Preparing for success on the job market and beyond

• Understanding institutional fit
• Preparing your job application materials
• Conducting your job search
• Developing your research program
• Advancing your teaching skills

Fall 2024 Training Events

Five Simple Rules for Future Faculty

Every other Wednesday 9/11 to 11/20 12:00pm-12:30pm. Online events.

Get ready for the faculty job market with this new series which breaks down the faculty job search process into actionable insights and concrete strategies to help you be as competitive as possible. Register for the series here.

Offered by the Office of Postdoctoral Studies.

How to Prepare for a 1st Round Interview for a Faculty Job

Wednesday 11/20 11:00am-11:45am. Online event.

You’ve submitted your faculty job applications and are now anxiously awaiting to hear back about interviews. Maybe you’ve already booked your first screening interview and you’re wondering what to expect. What kinds of questions will be asked? How should you prepare for a virtual interview? Learn how to prepare for first round interviews. Register here (choose UW–Madison).

Offered by Beyond the Professoriate.

Fall 2024 Recruitment Events

Rising Stars Symposium

Tuesday 5/13 - Wednesday 5/14. Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

This symposium is intended to recognize the accomplishments of outstanding postdoctoral associates who identify as underrepresented in the scientific workforce and/or who have contributed significantly to advancing issues related to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI), and to develop novel opportunities for recruiting faculty candidates from historically minoritized and underrepresented backgrounds to the institute. This year, the symposium will span 1.5 days. Register here.

Offered by the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

Other Helpful Resources

Faculty Corner – Recorded Interviews/Talks about Becoming a Professor

Do you ever wonder what the joys and challenges are of being a professor? How best to prepare for a tenure track job? How to achieve work-life balance? What the best practices are in running a lab? Learn the answers to these types of questions in these recorded events with University of Michigan faculty. Access the recordings here.

Future PI Slack Group

The Future PI Slack group is an informal peer mentoring group for biomedical postdocs who are interested in staying in academia. They also have channels for those exploring non-academic options. They use the Slack messaging service to communicate about grant applications, conferences, the faculty job search, and other topics of common interest. The community has approximately 500 active members from around the world as of October 2020. Join here.

The Academic Job Search Handbook

The Academic Job Search Handbook is the comprehensive guide to finding a faculty position in any discipline. Beginning with an overview of academic careers and institutional structures, it moves step by step through the application process, from establishing relationships with advisors, positioning oneself in the market, learning about job openings, preparing CVs, cover letters, and other application materials, to negotiating offers. Of great value are the sixty new sample documents from a diverse spectrum of successful applicants. The handbook includes a search timetable, appendices of career resources, and a full sample application package. This fifth edition features new or updated sections on issues of current interest, such as job search concerns for pregnant or international candidates, the use of social media strategies to address CV gaps, and difficulties faced by dual-career couples. The chapter on alternatives to faculty jobs has been expanded and presents sample résumés of PhDs who found non faculty positions. E-book available through the UW–Madison library here.