PowerPoint Presentation · Organize each section in reverse chronological order ... Mentoring and other formal/informal teaching experiences. 24 . Do not copy or distribute without

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University of Pennsylvania Career Services

WRITTEN MATERIALS FOR THE

ACADEMIC JOB SEARCH SCIENCE, MATH, ENGINEERING

Joseph Barber, PhD

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What we’re going to cover

• Introduction to written materials for the job search • C.V. development • Additional application materials • Letters of recommendation • Using job announcements appropriately • Resources • Questions

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Written materials for the job search

• C.V. • Statement of teaching philosophy • Research statement • “Evidence of excellence in teaching” • Website • Writing sample • Teaching portfolio • Cover letters • Transcripts • References

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Do not copy or distribute without permission

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• C.V. Lists academic achievements, prioritizes research or

teaching based on job • Statement of teaching philosophy, “evidence of excellence

in teaching”, teaching portfolio Provides demonstrated evidence of your ability to teach by

giving actual examples of you teaching effectively (ideally to the types of students you will be teaching), and of how your research makes you a better teacher

• Research statement Provides a complete narrative of what big questions you

have asked, how you have gained answers, why this is important to your field, and most importantly, where you will go next

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• C.V. • Statement of teaching philosophy, “evidence of excellence

in teaching”, teaching portfolio • Research statement • References Specific evidence of your academic abilities that should

echo your statements and examples • Cover letters Highlighting the key points of all your other materials (not

just repeating the information), prioritizing the examples given based on who will be reading the letter. Can take the place of both research statement and teaching philosophy if these are not asked for

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Key points for all documents

• No matter what field you are in, you must show that you do compelling, forward-looking research that is both original and helps to advance your field

• All materials should look like they are part of a cohesive packet of information that tell an effective story about you Formatted in the same way Each as separate PDFs named appropriately (unless the

job announcement requests otherwise) Not saying exactly the same thing, but expanding on

information mentioned in the other documents

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C.V. (Curriculum vitae)

• Purpose of a C.V. is get you an interview

• Complete listing of your academic credentials and accomplishments Academic jobs Funding (grants or fellowships)

• C.V.’s will vary from discipline to discipline Make use of faculty in your department to see if you can

look at versions of their CV they used for applications

• C.V. organization may vary depending on where/what it is being used for There are always ways in which you can tailor a CV for

each application

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www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/writtenmaterials


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http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/writtenmaterials

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CV Categories

Standard

• Name and contact information

• Education • Honors and Fellowships • Teaching/Research

Experience • Publications • Presentations • Professional Memberships • References

Additional categories

• Professional Experience • Grants • Languages • Technical Skills • University/Professional

Service • Research/Teaching

Interests • Certifications/Professional

Licensure • Additional Information

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Tips on writing your CV

• C.V. lists all your relevant professional/academic accomplishments It is expected that your C.V. will be more than one page

• Your name should be on each page of your C.V. Beginning on the second page, Also add page numbers

• Your most significant & relevant accomplishments should be prominent in the organizational structure of the C.V.

• Be consistent in the way you use formatting Balance print and white space

• Find someone to read/proof your job search materials check for spelling mistakes

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Tips on writing your CV

• Organize each section in reverse chronological order

• Try to put most important information on the first page

• Use clear, easy-to-understand language

• Tailor to your audience

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Some formatting suggestions

• Don’t list dates on the left side – they are often the least important piece of information Don’t bold them either

• Use formatting techniques such as indenting, uppercase, bold and italics, consistently Bolding highlights key information (degree, location,

subject, name) Italics often makes text harder to read

• Keep format simple

• Avoid font sizes under 10 point

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Prioritizing your CV sections

• The order of sections can vary depending on what you want to prioritize There is no standard order Check to see if there are field or discipline specific

templates you should be following

• The following order is not necessarily the order you would or should follow in each case Schedule an appointment with a Career Services advisor if

you are uncertain Research experience v. teaching experience are the two

main sections that will be switched depending on the job

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Name and contact information

• This category is pretty straightforward Don’t make the word “Curriculum Vitae” the most

prominent part of your first page! Give one email address to avoid confusion Give phone numbers at which you would like the institution

to contact you – and will expect to be contacted Don’t include personal information Add “PhD” to name if you have graduated

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Education

• Most Ph.D. candidates will have this as their first category Make it clear when your degree is expected

• Some postdocs might want to have “Current Research

Experience” or “current position” as a first category Postdocs are considered professional experience, not

“education”

• Give some detail: field of concentration, name of dissertation, name of advisor, etc. You can include a very succinct summary of your research

that focuses on questions asked, methods used, findings, and relevance

Everyone will “read” your CV, few will read everything else

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Honors and Awards

• You can make this a separate category, or include these under the relevant degree

• Put recognizable, significant awards

• If you are a international student, you may need to explain some of the honors Were they given for academic excellence? Were they based on something you applied for? Were they competitive? Can you find a way to describe the award that will help it to

make sense to anyone who reads this section?

