‘Tis the season for academic faculty job searches. From summer until late fall, the bulk of faculty jobs are accepting applications to fill positions that begin in the fall of the following year. If you are considering this route, here are some things you need to think about:
You found an awesome job posting or graduate program, crafted the perfect curriculum vitae, and created a cover letter capable of convincing the staunchest of holdouts that you are a vital addition to their team. The only problem is you remembered to attach your resume after pressing send on your cover letter e-mail. Forgotten attachments happen to everyone, but the job application process is where you are supposed to distinguish yourself as a better candidate than everyone else. So – now what?
If you have been following out Calendar for Career Success, you know that August is the time to put together your job packages. Whether it be for an academic positions, a postdoc or a transition to a new career field, you need to have a competitive application. We have provided some information below
During the AAAS talk last week on the academic job market, I was encouraged by the opinions shared by current faculty. I imagined that the academic job market was as bleak--if not more so--than the non-academic market. On the contrary...to paraphrase the speakers, "the best people are still finding jobs." Still, you must put your best foot forward to be a standout candidate on the academic market.
"To Whom It May Concern"...no, that's not right...."Dear Sir/Madam"....ugh, that's so outdated...."Dear I-Don't-Know-Your-Name-and-I'd-Rather-Be-Playing-Scramble-Right-Now..." Where to start? Many of us still struggle when it comes to crafting a cover letter for a job of interest. I thought it might be valuable to review some of the basics, as job hunting may be new to some of us, while others of us may know that we need to strengthen our letters, based on a lack of positive feedback.