

INTERNAL FACTORS

EXTERNAL FACTORS

Threats

Opportunities

Strengths

Weaknesses

Comparative Advantage

Investment/

Divestment

Damage Control

Mobilization

Putting Together Your Resume

A resume is

not

a CV

It is a

brief

account of your skills and accomplishments

It has only one purpose: to get you an

interview

It is not about you: it is about you

in relation to

someone else and their needs

Creating Your Resume

The best predictor of future performance is past performance

Therefore, stress what you have

accomplished

, not just what you

know

Of particular value:

Presentation and communication skills

Project and team management experience

Creative leadership and problem-solving

A range of research skills

The ability to “get things done”

Interviews: What They Will Ask You

Why are you here?

What do you bring?

What are you like?

What will it cost us?

Why did you come to us specifically? What are you seeking from us? What do you already know about us?

What makes you stand out? What are your key strengths, and how do these relate to what we do and what we need?

What’s it going to be like to work with you? How will you fit in with who’s already here? Is there anything about you we need to know?

Apart from the money, what else will we need to provide, or change, if we bring you on board? Do you have particular needs or preferences?

Explaining Yourself in the Interview

Pick 3-6 of your best accomplishments. Include difficult or “challenging” situations. For each:

Outline the problem, tasks, issues or opportunities

Describe your strategy or approach

Explain the skills and abilities you used

Emphasize the anthropology in what you did

Describe the outcomes you achieved

Your actions are central to the story, but be sure to acknowledge the work of others.

Connect your examples to your listeners’ needs.

What Do Anthropologists Contribute?

Social knowledge

– we put culture into the picture

Contextualization and integration

– we look further, for broader connections

Synergy

– we work well with other disciplines: e.g., engineering, medicine

Versatility

-- we don’t just do “research” – we plan, design, and manage.

Innovative

-- we often find things that others miss.

Social

-- we are very good at working with people.

Further Resources

AAA Career Center:

http://www.aaanet.org/profdev/

a

nd

http://www.aaanet.org/resources/practitioners

CoPAPIA

Report

Nolan,

Anthropology in Practice

Nolan (

ed

),

Handbook of Practicing Anthropology

Briller

Kedia

,

Domains of Practice

etc