Academic Council on the State of the 2020 Job Market and AMA Interviewing

This statement has been updated as of 11/20/2020.

COVID-19 has changed the way we work as Marketing scholars and educators, and this dramatic disruption has created significant anxiety within our community. Over the course of the last six weeks, the AMA Academic Council has sought feedback from and listened to a variety of stakeholders who make up the Marketing academic ecosystem.

Supported by AMA staff, the AMA Academic Council has (1) conducted a survey of over 170 academic Marketing departments and over 250 authors who had their work accepted for presentation at this year’s Summer Academic Conference, (2) conducted a listening session that involved over 100 marketing doctoral students, (3) held targeted conversations with a diverse set of Marketing department heads, (4) closely monitored government advisories and policies related to events with large groups, and (5) tracked the approach taken by other academic groups such as Informs.

The feedback we received clearly indicates that doctoral students are facing a high degree of uncertainty and anxiety related to potential face-to-face interview restrictions and the uncertainty around how many universities will be recruiting for new faculty in the coming future. Additionally, the feedback indicated that a majority of the marketing departments still hope to have some form of in-person interview before hiring a faculty member.

The AMA Academic Council and AMA staff are committed to listening to your concerns, advocate on your behalf, and put measures in place to help doctoral students navigate the current circumstances.

Based on the research, the AMA Academic council has decided to postpone face-to-face (or physical) doctoral student interviews for this year’s Summer AMA Conference. Instead, these interviews will be held at the upcoming Winter Academic Conference in St Petersburg, Florida (February 19-21, 2021).  Interviewing should return to its standard schedule in August 2021.  

The AMA will also introduce new services to support an improved interview experience for hiring schools as well as doctoral students. These services will provide valuable help for schools that aim to engage in online interviews as well as those aiming to conduct face-to-face interviews.

In addition, the Council will release recommendations to university tenure committees and doctoral students regarding strategies for surviving and thriving in the COVID-19 environment.

The AMA has supported academic job placement in a variety of forms for over 100 years. We will continue to support interviewing, identification of strong applicants, and resources to help nurture the next generation of Marketing faculty. If you have questions, concerns or suggestions, please feel free to contact any of us at any time.

2019-2020 Academic Council Members