Notes on Fisher Files, Sequence II, Episode 6 - Junior faculty positions

Here are my notes on the Fisher Files episode entitled "Junior faculty positions."

• Getting a junior faculty position is much different from getting a postdoctoral position. Unlike a postdoc:
  
  • There is a clear evaluation of your work
    
  • Deep emotional commitment
    
  • Heavy investment in personal relationships with colleagues
    
  • Broader commitment to the university, responsibilities besides research
    
  • Involvement in running the university
    
  • Expected to work with colleagues to solve problems
• How to get a job
  
  • Need strong publication record; evaluated on scientific achievements and their importance
    
  • Make sure you get an important result as a postdoc
    
  • Make clear what role you had in the result
    
  • Emphasize leadership abilities: supervision of students, working with multiple colleagues
    
  • Develop strong research direction (that matches the department's interests)
    
  • Commit yourself to a research direction, don't appear to be "flexible" and desperate for any old job
• Timing
  
  • Time your research so that you get results before the fall
    
  • Search committee gets together in fall and puts out ads
    
  • Shortlist in November-December
    
  • Interviews in December-February
    
  • Decision in January-February
    
  • Offers in spring
    
  • Talk to senior people to find out where are the open positions and the quality of the institutions
• Components of application
  
  • CV
    
  • Publication list
    
  • 3 letters of recommendation
    
    • Don't just email the recommenders, write a formal letter
      
    • Most important quality in a recommender is that they can talk about you and your work
      
    • Good to ask senior people to recommend you, but only if they know you well
      
    • Make sure you don't ask someone who just writes uniformly effusive (but useless) letters
  • Cover letter
    
    • 2 ways of doing the cover letter: 1) short cover letter attached to research statement, 2) long cover letter including research interests
      
    • Peter recommends the long cover letter, tailored to each university so that it seems like you're interested and not just looking for a job
  • Get started early, well ahead of the deadline
• Letters of recommendation
  
  • Good letter does not need to be long, more concise the better
    
  • Introductory paragraph on how the recommender knows the candidate
    
  • Few paragraphs on what the candidate has done
    
  • Few paragraphs assessing the suitability and characteristics of the candidate
    
  • The letter needs to be useful to the committee!!
    
  • If you can, meet with the recommender and explain where you are applying and how many letters are needed
    
  • Useful to give the recommender a one page summary of your accomplishments
    
  • Ask for letters early
• On-site visit
  
  • When you apply for a postdoc, you are mainly trying to convince the advisor that you are competent
    
  • When you apply for a faculty position, you have to convince the search committee that you know what you're doing AND that you know where you're going
    
  • For job talk, stay on time and allow time for questions. Make your job talk interesting. Find out ahead of time who your audience is
    
  • Expect to talk to at least 8 people during your visit, give you talk, and go out to dinner over the course of 1-2 days
    
  • Have answers prepared for
    
    • Why do you want to come here?
      
    • Where else are you looking?
      
    • Why do you think your research interests fit with the department's research interests?
      
    • How do you anticipate dividing your time between the university and the laboratory?
      
    • What level of startup funds do you need
  • Do not be passive in the interview, find out what the place is like and what you are expected to do there
    
  • Questions for you to ask
    
    • What is the hiring process
      
    • When will the decision be made?
      
    • What is the nature of the position?
      
    • How likely can a hire be made in this area?
      
    • What is the tenure process?
  • Be sure to ask people about their research and take an interest in them
• Job offer
  
  • Tell them how much startup funds you need
    
  • Ask for help with relocation expenses
    
  • Find out what the teaching loads are and how many terms you get off
    
  • Find out how many advisees you are expected to have
    
  • See if you can negotiate for a lighter teaching load
    
  • Use all of the above to gauge how serious they are about the offer, what the institutional environment is like
    
  • Talk to peers about what they are going, find out the "going rate"
    
  • Find out how many junior faculty are ahead of you and determine if the institution will/can nominate you for a Sloan fellowship
    
  • Don't let the negotiation drag on too long, 2-3 iterations should be enough
• Starting the job
  
  • Don't take on too much: you will be busy moving, possibly changing research direction
    
  • This is not the time to get involved in writing a major review article or some wacky, high-risk project
    
  • Get a list of incoming students and write each a personal letter telling them who you are, what your research is, and inviting them to visit you
    
  • Getting 1-2 good graduate students is key to success
    
  • Take social invitations from other faculty if possible
    
  • Get invested in your community
    
  • Give seminar/colloquia early on to "introduce" yourself to the community