By Jennifer Ann Morrow, Ph.D.
Introduction:
Hi! My name is Jennifer Ann Morrow and I’m an Associate Professor in Evaluation Statistics and Methodology at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. I have been training emerging assessment and evaluation professionals for the past 22 years. My main research areas are training emerging assessment and evaluation professionals, higher education assessment and evaluation, and college student development. My favorite classes to teach are survey research, educational assessment, program evaluation, and statistics.
What’s Out There for Program Evaluators?
What kind of jobs are out there for program evaluators? What organizations hire program evaluators? Where should I start my job search? What should I submit with my job application? These are typical questions my students ask me as they are considering joining the evaluation job market. Searching for a job can be overwhelming and with so many resources and websites available it can be easy to get lost within all of the information when searching for a job. Here are some strategies that I share with my students as I help them navigate the program evaluation job market, I hope you find them helpful!
First, I ask the student to describe their skills/competencies that they have and what types of skills they believe they are strong in (and hopefully enjoy doing!). In our program we use the American Evaluation Association Competencies (https://www.eval.org/About/Competencies-Standards/AEA-Evaluator-Competencies) in a self-assessment where we have students rate how confident they are in their ability to perform each competency. We have them rate themselves and provide strategies for how to remedy deficiencies each year that they are in our program. Conducting a self-assessment of your skills/competencies and strengths and weaknesses is a great way to help figure out what types of jobs best fit your skillset. It is also helpful when crafting a cover letter! Check out the resources for additional examples of self-assessments!
Second, I have students create/update their curriculum vita (CV) and resume. Depending on the jobs that they plan on applying for they may need a CV or a resume. I tell them to use the information from their skills self-assessment and their graduate program of study to craft their CV/resume. I also have them develop a general cover letter (these should be tailored for each specific job) that showcases their experience, skills, and relevant work products. There are a ton of resources available online (see some listed below) and I share with them example CVs/resumes and cover letters from some of our graduates. I also encourage them to get feedback on these from faculty and peers before using them in a job application.
Third, I encourage students to develop (or clean up current ones) a social media presence. I highly recommend creating a LinkedIn profile (My LinkedIn Profile). Make sure on your profile that you showcase your skills, education, experiences and make connections with others in the Program Evaluation field. LinkedIn is also a great place to search for evaluation jobs! I also recommend to students to create an academic website (Dr. Rocconi’s Website). On your website you go into more detail about your experiences, share work products (e.g., publications, presentations, evaluation reports). Make sure you put your LinkedIn and website links at the top of your CV/resume!
Fourth, I provide my students tips for where and how to search for program evaluation jobs. I encourage them to draft relevant search terms (e.g., program evaluator, evaluation specialist, program analyst, data analyst) and make a list of job sites (see resources for some of my favorites!) that you are going to use to search for jobs. For a lot of these job sites you can search for key terms, job title, location, salary, etc. to help narrow down the results. Also, for many of these job sites you can sign up for job alerts based on your search terms where they will send you an email when a new job fits your search terms. I also encourage students to join their major professional organizations (e.g., AEA) and sign up for their newsletter or listserv as many job opportunities are posted there.
Lastly, I tell students to create an organized job search plan. I typically do this in Excel but you can organize your information in a variety of formats and platforms. I create an Excel file that contains all of the jobs that I apply for (i.e., name of organization, link to job ad, contact information, date applied) and a list of when/where I am searching for job. When I was actively searching for jobs I dedicated time each week to go through listserv emails and search job sites for relevant jobs to apply for. I then updated my excel file each week during my search. It helps to keep things organized in case you need to follow-up with organizations regarding the status of your application.
So, good luck on your job search and I hope that my tips and resources are helpful as you start your journey to becoming a program evaluator!
Resources
American Evaluation Association Competencies: https://www.eval.org/About/Competencies-Standards/AEA-Evaluator-Competencies
Article about How to Become a Program Evaluator: https://www.evalcommunity.com/careers/program-evaluator/
Article about Program Evaluation Careers: https://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2008/12/11/best-kept-secret-career-program-evaluator
Article about Program Evaluation Jobs: https://www.evalcommunity.com/job-search/program-evaluation-jobs/
Creating a LinkedIn Profile: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/linkedin-profile-perfection-cheat-sheet
Creating an Academic Website: https://theacademicdesigner.com/2023/how-to-make-an-academic-website/
Evaluator Competencies Assessment: https://www.khulisa.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/2020-Evaluator-Competencies-Assessment-Tool-ECAT_Final_2020.07.27.pdf
Evaluator Qualities: https://www.betterevaluation.org/frameworks-guides/managers-guide-evaluation/scope-evaluation/determine-evaluator-qualities
Evaluator Self-Assessment: https://www.cdc.gov/evaluation/tools/self_assessment/evaluatorselfassessment.pdf
Program Evaluation Curriculum Vita Tips: https://wmich.edu/sites/default/files/attachments/u1158/2021/Showcasing%20Your%20Eval%20Competencies%20in%20Your%20Resume%20or%20Vita%20for%20PDF.pdf
Program Evaluation Resume Tips: https://www.zippia.com/program-evaluator-jobs/skills/#
Resume and CVs Resources: https://www.careereducation.columbia.edu/topics/resumes-cvs
Resume and Job Application Resources: https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/careerservicescenter/resumesandmore
Six C’s of a Good Evaluator: https://www.evalacademy.com/articles/2019/9/26/what-makes-a-good-evaluator
UTK’s Evaluation Methodology MS program (distance ed): https://volsonline.utk.edu/programs-degrees/education-evaluation-methodology-ms/
AAPOR Jobs: https://jobs.aapor.org/jobs/?append=1&quick=industry%7Csurvey&jas=3
American Evaluation Association Job Bank: https://careers.eval.org/
Evaluation Jobs: https://evaluationjobs.org/
Higher Ed Jobs: https://www.higheredjobs.com/
Indeed.com: https://www.indeed.com/
Monitoring and Evaluation Career Website: https://www.evalcommunity.com/
NCME Career Center: https://www.ncme.org/community/community-network2/careercenter
USA Government Job Website: https://www.usajobs.gov/