October 8, 2004
Job Search part I: Planning Ahead
Notes by Karen
Mattias met with us and gave us more information than I know what to do with. One thing that was mentioned repeatedly is that when applying, you MUST include everything that is asked for in the ad or you will not even be considered, no matter how good you are. It also seems that job application deadlines are often a year before the job starts. We looked at some trends of when most the job offers are made, ads are placed, application deadlines, etc. We also looked at trends of how many jobs are available vs. how many are applying. We looked at some sample Ad’s including one from ASU. The meeting was extremely helpful… but rushed. For someone who has not seen the items needed in an application before, (like me) it would take some more time to ask questions. Some things that were mentioned to be commonly needed to apply included: teaching statement, research statement, transcripts, AMS worksheet, ….
One of the major sources to look for job
opening is AMS-Notices, advertisements placed by
We browsed through some past AMS-Notices,
and observed that the maximum advertisements (including those for post-docs)
appear in December and January, and the deadlines for the applications are
strict. So, we have to start well in advance, since it is the pre-application
preparation which is the most important. By September itself, we should have
started working on our CV, and at least identify the gaps, which need to be
filled, if we are not totally ready yet. Later on, we can just concentrate on
filling the details that we did'nt have before. So, our Curriculum Vitae has to
be updated all the time.
Once the job-ads are out, we should
carefully read it and see that we satisfy at least the minimum criterion
mentioned exactly. There is no point in applying otherwise, since we would be
rejected in the innitial scrutiny itself. Most of the jobs require us to give a
“teaching-philosophy” and a “reasearch-philsophy”,
along with the CV and the Job-Cover Letter. So, it is good to have thought
about these and written them before hand, since it is quite difficult to come
up with these at a very short notice. A “minimum” of three letters
of recommendation are required, your advisor's being the most important. Along
with that, if the position emphasizes on teaching, you should try to get one
from someone who has observed you while teaching. And it is advisable to give
at least 3-weeks advance notice, while asking for a letter of recommendation,
along with a of follow-up on this