Job Search Advice Tim Roughgarden

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Job Search AdviceTim Roughgarden
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Job Search Resources

• John Chapins Job Search Resourceshttp//sdg.lcs
  .mit.edu/jchapin/job_search/
• Sample cv, research and teaching statements
• Slides from job advice talks
• cs phd job search on Googlecomputer science
  phd job search

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My job search

• Applied in 2002-2003 school year
• Applied mostly to university positions, some
  research labs (about 25 total)
• had roughly a dozen interviews
• Most university applications sent by end Dec,
  early Jan
• Interviewing from Feb-April (even May)

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Who has jobs to offer ?

• CRA job announcementshttp//cra.org/main/cra.jobs
  .html
• Talk to friends and colleagues at other
  institutions, schmooze at conferences
• Check department web pages
• Targeted vs Broad Area Searches

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Application Materials

• Some books have examples
• Ask your friends, look on the Web
• Cover Letter
• Contact information
• Research area, research and teaching experience
• 1 page

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Application Materials

• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Research interests
• Thesis topic (brief description)
• Education
• Honors and Awards
• Teaching
• Work Experience
• Personal information citizenship, visa status
• Publications
• 3-4 references
• Brief, but include all information

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Application Materials

• Research statement
• Forces you to think about future research
  direction, useful for interviewing later
• Must read very well, appear coherent
• Highlight select pieces of your current research,
  tie into future directions
• Convey excitement
• Write revise many times polish
• Get opinions of advisor and friends

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Application materials

• Teaching Statement (1 page)
• Teaching experiences
• What excites you about teaching ?
• What courses you expect to teach
• Ideas for new courses
• Selected research papers
• Some places ask for them (I included them by
  default)

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Application materials

• Letters of recommendation
• Some places request directly, some ask you to
  request for letters
• Might want to write an extended research summary,
  I.e. annotated list of papers to help letter
  writers
• Pick at least one person outside Stanford
• Can make a difference pick your references well
• Know your work well enough to write a letter
• Plan in advance, give them enough time.

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Job Talk

• Really, really, really important
• Appeal to general audience, yet hint of depth in
  own area
• Lots of background, motivation
• Try to make entertaining
• Practice many times w/friends/advisor
• Often only thing people will see about you

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Scheduling Interviews

• Try not to schedule very important interview
  first
• Plan on making changes to job talk
• Interview burnout try to schedule most desirable
  interviews about 1/3 into interviewing season
• Try to keep your sanity
• Im the wrong person to give advice on this
• Schedule flights for your convenience, use cabs
  to airport.
• Try to get universities/labs to buy ticket.

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Interview Schedule

• You can ask to start late if youd like
• Make sure there is a gap before your talk
• Take restroom breaks to give yourself more time

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Preparing for interview

• Get as much information as you can
• Who you are going to meet
• Length of talk
• Any people to watch out for
• Ask host, friends at interviewing institution,
  prior candidates
• Research the place, people you will meet
• I carried printouts of web pages

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Interview preparation

• Prepare answers to standard questions
• It is better to give a well thought out answer
  than to come up with one on the spur of the
  moment.
• Practice with friends/faculty, ask them to play
  adversaries
• Read your own research/teaching statements

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Interview

• Will meet many people outside area
• Find out about them
• Helps to conduct conversation
• Try to make connections to your work
• Ask questions it is better for you to ask
  questions than to be on the defensive, answering
  them
• Prepare pool of questions to draw from
• Draw from previous conversations
• Smile, be friendly !

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Interview dinner/lunches

• You will be observed
• You wont be able to eat much
• Same tips as interviews ask questions
• Possible topics future direction of
  dept/school/university, pros/cons of local area,
  etc.
• Dont be quiet !

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Wrapping up

• Thank your host and people you had good
  conversations with.
• Your host is usually the contact point with the
  department.

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Best of luck !