This book is intended for individuals seeking first-time employment as full-time faculty in colleges or universities. Individual chapters address the following topics (sample subtopics appear in parentheses): (1) what colleges and universities look for in new faculty (the chances of becoming a professor and the ways in which colleges and universities may differ); (2) preparing one's job application credentials (establishing a track record through teaching, course evaluations, publications, paper presentations, and grant writing); (3) finding the right type of position to apply for (personal and institutional characteristics to consider); (4) the job search process and portfolio preparation (the formal and informal search process and the paper screening); (5) applying for and getting the position (the telephone screen, the on-campus interview, and the institution's decision); (6) negotiating a job offer; and (7) dual career issues (couple employment configurations, dual academic career problems and solutions, and problems and solutions for mixed career couples). An epilogue by Bruce A. Thyer considers alternatives if one can't find an academic position. (Contains 53 references.) (DB)