Landing a job in Academia

Robin K. Cameron
Department of Biology
Hamilton,Ontario, Canada
 Why I think I’m qualified to give advice
on getting an Academic job

2 academic & 1 industry interviews - 1st job

7 academic interviews - 2nd job

Know what to expect, be prepared
Know what to expect, be prepared
Know what to expect, be prepared
 Landing an academic job
1. Applying for the job

2. Preparing for the Interview

3. The Interview

4. After the interview

 Applying for the job
What to send?
What they ask for.

-Cover Letter ( your fit, what would you add)

-CV
-Research Interests
-Teaching Interests or Philosophy
-letters of reference
-most significant publications
 Applying for the job
CV
-standard academic style

- don’t list your skills

(weave them into your
research interests/statement)

You are applying for an Academic position

not graduate school or a post-doc
 Applying for the job
Research Statement, Plan, Interests
-a mini grant proposal (2- 5 pages)
-include people who will do the work
(students, post-docs, yourself)

Show them that you have a plan to answer

interesting and important scientific or engineering
questions.
 Applying for the job
Teaching Interests or Philosophy (1-5 pages)

-teaching style
-how do you inspire students?
-what ideas or concepts do you want to convey?
- what topics have you taught
- what would you like to teach?
-get advice from lecturers you admire
 Preparing for the Interview
Go to the Departmental web site and get to
know the Faculty
-especially those you will be meeting with
during your interview

Potential collaborators?
Expertise that might be useful to you?
Expertise that you have & who might benefit?
 Preparing for the Interview: the Job Talk
(45 to 50 minutes, don’t go over)
-Find out about the audience (experts & non-experts?)
-Introduction that everyone can follow (10’)
-get across why your research is
interesting and significant in your field (25’).
-Discuss your future plans (10’)
-know who the experts in your field are and imagine
what types of questions they will ask
-practice with your supervisor and/or lab mates
 Preparing for the Interview
Preparing the Teaching Lecture

-get advice from experienced lecturers

-the faculty will pretend to be students &
will ask questions
-if possible, don’t pick a topic
that you are not familiar with.
-know which faculty are the experts & if you
don’t know, admit it!
 The Interview
1.5 to 2 days in length
You will meet with the:
Chair, Dean/Assoc. Dean, members of the
search committee,
other interested Faculty, Graduate Students

Job Talk, Teaching Lecture

Lunch and Dinner and Breakfast

 The Interview - Practical Tips
If you have trouble eating when you are nervous,
snack before you go to the interview.
Don’t be too shy to ask for a bathroom break.
How to dress
Biologists - almost anything goes, although wearing
jeans may be too casual.
Engineers - wear a good suit
Chemists, Physicists?
 The Interview
Your Goal
-impress them with your Science & Personality
-convince them that you fit the job & dept.
-check out the equipment & facilities
-convince them that you are ready to make
the jump from Grad Student or Post-doc to
Supervisor
 The Interview
Their Goal
-to find out if you & your research fit the
department (do they want to work with you on
committees for the next 20-30 years).

-to impress you with their Science,

Personalities and Facilities.
-to find out if you are ready to become
a supervisor?
 The Interview - Meetings with…

Chair
Describe the department, take you
on a tour of the facilities, talk about teaching,
inform you about the tenure process,
answer any question you might have.

Dean/Associate Dean
Tell you about the University
The Search Committee (4-8 people)

Faculty in your field or related fields,

A Graduate Student, a Faculty member
from another department
 The Interview
Meeitng with the Search Committee

-the most difficult part of the interview, often

done over lunch (try to eat right away)

-standard questions that each candidate

is asked
-plus ones specific to each candidate
or department
 The Interview - Search Committee Meeting

Sample Questions
Name two scientists whose work has inspired you?
If you won the lottery, what would you do
with the $
Defend your Publication record
(too little or low impact)
What sorts of projects would you give to students
(undergrad & grad) or post-docs?
The Interview, Search Committee Meeting

Sample Questions continued

What sort of a supervisor will you be?

Do you want a big or small research group?

Funding Sources? Can you compete for funding?

What specialized equipment will you need?

 Sample Questions continued

Can you see yourself collaborating with anyone

in the Department or the University?

What would you like to teach?

Tell us about your teaching experience.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

 Sample Questions continued

What sets you apart from others in your field?

Will you be competing directly with others in your
field and if so, will you succeed?
Why should we hire you?
How will you contribute to the Dept?
What novel contributions have you made
to your field?
The Interview - Individual Meetings with Faculty
-know what each works on
-they will tell you about their work
Show interest, Ask Questions
-specific questions about your work or your talk
-discuss potential collaborations

-they may tell you about why they like the

University, the neighbourhood, the city, the country

- you can ask questions about the city etc.

The Interview - Meeting with Graduate Students
(often over lunch the second day)

They may ask you what sort of supervisor

you would like to be?
They will try to get an idea of whether you
would be a good supervisor & teacher

You can ask about the Grad program &

how they feel about it.
You can often get an idea about problems by
chatting with the Graduate students
 Who Decides who gets an offer?

Non-committee members submit comments &

can influence the committee

The committee decides in some departments

or
The committee makes recommendations and
the whole department votes
 After the Interview

-some people e-mail to thank the chair for

an interesting and enjoyable visit.

-some e-mail to say thank you and ask when

an offer will be made
 After the Interview
If you were prepared & the interview went well,
but you don’t’ get an offer, don’t take it to heart.
You may not have been the right fit in terms
of research or teaching.
They may have interviewed you even though
your research didn’t quite fit because
- you are a woman
- or a visible minority
They may have realized that they didn’t have enough
Start-up $ to support your research
 Start preparing right now for your
Academic interview and career
-go to job talks in your department
-think about why you think some are better than others
-critique seminars you attend in the same way
Work on improving your own seminar presentation
skills now
-think about why you enjoy some lecturers more than others
-think about what you’ve learned as a teaching assistant
(your teaching style, how you convey important concepts)
Start working on your teaching philosophy now
See if you can a guest lecture for your supervisor
Know what to expect, be prepared