Meeting of Fri Sept 1, 2006.
Faculty present:
Anne Gelb, and
Matthias Kawski.
Students present: not available
Part I: Overview of the Job-market.
Lots of data available at the
American Math Society.
Every year, the
August issue
of the AMS Notices features the
Annual
Survey of the Mathematical Sciences.
This includes number of Ph.D.s awarded (roughly 1000 / year, but varying
up to 20% over a few years, employment data (about 95% get employed, not
necessarily in dream position), demographics (50% US citizens), gender,
by area (20 in Math ED, 100some in Algebra etc.), salaries, and on and on.
Many tables distinguish group I, II, III etc. schools -- explained in a
side-bar of every year's article. These are based on old, circumspect
rankings
which are kind of fun to look at ...
The up-and-coming brandnew site
mathjobs.org
looks very promising. It still looks fairly empty, but promises to be
THE place where to look for ads in the future.
A great improvement over the recent
EIMS
(Employment Information in the Mathematical Sciences) www-site which
was not that great to search.
Math jobs actually handles much of the paperwork for both
job applicant and job advertiser. Make sure to watch
9 minute video
explaining how things work.
Quick count of the number of pages w/ job advertisments in each month's issue
of the AMS Notices.
Some late spring month almost devoid of ads (less than 2 pages),
but more than a dozen pages in the November/December issues.
Discussion of academic side: when do departments request jobs,
when do administrators approve advertising ...
Note deadlines, now often in the fall. Dec.1 quite common,
some even earlier. Incomplete applications on deadline
may just be thrown away -- need to start early!
Allow MORE than just one month to get reference letters in,
i.e. September this year is time getting the LAST things done
for a job starting in the fall NEXT year!
Postdocs versus tenure track positions: Traditionally in the
physical sciences vast majority of Ph.D's takes postdocs first.
In math, traditionally very few postdocs, but recently these
have become muchmore prevalent.
Exact numbers were unclear.
Much difference between, e.g., computational math (common) and,
e.g., statistics (hot job market, no need for postdocs).
Rationale behind postdocs: academic side (probationary time, no commitment),
scholar (get papers published), ... responsibilities (to teach, or not to
teach?)
Part III: Looking at job-ads.
Very careful, very deliberate wording -- important intentions
behind most every word,
polished over the years to permit flexibility while targeting
specific groups of applicants.
Commonly search committees have "check-off" lists that verify
that each application indeed satisfies all requirements.
At public universities like ASU commonly very strict rules
for "getting an applicant pool approved". Make
sure that your cover-letter and resume EXPLICITLY address each
required/desired item.
Common requirements:
AMS cover sheet
(uniform format of basic biographical data),
cover letter (to be discussed in next meetings),
curriculum vitae (resume)
(homework, and next meeting),
research agenda / statement
(homework, and next meeting),
and teaching statement (very hard to write, and delicate,
to be addressed in later PFF meeting),
at least 3 reference letters.
Start of discussion of what is supposed to be on
each of these times, how detailed, what not to include, etc.
Distributed sample CV by Dr. Gelb from the time she applied at ASU.
This is to be continued.
Homework.
Prepare a curriculum vitae suitable for math-job application.
Feel free to ``invent'' items that you plan to have
on the CV by the time you apply (i.e. put some pressure on yourself
to make these items from dreams into reality -- but don't submit
lies when you apply!).
Draft a research agenda (or research statement) suitable
to be included in a math-job application.
Most likely, when preparing these, you will run into questions -- these
shall be addressed ta the next regular meeting.
You are encouraged to prepare an overhead transparency of either of
your products to facilitate discussion of related questions by the
entire group.
Next meeting:
PFF Fall Reception: Thu Sep 7 2006,
4:00-6:00 p.m. in the MU: Union Stage, Lower Level
Next regular meeting:
Fri Sep 15th, 12:00 - 1:30, GWC 604.
TBD: ``Job search II'' or
``math faculty responsibilities at ASU.
