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Job-Market Reporting Thread (2025-26)
Job-Market Discussion Thread (2026-27)

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Job-market discussion thread (2026-27 season)

Given that jobs are beginning to be posted on PhilJobs for the next job cycle and things have been a bit slow around here, I figured now might be a good time to start this season’s job-market boards.

As many readers of the Cocoon may recall, each job season the Cocoon hosts two different job-market threads:

  1. A job-market discussion thread (the present thread): to commiserate about the market, discuss particular job ads, the market in general, questions about application materials, interviewing, alt-ac opportunities, and so on.
  2. A job-market reporting thread: to post news about interviews, on-campus visits, offers, rejection notices, etc.

This post will serve as the discussion thread, and as in the past I will open the reporting thread at a later date, closer to when most job applications become due (in the meantime, feel free to continue posting at the current reporting thread).

Because someone always asks, “Why two threads?”, there are a couple of reasons. First, some people may want to discuss the market but not stress over daily news regarding which jobs they still do or don’t have a chance for. Conversely, others may not want to discuss the market but just want news about the jobs they’ve applied for. Second, these threads can get very long already, so I think the best way for people to get the information they want in a well-ordered format is simply to have two threads.

A few final notes:

  • This thread (the post you are reading right now!) will be the home of this year’s job-market discussion thread. So, if you want to discuss this year’s job-market, just comment below.
  • Please reserve job-market news (i.e. interviews, on-campus visits, hires, etc.) for the job-market reporting thread (which again will be posted at a later date).
  • A ‘permalink’ to this thread will be on the upper right of blog’s right sidebar for the rest of the job season. –>
  • Because of Typepad’s functionality limitations (which only permits 100 comments before starting a new comment page), readers may elect to bookmark each new page of comments as each new page emerges. I recognize that it can be frustrating to scroll through page after page to get to new comments, and I think this is probably the best solution given Typepad’s functionality limitations.

Finally, as always, readers are asked to please bear in mind the Cocoon’s supportive mission. I try not to moderate with too heavy of a hand, as I don’t like to squelch reasonable discussion and debate. I also realize that the job-market can be an emotional roller-coaster, and that passions can run deep on job-market issues. But the Cocoon has always been intended to be an unique oasis of sorts: as a refuge for early-career philosophers to support each other and discuss issues related to their careers and the profession in productive, supportive way. So, I will moderate carefully to ensure that these threads remain a welcome environment for everyone–and, of course, if anyone has any concerns, please do not hesitate to let me know.

All that being said, discuss away!

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30 responses to “Job-market discussion thread (2026-27 season)”

  1. Anonymous

    PPR is obviously overwhelmed, possibly due to AI generated/assisted submissions. Is this true of other top-ish journals? Asking for a friend on the market with papers under review who is hoping to have decisions within the normal time frame.

    Reply
    1. Anonymous

      The situation at PPR seems to be getting worse since earlier this year, from what I heard and from other Cocooners reporting long wait times. Curious how long the backlogs must be at PPR and other top journals, and how well they are coping!

      Reply
    2. David Thorstad

      Phil Imprint and Phil Review make very fast desk decisions on many papers. They only keep you waiting if you have a decent chance of acceptance. I have never regretted sending them a paper. BJPS and Philosophy of Science are consistently good as well, if they are good fits for the paper. AJP has a history of decent behavior and decision times. (One good thing about PPR: they are very quick at getting papers up as early view / online first. They just did this for me within a week of acceptance.)

      I know you know this and probably hate me for repeating obvious unsolicited advice, but many people put too much emphasis on quick publications for job market outcomes, which tends to hurt them in the long run since the job market is increasingly a multi-year process for many applicants.

      Reply
      1. Anonymous

        Great advice! Could you elaborate a bit on the last point?

    3. Anonymous

      No idea if this generalizes but here’s a recent data point from a different journal: I’ve had my paper under review with Analysis for a year.

      Reply
      1. Anonymous

        Don’t pester them about it: a friend of mine did, got a rejection the next day even though one of the reports was a *conditional acceptance*.

  2. David Thorstad

    Yep! (I had to leave this as a reply to my earlier post because I couldn’t find a reply button next to yours.)

    Some people get lucky and land their dream tenure-track job on the first try. But most people spend a few years in postdocs or other temporary positions. (For example, I spent three years as a postdoc before landing a tenure-track job). What gets them out is slow and steady production of good work. Every year, you accumulate a better CV and start getting more and better interviews. But that doesn’t work if you undersell yourself by pushing out papers too quickly and compromising on paper quality or journal prestige. Then you end up with a CV that isn’t much better than the one that didn’t work the first time. It’s really hard to avoid compromising when you’re not sure where your paycheck will come from next year, and I don’t want to tell people how to live their lives when that is the case. But if you’re in a situation where you can wait and not compromise, it’s often better to wait.

    Reply
  3. Anonymous

    Did Bowdoin College fail their search last year?

    Reply
    1. Anonymous

      Yes, same search again

      Reply
  4. Anonymous

    Anyone else a bit worried that this cycle will be like the last one, i.e., lots of AI and some applied stuff and historical stuff but not much for M&E ± phil lang?

    Reply
    1. Anonymous

      M&E + lang has been pretty sparse since the pandemic at least.

