2016/2017 Placement Timeline

Summer:

Keep your advisor informed on your progress.
Form a group of friends and colleagues who are willing to attend your practice talks and read drafts of your job market paper.
Sign up to present your paper in a Fall workshop; you may also want to present over the summer in 708-lite or 709-lite. Make sure that your advisor(s) have a copy of the seminar assessment form to complete.
If you don't have one already, write a draft of your job market paper! The earlier you have this finished, the more time you'll have to circulate it, get feedback, and make improvements before November.
Be aware of job-market opportunities that have early deadlines (see the list of "Notable Opportunities with Early Deadlines" here). If you want to apply for one of these positions, then you may need to get an early start on lining up your references and/or finish your job market paper ahead of the typical schedule.

Register for the AEA Annual Meeting, arrange your transportation, and book a room. The deadline for this isn't until December, but booking early ensures that you get a room in or near the main conference hotels.
Begin reading Job Openings for Economists and compiling a list of jobs that you're interested in. You may find it helpful to sign up to receive an e-mail notification when new issues are published.
Schedule a 708/709 presentation (the presentation must happen before October 24, 2016).

Prepare a CV, carefully following these instructions. E-mail your CV and draft of job market paper to your advisor for his or her feedback (before September 9, 2016)
Before submitting your CV, you will need to have three or four people (including your advisor) agree to write recommendations on your behalf. Let each of them know in person or by email that the deadline for getting their letter to Amanda Statland is November 10, 2016 (see below).
Incorporate your advisor's comments and send your edited CV and job market paper to Placement Directors Andrew and Felipe (Deadline: September 16, 2016).
Have your advisor send an e-mail to Placement Directors and Amanda authorizing you to go on the market (Deadline: September 16, 2016).
After we get back to you with our comments, send Placement Directors and Amanda your final CV incorporating these changes. (Deadline: September 30, 2016).
Have your website up and running (Deadline: October 1, 2016). See instructions here.
Having a CV, completed draft of the job market paper, the advisor authorization, and a website running as specified above are NECESSARY conditions to be included in the official placement list.

Present in 708/709 (Deadline: October 25, 2016).
Apply for positions with October deadlines (check whether letters are required in October).
Advisors to receive final draft of paper (Deadline: October 21, 2016). The paper should be posted online by October 30.
Placement directors to receive a one-page summary (Google doc) of research and job preferences (discuss these with your advisor beforehand) (Deadline: October 21, 2016).
Sign up for on-site interviews (we will send an email asking about this). Make sure you are free on October 19-21, 2016.
Generate a list of all the places you wish to apply and discuss with your advisors. Make sure they know your job preferences, and solicit their advice on your suitability for these jobs. All of your letter writers should know where you plan to apply.
Send placement directors an initial set of places that you are applying to (we will supply a Google sheet). (Deadline: October 30, 2016).
Let your advisor/s know if there are a few institutions you are particularly interested in, as they may be willing to contact colleagues at these institutions in support of your application.

Continue to polish and improve your job market paper. Produce cover letters, research and teaching statements as required. Post carefully-proofed new versions of these materials online.
Apply or begin the application process for positions (often this will only require you to post a CV).
Give Amanda pre-addressed labels or a file with email/web addresses and instructions for the places you would like your letters of reference to be sent (Deadline: November 3, 2016). If one of your advisors is handling their own letters you will need to provide these materials to them.
Contact your references to be sure that your letter will be ready before November 10th and give them a copy of the places you are applying to. It is the responsibility of the Faculty member to write and sign the letter and to pass it on to the Main Office. On November 11 check with your advisor that your letter has been sent to Amanda.
A few days after the November 10, 2016 deadline, double check that Amanda has received all of your letters of reference.
If you add new applications, send links / emails to Kelly promptly in new spreadsheets.
Create a Google document populated with your interviews and fly outs. Share with your advisor and the Placement Directors (Deadline: November 23, 2016). Keep it updated!

Throughout December, potential employers may contact you to schedule interviews at AEA. If you must travel, do not go anywhere where you won't be able to respond promptly to email and phone calls.
Practice your mock interview speech and job market seminar until you have them both down cold.
Sign up for a mock interview to help improve your interviewing skills (we will send more information about this in early December).
Keep us posted on how your job market is going (please!).

Interview at the AEA Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL (January 6-8, 2016). (Note that some employers begin interviewing the day before the conference officially begins).
Following AEA, potential employers will begin to contact candidates to schedule on-site interviews throughout January and February.

If you don't have a job yet, keep sending out applications and don't be discouraged! Also, participate in the Job Market Scramble, which AEA established to help facilitate communication between employers and job market candidates at this point in the job market.