C R A W The Job Search Process

C R A W The Job Search Process & Later Job-Related Decision Making The Academic Perspective Janie Irwin Penn State University Lori Clarke University of Massachusetts, Amherst April 2005

C R A W Preparing for Your Job Search q Actually started several years before you thought you were looking Ø Thesis committee Ø Thesis content and associated papers Ø Contacts with other researchers Ø… April 2005

C R A W Thesis Committee q Pick a committee that can help you develop your career. Of course they help define your thesis and become a researcher, but they also Ø Help in your job search Letters from well-known researchers have greater impact ü Can personally contact potential employers ü Ø After you have a job, help advocate on your behalf ü For committee assignments, panelists, speakers, … q Not all your committee members have to be well connected Ø Can mix junior faculty with senior faculty April 2005

C R A W Thesis Content q Not one size fits all q Quality and flavor of thesis impact job opportunities More applied results helps with industrial jobs Ø Theoretical component helps with university jobs Ø Pedagogical results helps with teaching college jobs Ø q Thesis contributions need to match your job aspirations Ø Contributions might warrant a glowing letter for one type of institution but not another q Need to discuss a strategy with your advisor so your results match your goals April 2005

Contacts with other Researchers C R A W q Will be covered in networking session, but Ø Meet with visiting speakers Ø Meet with faculty candidates and note what “styles” work well Ø Meet with researchers at conferences April 2005

C R A W Decisions, Decisions Research University or Teaching College q Do you like teaching? Research? Both? q Would you be more comfortable in a big department or a small one? q Do you want to work with graduate students primarily? Undergraduates primarily? q What is your risk tolerance? q How important is salary? Location? April 2005

C R A W What is often not said q Except for the elite Oberlin 50, college teaching positions are hard to fill Ø Pay is poor compared to University and Industrial positions Ø Teaching loads are high (and no TA help) Ø 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 April 2005

C R A W What is often not said q Most faculty get tenure Ø Most departments hire expecting/hoping to award the person tenure Ø Hiring and mentoring of junior faculty is expensive, in time and money üA big department investment so worth their while to make you successful April 2005

C R A W What is often not said q University positions provide the most flexibility in terms of future options Ø Difficult to move from a teaching position to an industrial position UNLESS you can show that your job skills are still current Ø Very difficult to move from a teaching or industrial position to a university position UNLESS you have been publishing in highquality venues April 2005

C R A W What does this mean q If you aren’t sure what career path to chose and your advisor/committee are supportive, you might want to consider a research or industrial research position Ø If it doesn’t “work out” you can try something else q If you are sure what career path you want, make sure you can live with the consequences April 2005

C R A W The Metrics q Research university metrics Ø Papers in top conferences, a few journal papers/ submissions Ø Great letters (esp. strong advisor support) Ø Good department fit (neither too many in your research area or no one) q Teaching college metrics Ø Papers in conferences Ø Teaching enthusiasm (and experience) q Factors out of your control Ø Number of slots, desirable areas, dept politics, etc. April 2005

C R A W The Application Packet q Cover letter q Well crafted, complete CV Ø Three to five references (email addresses) q Two page research statement Ø Current research impacts, future vision Ø Include both short-term and long-term research goals q One page teaching statement Ø Experience (e. g. , TA), interests q. A well crafted, complete, professional web page containing pdf’s of papers April 2005

C R A W Initial Contacts q Deciding where to apply Ø Check want ads (IEEE Computer, CACM, www. cra. org/main/cra. jobs. html). Ø If your faculty champion knows someone in a department you really are interested in, have them contact them Ø For certain fields, might want to apply to more than one department in the same university, e. g. , CS and ECE Ø Don’t be too picky – the market is tight right now! If you are really interested in a particular department apply even if they haven’t posted an ad. q Be organized and do your homework Ø Spreadsheets of contacts, status Ø Travel arrangements, local information, maps, etc. April 2005

C R A W My Travel Form q. A one page form on which I can keep track of all travel details Ø Ø Ø Ø Dates, destination, local contact information Talk title Hotel information & confirmation Flight schedule Ground transportation information Cost estimates Registration information & confirmation (for conferences) q Add the filled out form to your tenure file as data collection April 2005

C R A W q The Selection Process Once your application has been received, the department will decide whether to Ask for letters Ø Let you know that there is a “no match” Ø ü q But often you will not hear anything → “no match” Have your letter writers send their letters Ø Might help sway the recruiting committee A few will be invited for an interview q Ask your faculty champion to contact people they know at the places you have applied and put in a good word q For some positions, can let people know that you are going to be “in the area” q April 2005

