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

 

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Summer 2025 Training Events

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Applying to Research Intensive Faculty Jobs

Thursday 7/10 11:00am-12:30pm. Online event.

Applying for academic jobs and making the transition from grad student to postdoc and then to faculty member requires advanced planning and strategy. Come hear from faculty at Research Level 1 (R1) to get their advice and feedback on how to prepare and approach a faculty position. Register here.

Offered by the Rutgers University School of Graduate Studies.

 

Faculty Career Panel: Interviewing for and Negotiating Academic Faculty Positions

Tuesday 7/29 2025 12:00pm-1:30pm. Orchard View Room.

Applying for faculty positions in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math)? This panel brings together recently hired professors and experienced faculty to share real-world advice on interviewing and negotiating academic job offers. Learn what to expect, and how to prepare, with tips on campus interviews, chalk talks, and job offer strategies. Register here.

Offered by the Morgridge Institute for Research

 

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Other Helpful Resources

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Five Simple Rules for Future Faculty

Get ready for the faculty job market with this Office of Postdoctoral Studies series which breaks down the faculty job search process into actionable insights and concrete strategies to help you be as competitive as possible. Access the recordings here.

 

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 1,500 active members from around the world as of January 2024. 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.