      On paper, metaphysics had a good year last year, but I heard almost all the hires went to people already in permanent jobs.

      Reply
  5. Been on the Hiring Side Discussions

    Anonymous: there hasn’t been much “traditional” LEMM for years, maybe ever. But the AI hunts are just _begging_ for applied work from those fields!

    Reply
    1. Anonymous

      I suppose. I just have no stomach for it. Anything I’d produce would be negative, e.g., LLMs don’t have minds, can’t be conscious, are epistemically harmful on the whole (to an existential degree). Idk that AI friendly deans would be so keen on hiring me.

      Reply
      1. Anonymous

        I think you’d be fine if you make good arguments for these views!

  6. Anonymous

    Just lamenting. I think UK higher ed is so crappy now that many people who already have jobs will be looking for jobs. At least I am because I don’t know whether my job will be next to be cut.

    Reply
    1. Anonymous

      Anonymous, academics have to wake up. I worked outside the academy before I began this career, and everywhere out there knows you are ALWAYS on the job market. No one should get complacent … or your employer will screw you.

      Reply
      1. Anonymous

        i actually think this is probably not true in UK academia. Pay scales are pretty standardised. it’s very hard and time consuming to apply for jobs. you can get more money by getting promoted, and i don’t get the impression that employers try to undercut you during negotiations when you are hired. (The salaries are low, but pretty consistently low across the sector). Also there just isn’t much wiggle room for them like in the US. The job market will be flooded in the UK but it is for the reason anonymous cites: what used to be stable good permanent philosophy jobs feel precarious now, even at may major universities, because of a sector wide funding crisis. It’s a sad and scary situation.

      2. Anonymous

        I have worked in philosophy in three countries, and had a research stay in a fourth. Perhaps the UK is different, but my sense is that if you ever want to move in your career, then you have to act accordingly. Universities take their employees for granted.

      3. Anonymous

        From what I’ve heard, the UK experience resonates with the “constantly apply” model. A philosopher friend of mine was denied promotion until she had an interview; a non philosopher friend was put on an extremely low point on the pay scale until she had an offer from another university. From my small sample, universities are doing their best to pay as little as they can.

    2. Anonymous

      The incentive structure in higher education is terrible everywhere. TT or tenured people are incentivized to look elsewhere to get a reasonable income by leaving or through a retention offer, postdocs and PhDs need something to survive no matter how terrible, and we keep producing many more PhDs than there are or ever will be jobs if the current system remains intact. And the deeper we spiral into this incentive structure, the less collective bargaining power we have with administration. It’s a nightmare.

      Reply
    3. Anonymous

      totally understand you wouldn’t want to say what university you’re at, but would you be willing to give a general hint that doesn’t expose you so I can know what ‘caliber’ of universities is still below the high water line?

      Reply
      1. Anonymous

        If I do get a better job I’d like to, but for now, google

        [the name of the university you think you’d like to work for]
        +
        [severance] or [strike] or [redundancy]

        And you will have a decent idea of whether the job is precarious. Note that a precarious job typically also involves high teaching and marking.

        I think in the long run, high teaching and marking load will also undermine the attractiveness of the university to potential students and thus the financial situation of the university, as it directly translates into teaching quality.

  7. Anonymous

    Does anyone more senior in the profession have any thoughts on the optics of working for one of the new Civics Centers in Ohio and elsewhere? More specifically, I’m wondering if working for one would serve as a sort of scarlet letter were one to try to work elsewhere. I’d like to get a job but I also don’t want to screw over my long term career prospects.

    Reply
  8. Anonymous

    Hey y’all. Where does everyone find job ads? I typically rely on PhilJobs and HigherEdJobs. But I am wondering if there is another resource people use. Thanks!

    Reply
    1. Anonymous

      the PHILOS-L listserv posts Euro jobs

      Reply
      1. Anonymous

        Pro tip: you can check the Philos-L list every now and then online (link below) without having to subscribe and have it clog up your mailbox.

        https://listserv.liv.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa?A0=PHILOS-L

  9. Anonymous

    Just a light-hearted suggestion as you prepare for the job-market-wait-time-black-hole: consider making a PFO bingo card and deciding on a reward you will give yourself if you get BINGO. (That’s what I did when I was on the market several years ago, and I enjoyed it).

    Reply
  10. Anonymous

    someone in this thread writes about using published work as a writing sample. https://philosopherscocoon.com/2026/08/21/using-a-chapter-from-a-book-manuscript-under-contract-as-a-writing-sample/

    is that really what folks are doing? i’ve always sent unpublished work. this year i was planning on using a paper that is currently under review but has already been through a couple rounds of revisions

    Reply
    1. Anonymous

      I have predominantly used published work, as it is a certification that I’m good enough to be lucky. But this maybe just me: I have the tendency of overestimating the greatness of my manuscripts, and it would serve me well to have additional evidence that the work I use as writing sample is of decent quality. (I also have the feeling that journal prestige plays a role.)

      I keep the currently under review promising papers as the job talk.

      Reply
    2. Anonymous

      I have used both published and unpublished work as writing samples in job applications. The primary criterion I use is: what is the best thing I’ve written that falls within the AOS of the job ad? Sometimes this will be published work; other times, it will be work that is polished and far enough along in the process but hasn’t yet been accepted. You know your own work best–trust yourself to pick the best piece of writing!

      Reply

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