C R A W The Academic Interview q The interview talk (preferably early, not at the end) q 30 minute one-on-ones Ø May meet faculty from more than one department (especially if research interests overlap) q Meet with q Meals department head/chair (and dean) a small group of senior grad students q 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 April 2005

C R A W q The Talk Goals Ø 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 q Focused enough at the end to show off your research skills and convince the experts in the audience (by this time you’ve lost the generalists) q Practice, practice q Ø Give a practice-talk to an audience of faculty and students from various research groups ü People might ask questions from viewpoints that you have never thought of! April 2005

C R A W One-on-Ones q Goals Ø Convince them they want to work with you Ø Decide if you want to work with them q Do your homework Ø Have your 1 minute, 5 minute and 10 minute elevator talk ready Ø Check faculty out on the web, read some of their recent papers Ø Know how your research would fit with theirs and vice versa q Have a list of questions ready April 2005

C R A W q q q q q Possible Questions What’s the best thing about your department? What’s the worst? How does the department make important decisions? Are there faculty retreats? Who do you collaborate with? Where are last year’s Ph. D 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? April 2005

C R A W Chair/Dean Meeting q Goals Ø Convince them they want you in their department/college Ø Decide if you want to be there, decide if this is the right “boss” for you q Do your homework Ø Have your 1 minute and 5 minute elevator talk ready Ø Check department/college out on the web Ø Know how your research complements the dept/ college Ø Know which courses you would like to/could teach Ø Know possible funding sources for your research q Have a list of questions ready April 2005

C R A W Possible Questions The one-on-one questions, plus q What is the standard teaching load? Can I create new courses? Can I buy out of teaching? How is teaching evaluated? q What is the pre-tenure faculty review process? q Are pre-tenure sabbaticals possible? q Are their Developmental Chairs for junior faculty? q What is the strongest department in the college? The weakest? q What is the largest department in the college? The smallest? Which are slated for growth (if any)? q What are the university’s IP policies? q What support groups/activities are provided in the department/college/university for women faculty? April 2005

C R A W Meals q At most one drink q Good topics for conversation: travel, hobbies, kids, school sports, places and events in/around campus q Bad topics: politics, religion, conduct of personal-life April 2005

C R A W q Try not to schedule more than one interview per week if possible Ø Ø q q q Miscellaneous Tips 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 don’t 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 April 2005

C R A W Two Body Issues To tell or not to tell – and when ? q Full disclosure in the cover letter Ø The department can start working on it early ü But some departments may not contact you that would have otherwise Its not always obvious, especially if you have different last names Ø Insist on separate interviews and being treated independently, but Ø ü if you are willing to have a commuting marriage say so, if not say so April 2005

C R A W Two Body Issues To tell or not to tell – and when ? q Full disclosure only after contacted for an interview Ø They have already decided they are interested in you q Make it clear what you will accept and do not set up the interview unless those expectations *might* be met Ø If you require two positions in the same department say so now, not after you arrive April 2005

C R A W Two Body Issues To tell or not to tell – and when ? q Full disclosure during the visit Ø Can discuss your needs and the options Ø Can hear about options you had not realized were available q Full disclosure after an offer is being discussed Ø Department is definitely committed, but it is getting late to have much impact April 2005

C R A W To tell or not to tell – and when ? q 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 Ø If an institution is in a rural setting with few local alternatives, sooner is better than later Ø q Do Ø your homework Know what other opportunities are in the area and how well they might fit your needs as a couple April 2005

C R A W After the Visit q Send an email thanks to your host and others who spent time/effort during your visit q File for travel reimbursements promptly Ø Be sure to keep originals of all receipts q Be prepared to be flexible. Offers usually come in with some time constraints. You may have to decide quickly Ø Is a bird in the hand really better than one in the bush? April 2005

C R A W Always tell the truth q This is a small, very interconnected community q Do not tell more than one institution that they are your *first* choice q Be forthright Ø The people you are dealing with do this every year April 2005

C R A W Negotiating the Offer q Start date q Teaching load and 1 st year teaching assignment Ø Ask to teach an advanced grad course your first semester q Research start-up package Ø RA support, conference and funding agency travel funds, summer salary, equipment, lab and RA space, committee service reduction, teaching-load reduction q Tenure clock issues (clock credit, clock stoppage) q Salary, benefits (medical, retirement) q Subsidized housing, moving expenses q Campus parking location/cost, child care facilities/cost April 2005

C R A W Wrap-Up q Choose a job that rewards you for what you want to do q If you never hear “no, ” you’re not asking for enough Ø But know when not to apply this rule April 2005

C R A W Reading q See “Tips for a Massive Academic Job Search” (http: //spertus. com/ellen) q Read Ms. Mentor’s Impeccable Advice for Women in Academia by Emily Toth q “Getting a Job”, CRA-W Career Mentoring Workshops April 2005