How do I break my job hunt down into smaller pieces?
A 5th year PhD student asks—
I am having a hard time making progress on my job search. I keep getting interrupted by research and life obligations, and I feel like I never have extended blocks of time to sit down and focus. I’m usually looking at job postings for an hour or less before being pulled away for something else, so when I pick up the search again, I’m starting over from the same spot. How do you keep making progress when you are trying to fit job searching into small chunks of time here and there?
Update on "How to ask for a faculty position for my partner too?"
Last week, we answered "how to ask about a faculty position for a partner too" when interviewing for a faculty position. The postdoc who asked the original question wrote in to follow up with more details.
Thank you so much—this is really helpful and makes sense to me.
How to ask for a faculty position for my partner too
A postdoc asks—
My spouse is currently an assistant professor at another university, so a move for a faculty position would involve considering potential academic opportunities for both of us. I’d really appreciate any guidance on how and when this is typically raised during the faculty application and interview process, and how best to navigate negotiations when one partner already holds a faculty position at another institution.
How can I make sure job offers line up so I can compare them?
A postdoc asks—
I just did an on-site interview at a university that is not my top choice but it seems like the interview went well, and I’m scheduled for a screening interview at a university I’m much more excited about. I don’t have invitations from other places I’ve applied for so far, so these might be my options. Is there any way I can see how far I get with the place I’m more interested in, while keeping the door open at the first place?
Do companies use AI to read resumes?
A postdoc asks—
I've heard that companies are using AI to screen resumes before a human ever reads them. Is that true, and should I be writing my CV differently because of it?
I just finished quals...now what?
A third year PhD student asks—
I just passed my quals and I don’t know what to do next; I feel like for so long I was working really hard just focused on my quals deadline, but now I feel like I’m doing nothing and I’m constantly worried I’m falling behind.
Woo! Congrats on having quals behind you! First of all, I would genuinely recommend taking time off—even if it is just a long weekend. Quals is a stressful experience and it’s important to take time to recover and recalibrate.
Will AI save me time preparing cover letters?
A postdoc asks—
I'm getting ready to job search and realizing how much time preparing a separate cover letter for every position will take. I liked your advice on using AI in exploring careers, do you have any advice on how I could use ChatGPT to help with my applications?