Finding a Job

Do NOT Sell Yourself Short! Retail Is NOT the Answer

Published: 18 November 2013
Written by PhdStudent
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Categories: Finding a Job, Life after Graduate School
Tags: after grad school

While in graduate school, most students avoid questions about what they will do after grad school. Instead of planning for their professional futures after grad school, many graduate students bury themselves in their studies and put off worrying about employment until they absolutely must. A lot of graduate students naively think that they will easily find and secure tenure-track positions in academia after graduation. When they finally realize that finding…

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So You Don’t Want to Be an Academic: What Are Your Options?

Published: 4 November 2013
Written by PhdStudent
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Categories: Finding a Job, Life after Graduate School
Tags: private industry, public industry, what is private industry

You have completed your graduate program, and now it’s time for you to look for a job. You know that you don’t want to be an academic forever, but what other options are out there? After being in academia for many years, you may feel overwhelmed by all the employment options in the professional world, and finding a nonacademic job may seem daunting. However, you can simplify your job search…

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Cardinal Sins of Interviewing for an Academic Job

Published: 6 September 2013
Written by PhdStudent
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Categories: Finding a Job, Life after Graduate School
Tags: academic job

There is so much to remember to do when interviewing for an academic job, but is there anything you should remember to avoid? Below are a few examples of things that you should avoid doing before, during, or after interviews for an academic job. Scheduling interviews late in the season. This is a bad idea because interviewers may have already made their hiring decisions before they even get to…

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Applying For Academic Jobs: A Timeline

Published: 20 May 2013
Written by PhdStudent
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Categories: Finding a Job, Life after Graduate School
Tags: academic jobs, professor job

The following timeline was designed to help graduate students apply for academic jobs while they are still in graduate school. During Graduate School Publishing, networking, and postdoctoral training are a few important elements of finding a job in academia. First-author publications are more favorable than are co-authored publications, but either type of publication will suffice; the point is to get published before you graduate. If finding an academic job…

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Asking for Letters of Recommendation: Professional References

Published: 15 June 2011
Written by PhdStudent
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Categories: Finding a Job, Life after Graduate School
Tags: professional letter of recommendation, professional references, requesting letters of recommendation

Regardless of whether you would like to pursue a career in academia, research, or elsewhere, you will likely need at least one letter of recommendation to apply for your first job out of graduate school. You may have some fuzzy memories of requesting letters of recommendation from previous professors way back when you applied to grad school, but you may need a reminder about how to ask for letters of…

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Finding Jobs for Graduate Students in Unexpected Places

Published: 15 June 2011
Written by PhdStudent
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Categories: Finding a Job, Life after Graduate School
Tags: jobs for graduate students

Many graduate students give up their job searches before they start simply because they don’t know where to begin looking for jobs. Whether students are… Many students give up their job searches before they start simply because they don’t know where to begin looking for jobs for graduate students. Keep an eye open for jobs for graduate students early in grad school, and make a list of good leads…

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Translating Your Academic Skills into a Salary

Published: 15 June 2011
Written by PhdStudent
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Categories: Finding a Job, Life after Graduate School
Tags: how to negotiate a salary, negotiating your salary, negotiationg your salary

What to Highlight when Negotiating Your Salary You have finally finished your graduate program, and now you are faced with the “What next?” that comes after graduation. Some graduate students will pursue tenure-track positions in academia after graduation, but others may want to join the professional world outside academia. If you fall into the latter group, you will need to know how best to translate and highlight your academic skills…

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