Yesterday I attended three sessions that were focused on
helping masters and doctoral students get jobs.
Here are my notes from the three sessions, for those of you who could
not attend the sessions.
Fantastic sites and
resources for you!
http://wagner.nyu.edu/careers/guides
http://wagner.nyu.edu/careers/resources
General hints about
job hunting:
What is your web presence?
You will be Googled. Do you have
Linked In?
The Career Search:
Behind the scenes in the policy job market (non-profit, government, private
sector)
Cover letter:
- Crucial - even if they job site doesn't obviously have a place for it - include it. Append it to your resume if you have to!
- Demonstrate that you know something about the organization
- Use any connections/introduction that you may have.
- Talk about how your knowledge and skills match the job description
- Try to let your personality come through. Would you be a good team player - fun and easy to work with?
What do policy shops want?
- People who are interested in policy relevant research/ the application of research (written in a way that non-academics can actually read!)
- People who can talk about research as necessary for making better policy decisions
- People who write well
- People who ask the right questions
- People who are willing to keep learning
Job search hints:
- Ask for an informational interview (But be flexible and have an open schedule!)
- What are you looking for in a job?
o
What field?
o
What type of organization [govt, non-profit, or private
sector]? What is the mission and culture
of the organization? Is this a good fit
for you?
o
What role? (teach, research, etc?)
- What are the employers looking for?
o
They want people who understand their field,
organization and role. What value are you going to bring to them?
o
Do you have the relevant skills, education, and
experience for the job? (Think in terms
of - references, experience, classwork, education, publications, presentations,
professional affiliations)
o
Are you committed to the work that they do? Do you know who their competitors are? etc.
DO YOUR HOMEWORK!
o
They want someone who fits in their culture /
way of working.
o
They want smart, serious, and engaged
people.
- Try to be in the room with people with similar interests (conferences, etc.) People are looking for the bright bulbs in the room. Who is interesting? Who is crazy? Who asks interesting questions? Who is enlightening?
- Don't call people about jobs - just apply - unless you actually know someone there.
Non-Academic Career
Path
Process
- Goal for resume length: 1 page per every ten years of work experience
- Short cover letter (know your audience - they are looking for fit and personality, in addition to skills and experience)
- Don't start with your dissertation
- Stick to an experienced based resume as opposed to a skill based resume (unless you are applying for a job in the federal government)
- Don't call people about jobs - just apply - unless you actually know someone there.
How to prepare while in graduate school to prepare you for a
career outside of academia
- Conduct research with the state, agencies
- Get internships to get experience to match the work you want
- Places like Mathmatica Policy Research have a team approach to research (administrative data, etc)
- Acquire research & program evaluation skills
Federal job market
- Great advantage for people with quantitative skills
- You need to know how to apply. Learn the game/bureaucracy of USAjobs.gov
- Before accepting the job, learn about the environment & culture about the organization.
- Great match for people who don't want the publish or perish mentality of the academic market
- The online application process (ie "are you an expert in an area" - learn about what precisely they mean by expert ... etc. Look at the guides)
- Customize your CV to the job description.
- Go to meetings like APPAM and talk to staff at your targeted agency
- Also prefers collaborative individuals
Contract research (like Abt) job setting
- Collaborative setting (both within the firm and with the government agency)
- Work directly with agencies within the government, so data access is not a problem
Tenured Faculty and
the Fellowship Career Path
Application process
- Your pitch:
o
Extensive CV, longer cover letter
o
Start with your research
o
This is a long-term prospect, so people are
looking at you and asking if they want you as a colleague for 30 - 40 years.
- Don't call people about jobs - just apply - unless you actually know someone there. Your dissertation advisor can call if s/he knows someone there.
- If you are at a conference and have applied for a job at someone's university, go ahead and chat with people from that institution. Introduce yourself and go ahead and give them your CV.
General Advice
- Keep in touch with your dissertation advisor. You will need him or her later.
- Have at least one well connected person on your committee.
- You can never have too much grant money, too many publications etc. as an academic.
- Network at conferences with faculty and students ... this can turn into a publication network too
- No one wants to hire a jerk or a pain in the rear.
If you are on a visiting faculty position
- Keep your head down, get stuff done, and publish
- Don't neglect teaching - no one wants someone who generates complaints
- Stay out of factions and feuds among faculty
- Be active in department, school events - not in university politics or controversies.
Obtaining grants as graduate students
- Grant money gives you independence & bodes well for future productivity.
Publishing as a graduate student
- Publish or Perish: There is no substitute for publishing before you are on the market.
- Maybe start by co-authoring with faculty or fellow graduate students, but a solo publication is always better.
- If you publish with a faculty member, make sure you explain your contribution so that you are not just perceived to be a research assistant.
- If you have more funding left, stick around and publish before you go on the market.
- Avoid common mistakes
o
Pick appropriate journals before you submit your
article
o
Show your paper to your faculty for comments and
suggestions before submitting.
As a new faculty member
- Ample grant money and publishing keeps you mobile.
- Book versus articles? This is discipline and research dependent question... but aiming for a book may be a bit higher risk.
- Don't be a perfectionist to the point where you don't submit your paper.
- Be a good university/department citizen ... this isn't enough to get you the job but it can be enough to keep you out of a job. Know what being a good citizen is in that university.
