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The Job-Search Process

The Job-Search Process. Kathleen Fisher Amy Gooch AT&T Labs Research University of Victoria, BC Grad Cohort 2008. You’re graduating!. Exciting but nerve-wracking time: finishing up thesis looking for a job Don’t be too hard on yourself!. Finding your job.

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The Job-Search Process

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  1. The Job-Search Process • Kathleen Fisher Amy Gooch • AT&T Labs Research University of Victoria, BC • Grad Cohort 2008

  2. You’re graduating! • Exciting but nerve-wracking time: • finishing up thesis • looking for a job • Don’t be too hard on yourself!

  3. Finding your job • Your application • Preparing your job talk • Preparing for an interview • The big day! • After the interview... • Managing offers • But that’s a long way off! September May

  4. What do you want? • What kind(s) of position are you looking for? • Research university? Research lab? Teaching college? Post Doc? Development? September-October

  5. What do you want? • Where are you (and any significant other) willing to live? • West coast? East coast? International? Urban? Rural? ...? • Consider cost of living September-October

  6. What’s available? • Job market changes every year • Information sources: • CRA web site http://www.cra.org/highlights/student.html • Communications of the ACM • http://athena.systers.org/mailman/listinfo/phdjobhuntHers • Talk to your advisor, other mentors, ... • Post docs generally through word of mouth. September-October

  7. Tips • With the help of your advisor, identify “stretch,” “eye-level,” and “safety” institutions. • Don’t apply somewhere you are 100% sure you won’t go. • But, keep an open mind! You might be surprised what you end up liking the best. • Note due dates (November, December)!

  8. Your application • Cover Letter • Curriculum Vitae (CV) • Research and teaching experience, jobs held, talks given, papers published, refereeing, other service... • Research Statement • What is your vision for your research? • Teaching Statement (except for labs) • What is your vision for teaching? • Letters of recommendation (3-5) • Transcript (sometimes) October

  9. Update your Web Page • Make it simple to navigate, fool proof, minimize clicks • Contains: • Contact information (email and snail mail) • Publications (links to papers, abstracts, etc) • Research (short description, bio, etc) • link in your research statement (pdf) • Teaching (links to classes you've taught, TA'd etc) • link in your teaching statement (pdf) • Service (List service to the community) • CV (pdf) October

  10. Address (email, snail mail) Education, include pending PhD Employment history Teaching Summary Papers: if you have enough, distill into Juried Papers Non-juried Papers (tech reports, course notes, etc.) Funding/Honors Community Activities (reviewing experiences, invited talks, etc.) References at least 3, email/snail mail; interdisciplinary (if possible) Your CV October

  11. Tips • Look at materials from friends from previous years (those who did well :-). • Start drafting early! • Show result to advisor and other faculty members. • Revise, revise, revise! • It is worth investing a lot of time.

  12. Identifying letter writers • With advisor, develop a list of candidates: • Familiar with your research • Respected in the academic community • Possible sources (in addition to advisor): • Internship advisors • Members of your research community • Members of your reading committee • Other professors at your institution Early November

  13. Tips • Ask letter-writers way in advance of deadlines. It takes a lot of work to write a good letter! • If they say ‘no’, don’t press; find someone else. • Give them a copy of your application materials. • Ask them if they need any more information. • Give them a list of the institutions/deadlines. • Keep track of which schools have which letters; send gentle reminders if necessary. • Thank them & tell them where you end up!

  14. Wait...

  15. Preparing a job talk • Goal of a job talk is to convince a broader audience • Identified an important and difficult problem • Have an innovative and effective solution • Concrete ideas for a future research agenda • 5 year focus, 20 years of research within you • You will be a strong contributor to their scholarly community • Balance theory and practice • Evaluation of your research • 45 minutes long December/January

  16. Tips • Iterate with your advisor: outline and talk. • Give practice talk to wide audience at your institution and incorporate feedback. • Implore audience to ask questions, even weird ones. • Assume questions being asked are easiest possible, rather than most difficult. • Video your talk and (gulp!) watch it. • Practice until you are comfortable but not bored.

  17. Preparing for an Interview • Do your homework! • The web, your advisor, research colleagues, ... • Questions to find answers to: • What are faculty members doing? • What research projects are going on? • How might your work relate to theirs? • What is the curriculum like? • How would you fit into the department? Before each interview

  18. Preparing for your visit • Look at Department • But don’t be a know it all • Town/City • This is your life, you have to live and be happy • Cost of living • Services • www.realestate.com • Call a realestate agent (free tour)

  19. Interviewing • 1 to 2 days of talking! • Make it easy on yourself, ask them to tell you what they do • People who spend most of the time talking to themselves and who are listened to like the people who listen better. • Personality test • Meals: are still part of the interview • Don’t drink too much, eat too fast or too slow • Manners • Interview only stops when you are alone and on the plane

  20. Questions to answer • Tell me about your thesis and other work you have done? • What do you want to work on next and why? • Why you are interested in this institution? • What courses would you like to teach and why? • Why are you interested in teaching? • What is your philosophy of teaching students? • Do you have questions for me?

  21. Questions to ask • What is like to work here? • Do senior faculty/researchers mentor junior? • How are decisions made in the organization? • Are professors/researchers encouraged to collaborate with each other? • Do faculty have awards (Sloan, MS, support for nominations)? • Does the organization have regular social events? • How are students supported? • How do students find advisors?

  22. More questions to ask • How are teaching assignments made? • How are new courses introduced into the curriculum? • What is the committee assignment process like? • How does the department relate to the rest of the university? • How will I be evaluated? • What is the tenure process like?

  23. Your startup package • Start-up money • Student support • Summer months • Teaching load • Teaching waiver • Space • Moving expenses

  24. Tips • Make sure you get to talk to a woman professor or two; watch how women are treated in the department. • Make sure you get to talk to a bunch of students to “see” the department from their perspective.

  25. The big day(s)! • Don’t book yourself into crazy travel! • Get plenty of sleep & eat well. • Enjoy and have fun (to the extent you can) • Try to imagine yourself in the environment: • Do you have a good time? • Do you want these people as your colleagues potentially forever?

  26. Tips • Interpersonal skills are important. • Do they want you as their colleague? • Don't say negative things about other institutions or people. It can come back to haunt you! • Consider when or whether to mention any two-body challenges. • Make sure your host tells you what to expect in follow up.

  27. After the interview • Go home after first interview, to recover and get support. • Schedule down time generally! • Talk to advisor: may be getting feedback. • Send notes thanking people you particularly enjoyed talking with. • Follow up with anything you said you would do.

  28. Wait...

  29. Managing offers • Celebrate success; Don't take rejection personally • Evaluate strengths/weaknesses of each offer • Negotiate! (deadline, package, etc.) • Talk openly to your significant other • Imagine yourself in each place, how you feel • Inform other schools when offers arrive April/May

  30. Two-Body Problem • Get it in writing • Look for previously solved two-body problems April/May

  31. But that’s a long way from now...

  32. In the mean time... • Publish (good) papers! • Review papers • Network at conferences so people know you (letters!) • Do internships at various kinds of institutions • Watch professors around you • TA, help write a grant proposal, serve on committees • Pay attention to how your institution does hiring • Go to job talks! • Meet with speakers in student session • Be able to talk knowledgeably about many areas of cs.

  33. Questions? http://webhome.csc.uvic.ca/~agooch/AcademicJobSearch.html

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