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Research interests

• A brief answer to the question, “what’s next?” This must be credible You should absolutely be prepared to elaborate on this if

you get an interview

• Keywords associated with your specific research interests and expertise Look at the job description for clues on what terms they

may be looking for

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Experience (research and teaching)

• Depending on the type of job, and the degree of experience you have, you should consider whether to split this into 2 sections:

• Research experience: Projects/experiments you have worked on Collaborations you have been involved with Findings and publications associated with your work

• Teaching experience: Classes you have taught (include # and type of students), Labs you have been involved with Mentoring and other formal/informal teaching experiences

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Professional Experience

• If you have relevant professional experience outside the academy, you might have a section later in the CV entitled “Professional Experience”

• This section could include: Industry experience Non-profit experience Working within universities in an administrative role (e.g.,

student advising)

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Publications/Presentations • If you have a long list, divide and then subdivide by topics

(peer reviewed papers, reviews, posters, invited talks, abstracts, etc.) If you have short list, it won’t make sense to sub-divide

into different categories as much

• You can list a few articles that are in preparation and will (realistically) be published This helps to show that your work in on-going, and that

you will have research that you can build on in your new role

Clearly mark “in prep” or “submitted” manuscripts. Manuscripts “in press/print” can be listed with other

published papers

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Scholarly/Professional Memberships

• List your memberships (MLA, AHA, etc.). This category is very discipline specific

• If you have been active in the scholarly community, you should include this information here. Panel moderation would be a good example of something

that might fit under this heading

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Grants

• Use this category only if you have received significant funding Dissertation and fellowship support are usually listed in

“Honors and Awards” Grant writing experience can be highlighted in other

sections if no significant grants have been received

• List the funding agency and the projects that were funded

• The work supported by the grant can be discussed in detail under “Research Experience”

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Skills

• These can be broken down based on what is appropriate for your discipline Ensure that the most important keywords come first in any

lists

• Skills can include: Languages Computer software Programming Statistical software Lab/technical skills

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Additional Information

• Unrelated employment

• A positive statement about your visa status “Eligible to work in US as Green Card holder”

• Do not put your marital status on CV’s for jobs in the U.S.

• Never put your social security number on a CV or a cover

letter

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References

• Give the contact information and titles of the individuals who will be writing letters of recommendation for you Provide the same number of references that the employer

requests

• Provide the contact information for the people who may have already submitted letters on your behalf. Don’t provide different contacts than those submitting

letters

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Additional materials for the job search

• Cover letters • Statement of teaching philosophy • Research statement • “Evidence of excellence in teaching” • Website • Writing sample • Teaching portfolio • Transcripts • References

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Cover letter • Highlights your experience and expertise relevant to the

specific position and institution Length of cover letter can be dictated by what other

materials are asked for

• Elements of a cover letter Salutation: Dear Prof. So and So or Search Committee

Members First paragraph: mention how you learned about the job

and summarize your key skills Body: use the structure of the job ad to guide you in your

discussion of your qualifications. Final paragraph: Explain why this position and this

institution are a good fit, offer to submit additional information. Let them know how to meet with you.

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Research statement • Use the language to guide you—do they want a “Statement of Research Plans” or a “Summary of Current Research”

• Provide a context for your research interests Your future research should follow logically from what

you’ve done

• Decide what research belongs to your lab/advisor and what belongs to you

• Mention facilities you might need (so long as these are not in conflict with the institution) List possible sources of funding for your research Identify possible collaborations

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Teaching Portfolio • This can include syllabi of established courses or

proposals for future courses

• Anything proposed should be associated with realistic goals regarding your target group of students grads/undergrads majors/non-majors International students Focus on most relevant group for job

• The Center for Teaching and Learning can help graduate

students with their teaching materials. (www.upenn.edu/ctl)

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Teaching Philosophy • Sometimes included within a teaching portfolio,

sometimes sent in along with your cover letter and CV

• A document that details your experience of teaching: As a teacher As a student being taught As a mentor (e.g., informal teaching experiences)

