Getting a Job
Step 1: Do quality research.
Step 2: Sell your research.
You may want to do an internship or teach/TA a class or two before deciding what career paths suit you.
Detailed advice about getting a job by 2006 Turing Award winner Fran Allen
Look at our Career Resources page to learn more about different types of jobs.
Job Hunting Sites
- Chronicle of Higher Education Faculty Position Postings in computer sciences/technology
Academic Positions
Some words of wisdom on making the transition from grad student to faculty, etc.:
- Coombs, V. (2004). What campuses are looking for in new hires. Peer Review, 6(3), p. 25. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges & Universities.
- Gappa, J., Austin, A., & Trice, A. (2005). Rethinking academic work and workplaces. Change, pp. 32-39, November/December.
- Patitu, C. (1999). Reflections of an assistant professor. Change, January/February, pp. 46-47. Washington, DC: American Association for Higher Education.
Preparation
Attend the talks of candidates for our department’s faculty searches. The talks are a sneak preview of what you can expect when you interview. Pay close attention to the talk and its content (e.g., scope, background, related work, contributions) and the questions that the faculty ask the candidate. Note what you like and don’t like about the talks (and what the faculty seem to like and dislike!).
To make sure you know you want to become a professional academic, participate in research, teaching, and service activities. Along the way, you’ll create a strong CV to become a very strong candidate. Research and teaching will probably come naturally. Service activities involve participation and leadership in the GSA, CISTERS, ACM, and other extra-curricular events in the Department and University.
If you’re interested in teaching schools, consider applying for UD’s Higher Education Teaching Certification
Timeline
The timelines for the job search process vary depending on the institution and position. The job search process for teaching-oriented institutions starts a couple months before research-focused institutions.
NOTE: These are general guidelines. Of course, it’s always better to be prepared ahead of time. Furthermore, some schools may find out that they have positions later, so keep an eye on the job postings!
- Job Postings: may start as early as August and continue through January or even later. Non-tenure-track and visiting positions are often posted later.
- The application deadlines are typically between November and January for teaching-oriented schools and between December and February for research-oriented schools. Prepare your materials as early as possible so that they are polished!
- Some schools have phone interviews. These are usually in December/January for teaching-oriented schools and January/February for research-oriented schools.
- On-site interviews typically happen in December/January/February for teaching-oriented schools and February/March/April for research-oriented institutions.
Job Application Materials
You should prepare your application materials in the *fall before the year* you plan to graduate. The exact deadlines vary, but applications can be due as early as November. The materials required by each school vary but typically include
- Research Statement - Writing Research Statement
- Teaching Statement - How to Write a Statement of Teaching Philosophy
- Curriculum Vitae
- Graduate and undergraduate transcripts
- Cover letter
Depending on the type of school you’re applying to, the requirements (such as the length and content) for the various statements are different.
Miscellaneous Tips:
- Search for the job application materials of faculty candidates in your research area that searched last year. You can get a good idea of what is expected by looking at other people’s materials. (Be careful, though; just because someone else did something does not always mean that it’s appropriate in general or in your case. Consult with your advisor!)
- Emphasize interdisciplinary research/applications of your research.
- Show that you have future research directions that aren’t directly “mined” from your dissertation. It’s best if you can show that you have some kind of related experience so that it’s not a huge job in your research.
- You can use official UD letterhead using Latex styles that are on the CIS system. Example Use of Templates (Note: Change extension to .tex)
Teaching Schools
Teaching schools have earlier deadlines than research institutions. You should have your application materials ready by early November. See our careers page for more information about the teaching-schools career path.
Research Schools
- Getting an academic job by Michael Ernst, now at MIT (UW)
Industry Positions
- Do an internship in research and maintain your contacts; many companies look for internship experience, which shows that you are familiar with research outside of a university
- Network with professionals working at industrial research labs during conferences
Unlike in academia, industry positions tend to employ people at various times throughout the year. Of course, it’s wise to start your job search early to make sure that you will have a job when you finish your degree.
Letters of Recommendation
- Ask for letters from people who will write you a strong letter about one month in advance (always give at least two weeks notice)
- Ask for two different letters if you’re applying to both teaching and research-oriented schools
- Provide letter writers with
- complete application materials (CV, statements of purpose, etc.)
- stamped and addressed envelopes
- your complete list of schools/jobs (both on paper and electronically, so that they can copy/paste information if necessary)
- some specific points that you want them to address (e.g., research, teaching, service, leadership, mentoring, teamwork)
- Follow-up with your letter writers. Let them know how your search is progressing. Also, make sure that they have sent the letters!
