Title: Getting a Job In Academia
1Getting a JobIn Academia
- Jennifer Schopf
- Argonne National Lab
- April 13, 2002
- jms_at_mcs.anl.gov
2My Story
- 1998 was finishing PhD in CS at UCSD in hotarea
- Sent out 80 applications
- teaching, research, postdoc (labs)
- Accepted 15 interviews- 8 weeks of travel
- 12 offers, went to Northwestern Univ.
- 3 years later, went to Argonne National Lab
3Outline
- What to apply for (alternatives in academia)
- Where to apply
- Job Application Packet
- Interviewing
- Making Decisions
- Two-Body Problem
4Picking the Right Job for You
- Academia- University, Lab, Research
- Post Doc vs Faculty
- Teaching vs Research
- Large vs Small
5Benefits of Post Doc
- Lots of time for research
- Added publications
- Time to establish post-graduate career track
- Grant writing experience
- Build reputation
- Possibility of moving up in market
- More people to write letters for you
- Little or no administrative and teaching load
6Cons of Post Docs (In CS)
- Some post docs are tied to specific projects
- Not truly independent
- Some bias in the field - Couldnt you get a REAL
job? - Lower pay
- Relocating again in 2 years
7Applying for Post docs
- Talk to someone senior in your area
- Research institutions and national labs
- NSF
- NATA, NSERC Canada, Foreign embassies
- Applications generally by fall
8Limited Term Teaching Positions(Lecture or
Visiting Positions)
- Get lots of teaching experience
- May provide an opportunity to be at a better
department than otherwise possible - Flexibility with no commitment
9Teaching vs Research
- Teaching Schools
- Teach 5-6 classes per year (3-5 preps)
- Generally no PhD students, maybe MS
- Still expected to do some research
- 1 paper a year
- 1 grant (total) before tenure
- More committee work
- Less money (salary, startup, etc), less travel
10Research vs Teaching
- Research Schools
- 3-4 classes per year (after first)
- PhD and MS students
- Expected to spend MOST of your time on research
- Several papers a year, esp. journals before
tenure - Several grants before tenure- solo PI and joint
- Better chance to know your community
- Better money than teaching, more travel
11Large vs Small
- Large (25 faculty or more)
- Small fish in a bigger pond
- Instant collaborators - but beware of being
overshadowed - Well established procedures and support
- Small (15 faculty or less)
- Easier to establish independence
- Lots of dept extras
- Chance to build and influence
12Outline
- What to apply for (alternatives in academia)
- Where to apply
- Job Application Packet
- Interviewing
- Making Decisions
- Two-Body Problem
13Where to Find Open Positions
- http//www.cra.org/main/cra.jobs.html
- http//www.acm.org/cacm/careeropps/
- http//www.computer.org/careers/
- Word of mouth
- Send in an application anyway!
14How to Decide Where to Apply
- Professional
- Who/what else is nearby?
- What have other people said about the dept?
- Personal
- Geographically compatible - can you live there?
(weather, urban/suburban, hobbies) - Family issues
- Other opportunities
15Which Department to Apply to?
- CS/CE/ECE has no clear division
- . All 3 will advertise for operating systems!
- Applied Math/CS Theory
- Cognitive Science/AI Computer Science
- When in doubt, send to both
16How Many to Apply to?
- How many interviews do you want to go to?
- How competitive are you?
- How competitive are the schools?
- How focused is your search?
- Personally, I think more is better than less-
its just the cost of a stamp
17Timelines
- Now
- Get to know the people in your field
- go to meetings, go to talks, interact!
- Publish
- Dec/Jan - Applications for openings due
- Feb/April - Interviews
- (Mid-Jan/Feb - send out additional aps?)
