C R A W April 2005 The Job Search Process & Later
Job-Related Decision Making Janie Irwin Penn State University Lori
Clarke University of Massachusetts, Amherst The Academic
Perspective
Slide 2
C R A W April 2005 Preparing for Your Job Search Actually
started several years before you thought you were looking Thesis
committee Thesis content and associated papers Contacts with other
researchers
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C R A W April 2005 Thesis Committee Pick a committee that can
help you develop your career. Of course they help define your
thesis and become a researcher, but they also Help in your job
search Letters from well-known researchers have greater impact Can
personally contact potential employers After you have a job, help
advocate on your behalf For committee assignments, panelists,
speakers, Not all your committee members have to be well connected
Can mix junior faculty with senior faculty
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C R A W April 2005 Thesis Content Not one size fits all Quality
and flavor of thesis impact job opportunities More applied results
helps with industrial jobs Theoretical component helps with
university jobs Pedagogical results helps with teaching college
jobs Thesis contributions need to match your job aspirations
Contributions might warrant a glowing letter for one type of
institution but not another Need to discuss a strategy with your
advisor so your results match your goals
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C R A W April 2005 Contacts with other Researchers Will be
covered in networking session, but Meet with visiting speakers Meet
with faculty candidates and note what styles work well Meet with
researchers at conferences
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C R A W April 2005 Decisions, Decisions Research University or
Teaching College Do you like teaching? Research? Both? Would you be
more comfortable in a big department or a small one? Do you want to
work with graduate students primarily? Undergraduates primarily?
What is your risk tolerance? How important is salary?
Location?
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C R A W April 2005 What is often not said Except for the elite
Oberlin 50, college teaching positions are hard to fill Pay is poor
compared to University and Industrial positions Teaching loads are
high (and no TA help) Teaching positions at research Universities
might pay better and have a lower teaching load, but usually little
status and usually a year-by-year contract
Slide 8
C R A W April 2005 What is often not said Most faculty get
tenure Most departments hire expecting/hoping to award the person
tenure Hiring and mentoring of junior faculty is expensive, in time
and money A big department investment so worth their while to make
you successful
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C R A W April 2005 What is often not said University positions
provide the most flexibility in terms of future options Difficult
to move from a teaching position to an industrial position UNLESS
you can show that your job skills are still current Very difficult
to move from a teaching or industrial position to a university
position UNLESS you have been publishing in high- quality
venues
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C R A W April 2005 What does this mean If you arent sure what
career path to chose and your advisor/committee are supportive, you
might want to consider a research or industrial research position
If it doesnt work out you can try something else If you are sure
what career path you want, make sure you can live with the
consequences
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C R A W April 2005 The Metrics Research university metrics
Papers in top conferences, a few journal papers/ submissions Great
letters (esp. strong advisor support) Good department fit (neither
too many in your research area or no one) Teaching college metrics
Papers in conferences Teaching enthusiasm (and experience) Factors
out of your control Number of slots, desirable areas, dept
politics, etc.
Slide 12
C R A W April 2005 The Application Packet Cover letter Well
crafted, complete CV Three to five references (email addresses) Two
page research statement Current research impacts, future vision
Include both short-term and long-term research goals One page
teaching statement Experience (e.g., TA), interests A well crafted,
complete, professional web page containing pdfs of papers
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C R A W April 2005 Initial Contacts Deciding where to apply
Check want ads (IEEE Computer, CACM,
www.cra.org/main/cra.jobs.html). www.cra.org/main/cra.jobs.html If
your faculty champion knows someone in a department you really are
interested in, have them contact them For certain fields, might
want to apply to more than one department in the same university,
e.g., CS and ECE Dont be too picky the market is tight right now!
If you are really interested in a particular department apply even
if they havent posted an ad. Be organized and do your homework
Spreadsheets of contacts, status Travel arrangements, local
information, maps, etc.
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C R A W April 2005 My Travel Form A one page form on which I
can keep track of all travel details Dates, destination, local
contact information Talk title Hotel information & confirmation
Flight schedule Ground transportation information Cost estimates
Registration information & confirmation (for conferences) Add
the filled out form to your tenure file as data collection
Slide 15
C R A W April 2005 The Selection Process Once your application
has been received, the department will decide whether to Ask for
letters Let you know that there is a no match But often you will
not hear anything no match Have your letter writers send their
letters Might help sway the recruiting committee A few will be
invited for an interview Ask your faculty champion to contact
people they know at the places you have applied and put in a good
word For some positions, can let people know that you are going to
be in the area
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C R A W April 2005 The Academic Interview The interview talk
(preferably early, not at the end) 30 minute one-on-ones May meet
faculty from more than one department (especially if research
interests overlap) Meet with department head/chair (and dean) Meet
with a small group of senior grad students Meals Goal: Convince
them that you will add strength to their department in important
areas (research, teaching and service) and will be a collegial
department citizen
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C R A W April 2005 The Talk Goals Convince them that you are
smart, that your research contributions are solid, that there are
promising problems to tackle next, and that you will be a good
teacher Broad enough at the beginning to appeal to the entire
audience Focused enough at the end to show off your research skills
and convince the experts in the audience (by this time youve lost
the generalists) Practice, practice, practice Give a practice-talk
to an audience of faculty and students from various research groups
People might ask questions from viewpoints that you have never
thought of!