• Philosophy should explain: Why you do it What you goals are How you do it How successful you have been PROVIDE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES

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“Evidence of teaching excellence” • Your “teaching excellence” should also be discussed by

one of the people recommending you Provide student evaluations to your recommender so that

they can discuss them, and provide the context in which to interpret them

• Formal teaching evaluations (e.g., university-wide or departmental ones)

• Feedback from other faculty, administrators, or students on the courses you have taught Quotes from students can be used

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Writing sample • This can be an off-print of an article

• This can be an edited chapter of a dissertation Short and to the point might be better than 50+ pages

• This could be something written just for the application –

depending on the context

• Ask your advisor about what is appropriate in your field

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References & letters of recommendation

• Decide whom to ask to be references Your advisors Colleagues/mentors outside of your department,

committee, or current institution Balancing information – teaching focus, research focus

• Communicate with your references Ask if they are able to write a positive reference for you Let them know the schedule Remind them 2-3 weeks out before deadline

• How will you have letters of reference sent? Interfolio Your department

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Identifying job opportunities

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• Your scholarly association Job listing bulletin or website Job placement at conferences/conventions

• National publications and website The Chronicle of Higher Education www.chronicle.com Academic360.com orHigheredjobs.com

• Institutional & departmental websites

• Your network


http://www.chronicle.com/

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Applying for positions

• Apply for positions that appear to be a good fit for you

• Send what the announcement specifically requests, unless you have a very good reason to do otherwise

• In your cover letter show that you understand the unique qualities of each department/institution to which you are applying

• When emailing materials, send them as PDFs Save them with you name and the document title as the

file name – don’t just save them as “CV”

• After sending, you can try to make sure materials were received You may not get a response

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The Department Of Mechanical Engineering, University of California at Berkeley, seeks applications for a tenure track, Assistant Professor position in the area of biomechanical engineering in healthcare. Topics of specialization include but are not limited to biomechanics and biomaterials, design and analysis of medical devices, general mechanical engineering techniques as applied to problems in healthcare.

Applicants must hold a doctorate. To apply please go to the following link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/apply/create/3 and submit a cover letter, a resume, statements of

research and teaching interests, one copy of each significant publication, and names,

addresses and phone numbers of five professional references.

Applications will be reviewed starting August 15, 2013. The deadline to apply is September 15, 2013, applications received after the deadline will not be considered. Appointment is subject to budgetary approval.

The University of California is an equal opportunity affirmative action employer, committed to excellence through diversity. The college seeks candidates whose research, teaching, or service has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity and inclusion in higher education. The college is also committed to addressing the family needs of faculty, including dual career couples and single parents.

For more information please go the CALcierge web site at http://calcierge.berkeley.edu/.

Position Summary University of California, Berkeley, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Seeks Applications for a Tenure Track, Assistant Professor Position in the

area of: Biomechanical Engineering in Healthcare

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Haverford College invites applications for a one-year leave replacement. The candidate should do quantitative research in any area of sociology.

The Department of Sociology at Haverford College invites applications for a one-year, leave-replacement, position (Visiting Assistant Professor) for the academic year 2013-14, beginning July, 2013. We are interested in hiring someone who does quantitative research in any area of sociology. The successful candidate will be expected to teach our “Introduction to Quantitative

Methods (statistics)” seminar in the Fall, 2013.

Candidates should submit, preferably by email, their vita, at least one piece

of written work, three letters of recommendation, and, if possible, at least

one syllabus for a proposed course, to Mark Gould, Chair; Department of Sociology; Haverford College; Haverford, PA 19041, or via email to [email protected]. We will begin reviewing applications immediately.

Haverford College is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer, committed to excellence through diversity, and strongly encourages applications from persons of color, women, and members of other underrepresented groups.

Position Summary Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology, Haverford College

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https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/apply/create/3

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Resources to help with written materials

• Your advisor

• Career Services programs – panels and workshops

• The Academic Job Search Handbook, 4th edition

• Web resources: Guides on the CS website Samples on the CS website Articles at www.chronicle.com

• Meet with a career advisor – get CV review, and help with teaching philosophy, research statement and cover letters Call 215 898 7530 to schedule an appointment

• Penn’s Center for Teaching and Learning

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http://www.chronicle.com/

Documents

PowerPoint Presentation · Organize each section in reverse chronological order ... Mentoring and other formal/informal teaching experiences. 24 . Do not copy or distribute without