- March/June - Offers
18Outline
- What to apply for (alternatives in academia)
- Where to apply
- Job Application Packet
- Interviewing
- Making Decisions
- Two-Body Problem
19Application Packet
- Cover Letter
- CV
- Research Statement
- Teaching Statement
- Papers
- Letters of Reference
- Similar for tenure-track, lecturer, postdoc, or
lab research position
20Cover Letter
- Departmental letterhead
- Dear Search Committee (Chair)
- NOT Dear Sir
- Your name (printed, not just signed)
- University, Advisor
- Area of research and when youre finishing
- Generally, not something to sweat - have one that
you alter slightly for each school
21CV
- Basic contact info- email, phone with dependable
messaging, web page (think about whats on it) - Education info- where, when, what
- Thesis title, advisor, completion date, summary
- Small research summary (3-4 sentences)
- Papers, posters, talks, presentations
- have links to them online
- Fellowships, awards, grants
- Service, other education, special programs
- List of letter writers and contact info for them
- email, snail mail and phone
22Research Statement
- What are you doing now, why is it important, what
is the main result they should associate with you - How does your work sit in your field
- What other projects have you been part of, what
was your role - What do you want to do next?
- Concrete, feasible, independent
23Teaching Statement
- Teaching philosophy
- Experience or prior teaching
- Mentoring experience
- have you worked with undergrads or summer
students? - Thoughts on classes you might like to teach or
develop
24Papers
- Can include copies of 1-3, but not more
- Make sure citations are on first page
- Should be recent, first author work
- In direct area of work you talk about as your
main result in your research statement
25Letters of Reference - Who?
- At least 3, probably 4, not more than 5
- One MUST be your advisor
- As senior as possible (at least one with tenure)
- As familiar with your work as possible
- Not all at your university, although academic is
considered better than industry (for academic
positions) - If youre applying to a teaching school, have one
that can address your teaching
26Letters of Reference - How?
- Ask early (November?)
- Give each writer a package with your job packet
PLUS extra papers, thesis chaps - Make SURE they get sent on time
- When they are requested, bug them to send!
- Give them a list of schools
- ask for sealed letters for each
- request that they be sent everywhere
automatically - Double check that they were sent (and triple
check and then ask again)
27Miscellaneous stuff
- Single-sided printing
- Reasonable spacing/fonts/copying
- Staple each thing separately
- Put your name on every packet (every page of your
CV) - Dont fold things up
- Have your entire packet online (sans letters) -
including your talk!
28Outline
- What to apply for (alternatives in academia)
- Where to apply
- Job Application Packet
- Interviewing
- Making Decisions
- Two-Body Problem
29Being Invited to Interview
- Be honest - would you go there if they made you
an offer? - Ask to speak with certain people (grad students,
a research group, someone in another dept) - Think about your travel
- east coast vs west coast
- several schools in one city at the same time
- Plan a day off in-between!
30During the Interview
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner (often w. host)
- Half hour meetings with each prof in the dept.
- Meeting with Chair, Dean
- Possible meeting with grad students
- Talk
- Your schedule WILL get messed up - be flexible!
31The Talk
- Often thought of as most important part of
interview - Judged for your research and area
- Judged for you ability to explain it to wide
range of researchers - Judged for teaching expectations
- Judges for interactions with audience
32Preparing the Talk
- Rule of thumb-
- 1/3 for everyone
- 1/3 for your area
- 1/3 to show youre good!
- Do 3 practice talks first- seriously!
- Tune your talk for different audiences
- Consider having different talks for research and
teaching schools
33Talk, cont.
- Have slides to throw out (not just at end)
- Have slides to add for common questions
- Speak clearly and loudly
- Be dynamic!
- Repeat the question back
- Think - is this a talk You would want to sit
through?
34Questions during the Interview
- Brief descriptions of your research- 1 sentence,
3 min, 10 min - practice these!
- What is the (single) most important contribution
of your research? - What is the most important new (recent) result in
your field? - Where do you publish/get grants from?
35Questions 2
- What are you currently working on?
- What will you work on next?
- Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10?
