2013 CRA-W Graduate Cohort Workshop

The PhD Job Search Process

Natalie Enright Jerger (U Toronto)

Hillery Hunter (IBM Research)

Erin Treacy Solovey (MIT)

With thanks to Mary Fernandez, Nancy Amato, Margaret Martonosi, Kathleen Fisher, Anne Condon, Amanda Stent

Why Now?Why Now?

• Work back from your goal– To get a job you need:

• Publications, experience, connections….

– To get them you need:• Research, internships, conferences, service,

teaching experience, networking…

– To know what you want, you need:• Academic/industry experience, mentoring,

awareness, exploration

• It starts now

RememberRemember

• You are intelligent

• You are capable

• You can do it

• THIS SHOULD BE EXCITING!

Finding Your JobFinding 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

What Do You Want?What Do You Want?

• What kind(s) of position are you looking for?– Research university? Research lab?

Teaching college? Post Doc? Development? Hedge fund? Start-up?

• Where are you (and any significant other) willing to live?– West coast? East coast? South? Midwest?

International? Urban? Rural? ...?• Internships are a good way to find out what

you like.September-October

MaterialsMaterials

• You need:– A way to keep track of your

information• Available jobs• Application status• Your materials (about you)• Your research (about them)

– A way to reduce stress– A schedule for what to do next

September-October

TipsTips

• Add each posting to your spreadsheet– Note due dates– Create a schedule for adapting materials

to postings (one thing per day)

• Goal is inclusivity– 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

WhatWhat’’s Available?s Available?• Who would you like to work with?

• What type of a schedule/lifestyle would you like to have?

• Information sources:

– Your network (includes your advisor, other professors, other grad students & recent grads)

– CRA http://www.cra.org/ads/

– ACM http://jobs.acm.org/

– Systers http://www.cra-w.org/PhdjobhuntHers

– International http://www.jobs.ac.uk/

– Disciplinary listservs (IEEE, AAAI, etc.)

– Local entrepreneur networks

September-October

Your ApplicationYour Application• Cover Letter• Curriculum Vitae (academic, lab jobs)

– Research and teaching experience, jobs held, talks given, papers published, refereeing, other service...

• Resume (hedge fund, some industry, startups)– Greater focus on technical skillsets, intellectual

property, startup experience, business experience & interests

• Research Statement (academic jobs)– What is your vision for your research?

• Teaching Statement (academic jobs)– What is your vision for teaching?

• Letters of recommendation (3-5)• Transcript (sometimes)

October

TipsTips

• Start drafting early!

• Look at materials from friends

• Show result to advisor and other mentors, and your peer network; revise until done

• It is worth investing a lot of time– You will create different versions of these

materials for different jobs (their website is your friend)

Identifying Letter WritersIdentifying Letter Writers

• With advisor, develop a list of candidates:– Familiar with your research

– Respected in the academic community

• Possible sources (in addition to advisor):– Your thesis committee

– Internship mentors

– People you TA’d for

– Collaborators

Early November

TipsTips

• 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

• Get the correct contact info for each writer• Give them a list of the

institutions/deadlines, and a copy of your application materials

• Keep track of which schools have which letters; send gentle reminders if necessary

• Thank them & tell them where you end up!

After you applied (and even before)...After you applied (and even before)...

• Even before you apply, contact & discuss your application with champions at the institution– E.g., at conferences, invite yourself to visit, ….– (These are also potential letter writers)

• Getting your application noticed from the hundreds that have been received……– Contact champions at the institution to let them know you

applied so they can alert the search committee• Work with your advisor to identify people• Ask your advisor to contact them (you can do it too)

• Check with an administrative contact to be sure your letters have been received– Advisor’s letter is CRUCIAL

The Goal of the The Goal of the Interview...Interview...

• Main objective: TO GET AN OFFER– You are being evaluated – the institution is the

buyer and you are the seller– You can decide later if you will accept it, but you

won’t have that choice if you don’t have an offer

• Secondary objectives: – Learn about the department (post-offer visits for

this purpose are common)– Expand your network by meeting new

colleagues (potential future collaborators, letter writers!)

Interview ComponentsInterview Components• Telephone interview (first filter)

– Very common for teaching schools, increasingly common elsewhere

• Job Talk (research – academic and industry)

• Classroom teaching example (at teaching institution, often)

• One-on-One meetings with colleagues, supervisors, department head, deans, students, etc.– Including people outside your department

• Meals with all of the above – Yes, this is part of the interview!

Preparing a Job TalkPreparing a Job Talk

The goal of a job talk is to convince a broad audience that you have identified an important and difficult problem, that you have come up with an innovative and effective solution, that you have concrete ideas for a future research agenda, and that you will be a strong contributor to their scholarly community.

- Edward D. Lazowska

(and, ideally, to convince all the attendees that you would be a great collaborator for them and for their institution….)

December/January

Tips for Job TalkTips for Job Talk• Go to job talks (start now), ask faculty how they

were received, note what works and doesn’t• Give practice talk(s) and incorporate feedback

– Practice answering questions

– Video your talk and (gulp!) watch it

• Adapt your talk to your audience– If the expert on X is at that institution, don’t forget

to cite them in the related work (if appropriate)

– At a teaching school, undergrads will likely attend and their opinion will matter

• Logistics– Bring a back up copy!

– Ask for timing guidelines and respect them

Preparing for an InterviewPreparing for an Interview• Do your homework!

– The web, your advisor, research colleagues, ...

• Questions to find answers to:– Research – What are individual strengths and what

major research projects are going on?

– Teaching - What is the curriculum like? What is the teaching load?

– Think about how you would fit into the department – research collaborations & teaching?