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C R A W April 2005 One-on-Ones Goals Convince them they want to
work with you Decide if you want to work with them Do your homework
Have your 1 minute, 5 minute and 10 minute elevator talk ready
Check faculty out on the web, read some of their recent papers Know
how your research would fit with theirs and vice versa Have a list
of questions ready
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C R A W April 2005 Possible Questions Whats the best thing
about your department? Whats the worst? How does the department
make important decisions? Are there faculty retreats? Who do you
collaborate with? Where are last years PhD graduates working? How
many faculty have been tenured in the last five years (and how many
have not)? What is the typical course enrollment (lower division,
upper division, graduate)? What TA support is provided? How good is
the staff support (clerical and lab)? What is your approach to
recruiting students into your group?
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C R A W April 2005 Chair/Dean Meeting Goals Convince them they
want you in their department/college Decide if you want to be
there, decide if this is the right boss for you Do your homework
Have your 1 minute and 5 minute elevator talk ready Check
department/college out on the web Know how your research
complements the dept/ college Know which courses you would like
to/could teach Know possible funding sources for your research Have
a list of questions ready
Slide 21
C R A W April 2005 Possible Questions The one-on-one questions,
plus What is the standard teaching load? Can I create new courses?
Can I buy out of teaching? How is teaching evaluated? What is the
pre-tenure faculty review process? Are pre-tenure sabbaticals
possible? Are their Developmental Chairs for junior faculty? What
is the strongest department in the college? The weakest? What is
the largest department in the college? The smallest? Which are
slated for growth (if any)? What are the universitys IP policies?
What support groups/activities are provided in the
department/college/university for women faculty?
Slide 22
C R A W April 2005 Meals At most one drink Good topics for
conversation: travel, hobbies, kids, school sports, places and
events in/around campus Bad topics: politics, religion, conduct of
personal-life
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C R A W April 2005 Miscellaneous Tips Try not to schedule more
than one interview per week if possible Some interviews span more
than one day You want to be at your best at each place you
interview Schedule flights so that you arrive a little early (even
with flight delays) and so you dont have to run for the airport
right after your talk Take bathroom breaks Wear comfortable shoes
and a jacket you can take off during the talk if the room is too
warm Check out the weather forecast and take appropriate outer wear
Stay alert. Get plenty of sleep the night before, exercise if you
can, caffeine if needed
Slide 24
C R A W April 2005 Two Body Issues To tell or not to tell and
when ? Full disclosure in the cover letter The department can start
working on it early But some departments may not contact you that
would have otherwise Its not always obvious, especially if you have
different last names Insist on separate interviews and being
treated independently, but if you are willing to have a commuting
marriage say so, if not say so
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C R A W April 2005 Two Body Issues To tell or not to tell and
when ? Full disclosure only after contacted for an interview They
have already decided they are interested in you Make it clear what
you will accept and do not set up the interview unless those
expectations *might* be met If you require two positions in the
same department say so now, not after you arrive
Slide 26
C R A W April 2005 Two Body Issues To tell or not to tell and
when ? Full disclosure during the visit Can discuss your needs and
the options Can hear about options you had not realized were
available Full disclosure after an offer is being discussed
Department is definitely committed, but it is getting late to have
much impact
Slide 27
C R A W April 2005 To tell or not to tell and when ? The more
difficult it will be for a place to meet your needs, the sooner you
should reveal your situation If an institution is in a large city
with a number of options, there may not be any need for assistance
If an institution is in a rural setting with few local
alternatives, sooner is better than later Do your homework Know
what other opportunities are in the area and how well they might
fit your needs as a couple
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C R A W April 2005 After the Visit Send an email thanks to your
host and others who spent time/effort during your visit File for
travel reimbursements promptly Be sure to keep originals of all
receipts Be prepared to be flexible. Offers usually come in with
some time constraints. You may have to decide quickly Is a bird in
the hand really better than one in the bush?
Slide 29
C R A W April 2005 Always tell the truth This is a small, very
interconnected community Do not tell more than one institution that
they are your *first* choice Be forthright The people you are
dealing with do this every year
Slide 30
C R A W April 2005 Negotiating the Offer Start date Teaching
load and 1 st year teaching assignment Ask to teach an advanced
grad course your first semester Research start-up package RA
support, conference and funding agency travel funds, summer salary,
equipment, lab and RA space, committee service reduction,
teaching-load reduction Tenure clock issues (clock credit, clock
stoppage) Salary, benefits (medical, retirement) Subsidized
housing, moving expenses Campus parking location/cost, child care
facilities/cost
Slide 31
C R A W April 2005 Wrap-Up Choose a job that rewards you for
what you want to do If you never hear no, youre not asking for
enough But know when not to apply this rule
Slide 32
C R A W April 2005 Reading See Tips for a Massive Academic Job
Search (http://spertus.com/ellen)http://spertus.com/ellen Read Ms.
Mentors Impeccable Advice for Women in Academia by Emily Toth
Getting a Job, CRA-W Career Mentoring Workshops