- What kind of projects do you want to have
students work on with you? (think grad, ms, and
undergrad)
36Questions 3
- Whats going on in group X (not your group) at
your current school? - What are your strengths/weaknesses as a
researcher/teacher? - Who would you expect to interact most with in
this department?
37Questions 4
- What courses would you like to teach?
- What do you like about teaching?
- What are you looking for in a department?
- What are you looking for in a startup package?
- Where else are you/have you applied?
- What kind of offers do you have?
38Questions 5
- Be honest
- Be direct
- Be discrete
- Dont say anything bad about anyone
39Illegal Questions and What to Do
- So, when are you going to get married?
- Oh you sound just like my mother
- So, when are you going to have a baby?
- Oh, you sound just like my father
- Arent you a little young to be starting in a
position like this? - My familys blessed with good genes, we all look
younger than we are - Generally, people asking these things will mean
well.
40Be Sure To Stay Reachable
- Have a cell phone with voice mail that you give
out as a contact number so people can find you on
the road - Take a portable with you- but check to make sure
everyone can handle portable slides - Get local dial-ups to check mail from the hotel
41Things to Make Your Life Better While
Interviewing
- Keep a notebook of thoughts
- Get enough sleep
- Watch your health
- Try to exercise, eat ok
- Take time for yourself/family
42Outline
- What to apply for (alternatives in academia)
- Where to apply
- Job Application Packet
- Interviewing
- Making Decisions
- Two-Body Problem
43The Offer
- Teaching load - often reduced for 1 year
- Committee load - often reduced for 1 year
- Salary - Taulbee survey
- http//www.cra.org/statistics/
- Startup funds (equipment, travel, summer)
- Student support
- Tenure clock
- Moving expenses (including your flight)
- Resources - space, admin, supplies, etc
44Negotiating Your Offer
- Decide what is absolutely non-negotiable to
accept the job - Some things are easier than others to argue
- Ask for the advice of your host
- You ARE expected to argue with what they give
you- do this!! - Dont be afraid to ask for a delayed start date
or adjusted tenure clock
45How to Choose Among Offers
- How hard do you want to work?
- Cohesiveness/environment of dept?
- Colleagues
- Big/little fish in a little/big sea
- Importance of getting big grants
- Likelihood of tenure
- Big science vs small science
46Things to Consider
- Quality of students
- Availability of students in your area
- Growth plan for department
- Department vision/leadership/standing within
university
47Choosing 2
- Relative importance of teaching/research/service
- Your vision vs department vision
- Quality of life!
- Environment/climate
- Cost of living
- Schools
48Outline
- What to apply for (alternatives in academia)
- Where to apply
- Job Application Packet
- Interviewing
- Making Decisions
- Two-Body Problem
492-Body ProblemApplication Tips
- Consider cities/regions with more than one univ.
or an active industry (SF, Boston, NY, Chicago,
Toronto, Vancouver, Paris, etc.) - Consider commuting distance
- Berkeley - Stanford - IBM Almaden
- Consider applying for a post-doc or temporary
teaching position - Apply to a little lower caliber institution
502-Body ProblemWhen to tell people
- Pros and cons of
- On the application
- At the interview
- At the offer
- Some schools have special funds for this
51The best pieces of advice I got.
- Dont say anything bad about anyone
- Keep a notebook of your experiences
- Stay as connected as you can
- Take some time for yourself
- Have fun with it - youll never be in a situation
where so many people want you and you dont have
to do anything ever again!
52References
- Me
- jms_at_mcs.anl.gov
- This talk
- www.mcs.anl.gov/jms/Talks/academicJob.ppt
- Getting a Job- CRA-W
- www.cra.org/Activities/craw/pubs.html
- Sample Job Packet
- www.cs.nwu.edu/jms/JobPacket/applic.html
- Ellen Spertuss info
- www.mills.edu/ACAD_INFO/MCS/SPERTUS/ job-search