• Let host know special needs

Before each interview

TipsTips• Request schedule a few days in advance

of visit – Check up on the people you will meet– Request to meet people/groups not on the schedule

• 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 students to “see” the department from their perspective

• Have backup of your talk on memory stick and on your webpage– You may show bits of it to faculty who missed your

talk

• Keep your webpage updated with papers, research descriptions, technical interests– May refer to it in individual meetings

Questions They May Ask You….Questions They May Ask You….

Research– Tell me about your thesis and other work you have

done.

– What do you want to work on next and why?

• What resources do you need to do your research? (Startup…)

– Where do you plan to obtain funding for your research?

• Have you participated in proposals before?

– Why you are interested in this institution?

• Who could you see collaborating with here?

More Questions They May Ask You…More Questions They May Ask You…

Teaching– What courses would you like to teach and why?

• Could you teach course X? – Why are you interested in teaching? – What is your teaching philosophy?

General– Do you have questions for me?– Where else are you interviewing? Do you have

offers?– Do you have a two-body problem? Do you have

children or do you plan to have children? (illegal/inappropriate)

Role Play & Audience Role Play & Audience PracticumPracticum

• Panelist Role Play with feedback– Good/Bad examples for answering

• Who could you see yourself collaborating with?

• Questions to practice at home– Practice the following questions with a

partner:• Where do you see your research going from here

and why do you think you can do it at this institution?

• How would you feel about teaching course X?

– Video tape these and watch them!

Questions You May Ask Them…Questions You May Ask Them…

Institutional Culture– What is like to work here?– How are decisions made in the organization?

• What kind of role do junior people play?

– Is collaboration encouraged/supported? What about across departmental boundaries?

• How does the department relate to the rest of the institution?

Students– What is the quality of the students?

• Where do the dept’s graduates get jobs?

– How does admissions work?– How do students find advisors?– How are teaching assistants selected?

More Questions You May More Questions You May Ask Them….Ask Them….

Teaching– How are teaching assignments made?– How are new courses introduced into the

curriculum?– What is the teaching load?

Career Development & Evaluation– What career development programs/resources

does the organization have? • Formal or informal mentoring programs?

– How will I be evaluated?– What is the tenure process like?

Tips For the Big Day(s)!Tips For the Big Day(s)!• Enjoy and have fun (to the extent you can)

– Don’t book yourself into crazy travel! (Sometimes it’s also permitted to spend an extra night to get to know the area)

– Get plenty of sleep & eat well. Take a water bottle & snack– Meals are part of the interview. Drink moderately

• Try to imagine yourself in the environment: – Do you want these people as your colleagues potentially

forever?– Would you have the out-of-work life you would like to have?

• Even if you don’t like it, do your best – Don't say negative things about other institutions or people.

It can come back to haunt you!– People talk with colleagues, and you’ll run into them later

• Consider when or whether to mention any two-body issues • Ask host what to expect in follow up

After the InterviewAfter the Interview• Go home after first interview, to recover and get

support• Schedule down time generally!• Talk to advisor: they may be getting feedback• Send notes thanking people you met

– Personalize them, particularly for the people you ‘connected’ with – they are future colleagues, even if you don’t go there

• Follow up with anything you said you would do, e.g., send papers, contacts

• Make notes for yourself about your impressions right away before you forget

• Edit your materials or practice question responses based on feedback

Managing OffersManaging Offers

• Celebrate success; Don't take rejection personally

• Evaluate strengths/weaknesses of each offer• Negotiate! • Imagine yourself in each place, how you’d feel• For places you’re serious about, ask for a post-offer visit.

You can bring your significant other• Don’t pressure yourself to make the “perfect” decision –

many people change job paths multiple times throughout their career

April/May

What Can You Negotiate?What Can You Negotiate?• Salary, bonus, stock grant, stock options, vacation time• Moving allowance, home sale/purchase assistance• Funds for a second visit or house search trip• Leave time before/after you start• Help with job search for partner, access to institutional childcare,

housing, ...• Academic

– Startup funds: equipment, research, curriculum development (teaching track faculty), travel, student support, summer salary

– Space for you and your students– Teaching load

• Possible negotiations in industry: travel to conferences, summer interns

• Asking now can help your new boss/department head request resources from higher ups– If you have other offers, this can help too

Role PlayRole Play

• Panelist Role Play– Bad examples for first job offer

conversation• Start up salary low-ball• Lack of space• Start-up funds

• How might you have handled these situations differently?

TipsTips• Do your homework – talk and ask• Use available resouces: PhdjobhuntHers email list;

mentors; Taulbee salary surveys; glassdoor.com• You won’t get what you don’t ask for – don’t be afraid to

ask for what you need or what you know others have gotten

• Negotiation is a game/an art – do not feel badly about the process

• Be respectful of institutional constraints• Let people know of factors that might influence their

offers (e.g. better offers from elsewhere; news about a best paper award)

• Some details will be spelled out in formal offer, others can be documented in emails, yet others will be based on trust

• Don’t feel pressure to commit immediately

In the Mean Time...In the Mean Time...• Publish (good) papers!• Network at conferences so people know you (letters!)

– Give talks whenever possible• Do internships at various kinds of institutions; talk to students

who return from internships • Watch professors around you• TA, help write a grant proposal, serve on committees• Attend an entrepreneurship seminar/business class• 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– Attend seminars in your department, even if not in your

area • Work to maintain and build a credible technical on-line

presence & network (webpage, linkedin, blogs, etc.)

Use the Skills Now!Use the Skills Now!

• PhD job search is a few years away

• But these skills apply also for:– Fellowships– Internships

Questions?Questions?

Your Big PictureYour Big Picture

Your MaterialsYour Materials