It is the beginning of the job search season.
A thread with some perspective and interview tips.
👇👇👇
A thread with some perspective and interview tips.
👇👇👇
The process of academic job search is a circus. Your science plays only a limited part of the overall process. It is dictated by various factors outside your control such as committee dynamics, department politics, and administrators. Don't take rejections personally.
If it is encouraging, remember that even Leonhard Euler was rejected by U. of Basel and could only secure an academic position in frozen St. Petersburg since one of the Bernoulli brothers died. There are things that never change, including the non-sense of academic job search.
The best tip for a visit? Go to the restroom as much as possible. I am serious. Visits are physically exhausting and mentally draining. You are expected to meet with many people in short intervals, be energetic, and ask smart questions about THEIR science. Student lunch or
the evening go out are not places to rest. The solution is as follows: when you start a new meeting, ask the host about the closest restroom. Go there for 5min to play with your phone or listen to music. Nobody exchange notes about how many times you went to the restroom. Rest!
Tip 2: have an advanced phone call with your host BEFORE your visit. Chat more about what to expect, what is the best format for your talk (some places want a few slides about your future plans, so don't). Try to understand what is most important for the department, etc.
Tip 3: print the schedule in advance, read a few abstracts of main papers for each person you about to meet, and take a few notes in your schedule, so before the meeting you know who you speak to. People LOVE to talk about THEIR science and you better come prepared.
Tip 4: Talking with other people about their work is exhausting. So if you need a break, you can always ask people: "What is your vision for X", especially if X is a new program that they are responsible on.
Good luck and please share your experience!
Re: suit/no suit. Ask your host about attire - I always do that when uncertain. If in doubt, I would got with a jacket, buttoned shirt, no tie, jeans, nice shoes (no sport).
Another tip: don't experiment with your technical aids. In my Stanford CS talk, I decided to set an alarm clock on my laster pointer. I never tested it before. It vibrated after 20min instead of 45min and I was totally terrified that I totally screwed up :-)
Also turn off your cell phone during your talk! Mine called during my Columbia CS talk. I got the position but it was stupid.
