Thursday, November 15, 2012

CREOL Seminar - Becoming a Faculty Member

Today Dr. Mercedeh Khajavikhan gave a brief seminar to the CREOL students about her experiences with finding a job in academia. Though I'd already heard a lot of the information she presented, some points stuck out.

The following are a few notes I made during the talk. Keep in mind that they are her ideas that I've paraphrased (so if I misinterpreted them, then I'm sorry :)

  • Considering that a post-doc position is a time to build your CV and publish, a post-doc offering research problems that can easily turn into publications within a year or two would be highly desirable.
  • Apply to schools where there is not much overlap between your research and that of the existing faculty. This will minimize competition for valuable resources and money within your own department.
  • Related to the point above, consider emphasizing how your strengths can help other faculty while applying. This will make you appear more valuable to the committee considering you for a job.
  • Letters of reference are invaluable in the job search. (I need to work on building relationships with more faculty members!)