looking ahead to summer...

I just gave a "Finding a Job After Graduation" seminar to a group of engineering graduate students yesterday. The focus was on finding an academic position, but much of what I discussed - breaking down the keywords in the position announcement, researching the institution, finding out about the community where you would be living - is very similar to what you need to do if searching for a non-academic position.

So, for those of you who are interested in entering academia after graduation and looking for that most-elusive tenure track faculty position, I have some advice on what to do this summer to prepare for "application season."

Preparing for Application Season
1. Update your CV

Haven't looked at your CV since your undergrad years? Was it still just in it's "resume" stage? Still waiting for that caterpillar to turn into a beautiful butterfly? Have no idea what I'm talking about when I say CV? 

CV stands for curriculum vitae. Basically, your life's work. Your resume (1 - 2 pages, max) on steroids (or fattened up depending on how you look at it). I recommend having a document where you compile everything you've ever done, no matter how trivial you think it may be, and keep one document that is your CV-ALL. Keep it updated regularly, and even if you're not sure if something should be in there, put it in anyway. For example, your section on "presentations" should not only include presentations, but any guest lectures you've done while your advisor was out of town, or course modules you taught. It could include presentations to elementary or high school student groups about your research. Think outside the box. You can always pare it down and tailor it better at a later date. 

Make sure you do not leave out what I call Leadership/Service. Institutions that hire you are looking for a well rounded person who can contribute outside of the department as well. You most likely will be required to in the form of "service." You will need to serve on committees addressing faculty and campus issues, and most institutions are focused on their link to the local community. If you've done volunteer work, served as an officer for a student (or national) organization, that's important. You're more than just your research. If your research is up to par and your educational background meets their needs, then they'll want to know if you'll get along with their faculty. Every person who reads your CV will be looking for a way to relate to you. 

2. Draft your statements of research and teaching interests

Most faculty positions you'll apply for will be asking for a cover letter, CV, references, and then most will ask for either a statement of teaching interests (or teaching philosophy) or a statement of research interests...or both. If it's a school focused on teaching excellence, they may not ask for a research statement, but most research-focused programs will still ask for a statement of teaching interests. 

I say draft for a very good reason. Each of your application materials (except for your transcripts...for obvious reasons) should be tailored to the school/institution/organization where you're applying. In your statement of teaching interests you should discuss some of the courses they offer that you'd feel comfortable teaching. In your statement of research interests, you should discuss labs/resources on their campus that you're interested in working in, what faculty you'd look forward to collaborating with, etc. 

3. Draft a cover letter***

This is a little more tricky and I recommend this with some trepidation. WHEN YOU START APPLYING FOR POSITIONS, DO NOT SEND A FORM LETTER. Whew. I'm glad I got that out of my system. Your cover letter is the document that is most tailored to the position you're applying for. It will be based strongly on what they've stated in their position announcement. Are they focused on research? Highlight your research background. Are they focused on excellence in teaching? Focus on your classroom experience and your interactions with students. Show them that you did research about their institution. You might want to address any discrepancies between what they're looking for in the position, and your experiences, what you might be lacking, and how you would remedy that, or what else you can "bring to the table." You can address disconnects in your CV...perhaps you started in a completely different major...and how that makes you able to bring a unique perspective to the position/department. Above all GIVE THEM THE INFORMATION AND THE DOCUMENTS THEY ASK FOR.

Your cover letter is your ticket to their short list for an interview. Make it amazing, and get an interview. Send a form letter, don't write the letter for the position posted, have typos and poor grammar, and it's a quick trip to the discard pile. 

4. Get to know yourself...

Before you even think about applying for any kind of position, you need to know yourself and answer the following questions:

• How flexible are you?

Are you willing to move across the country? Are you willing to take a post-doc position (or two) that will last one to two years before you have to move again? Do you need to make sure that a significant other will have a job that s/he can take where you move?

• What type of institution do you want to work for?

In the land of academia, do you want to work at a large research-focused institution, a small liberal arts college (SLAC), a community college, or something in between? Why? Do you want to work in academia at all? In the consulting world, there's a big difference between large and smaller firms in terms of responsibility and how broad your experiences are. What about government? 

• Do you like (or can you be ok with the risk of) rain, snow, hurricanes, earthquakes, heat?

What part of the country/world would you like to work? Is there anywhere you could never, ever, in a million years, see yourself? If you grew up in the southern United States, could you move to a cold climate where they get feet of snow every winter, and there are more gray days than sunny? Would you rather be cold than hot because there are only so many layers of clothes you can take off, but you can always put on more? (That's a little closer to my philosophy, personally...) If you like your job, but are miserable all the other hours of the day, you probably aren't going to be there long and probably aren't going to be much fun to work with.

• Do you want (need) to be near a large metropolitan area and all that has to offer, or are you dreaming of wide open land with very few neighbors?

Would you shrivel up without an active night life and music scene, or does quiet and not seeing cars for miles make you euphoric? THERE IS LIFE OUTSIDE OF WORK. Even if you love your job, you need to have activities and contacts outside of work for the days it doesn't go so well. You need to be fulfilled both professionally and personally. 

~~~

Applying for positions can be a full time job, so if you have some time to get a relaxed head start over the summer, do the prep work now so you're not so embroiled when it comes time to apply. Contact your references far in advance and let them know you're going to be applying for positions in the fall. Provide them with your application materials, the positions listing, and any other notes they may need. Give them plenty of time to get your letters in, and make it clear that you will be following up with them as deadlines near. Professors are busy so make sure you stay on their radar. 

Find a few good people to review your documents for grammar, typos and how they read. In some cases having people outside your discipline is a good idea. If they can understand your statement of research interests, that's a good thing. You never know who will be on the search committee. Commonly, there are at least one or two people outside the department, and even in the department, faculty have a wide range of backgrounds. If they can't understand your work, it doesn't make you look smart, it makes them feel like they can't recommend you if they have no idea what you do (at best) or ticks them off (far worse).

Read this article, How New Graduate Students Should Spend Their Summers, and look on the Chronicle for other resources from writing letter of reference and teaching to writing your CV. Another awesome resource for applying for academic positions is The Professor Is In. Read about her background and why she does what she does. It resonates with what my goals are as a GA and the frustrations that I think graduate students face. She offers a lot of free resources as well as consulting for a fee. 

Finally, you can always set up an appointment to meet with me. We can talk about your career goals, go through a job search session, I can review your documents and answer questions about the process of interviewing for a faculty position. And I don't charge a fee. It's my job. Just email me at dfarver(at)uark(dot)edu. 

Good luck. I look forward to hearing from you.

~~ Dawn