Academic Development Day (ADD), our first of three annual GradSuccess professional development events, took place on Friday, November 15. During ADD we learned about the academic job market, interview tips, securing post-doctoral positions, and much more! Unable to attend but still interested in the valuable information other graduate students got out of the day? Read about the tips and advice that your fellow graduate students found to be most valuable, illuminating, and surprising.

New-Faculty Panel

The day began with a panel of recently hired UCR  faculty discussing their experiences on the job market. The faculty panel included: Dr. Anubhuti Goel (Psychology), Dr. Jun Sheng (Mechanical Engineering), Dr. Fatima Quraishi (Art History), and Dr. Carlos Varón González (Hispanic Studies). The panel was moderated by GradSuccess coordinators Beth Kopacz and Tyler Womack. Here are some takeaways from the session:

[Image Description: Dr. Anubhuti Goel, Dr. Jun Sheng, Dr. Fatima Quraishi, and Dr. Carlos Varón González share their experiences on the academic job market]

• Interview Tips: When describing your research pitch it in a “ted talk” format. Begin the description with a hook that leads people in. Some interviews may be conducted over Skype, which can make it difficult to know where to look on the computer screen to maintain eye contact. One professor suggested staring straight at the camera to address this challenge.
• Network: Utilize conferences to introduce yourself to faculty, as well as to universities at which you would like to apply. Describe your research and how it can benefit their programs. Talk with your advisor and see if they can support you in finding and securing connections.
• Apply Widely: The academic job market is very competitive so be sure to apply to many open post-doc and assistant professor positions. One professor applied to 150 jobs (both post-doc and faculty positions) before securing their current faculty position!

 

Interview Preparation

Dr. Speer started her talk with a quote from Mark Twain, who said: “it usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.” She said that a good interview experience starts with preparation ahead of the interview. Here are some take-home messages from her session:

 

[Image Description: Dr. Speer presents her recommendations for interview preparation]

• Research the University: Know who is doing what; learn how the university views teaching, research, and service; use the right language for each position or department; and so on.
• Practice Aloud: Interviews are a form of public speaking and practice makes it better. Come up with some practice questions and answer them out loud by yourself or in front of friends.
• Test Your Technology: If you have a Skype interview, practice your setup with a friend. If you are doing a presentation during a campus interview, make sure you know what technology will be provided to you and your slides work in their setup. Print out a hard copy of your presentation just in case.
• Clothing: For campus interviews, wear formal but comfortable clothes and shoes. Never, ever check your luggage on the way to the interview. Bring snacks, such as a protein bar, with you. Get clarity regarding the interview format. For example, if you are asked to do a teaching demo, ask about the audience, size of the class, and what the classroom looks like.
• Interview Questions: For interview questions, organize yourself. For example, prepare to give different viewpoints in a question to acknowledge that issues are multifaceted before you argue your position. Prepare concrete examples of your experiences. Show your personality, as they are hiring a colleague. Take your time answering your questions. Remember you are also interviewing them. Prepare lots of thoughtful questions for the search committee. Campus interviews are generally long days; you will need to hold conversations for a long time.  Watch your interviewers closely to decide whether you want to work at that institute with the people you meet in the interview.

 

Academic Salary Negotiations

Dr. Brown presented on how to negotiate your salary in academia. Here are some takeaway messages from his session:

 

[Image Description: Dr. Brandon Brown shares his slides discussing salary negotiation.]

• Types of Faculty Positions - The title of your offered position can impact your salary. For example, and Assistant Professor is funded by the state, whereas an assistant professor in residence would receive non-state funds. State funds mean that a salary is guaranteed and that the professor is required to teach. Non-state funds indicate that you would need to generate your own salary through grants and teaching. The appointment length of your position can also impact your salary (e.g. 9 months versus 12 months).
• Initial Salary Matters - the initial salary you are offered affects your entire career. Salary is usually slow-moving so it is important to start high. A low salary for the University of California system is 60,000. You will only get more if you ask for more, so make sure you negotiate.
• Justify Your Step - For academic positions within the UCs, there is a salary scale. You can increase your salary by negotiating the step that you are placed on. Some key ways to increase steps are through publications, grants, and the amount of time spent as a postdoc. Grants make a huge difference during these negotiations. Use data from national averages, institutions, and campus data to back up your arguments. An outside offer letter can also be used to increase your academic value. If the negotiation does not work out the first time, you can also seek guidance from provost, ombudsman, academic senate, equity advisors, and human resources.

 

Introduction to Cover Letters

Graduate Writing Center Coordinator, Christina Trujillo lead a workshop on creating competitive cover letters for the academic job market. She explained that cover letters contextualize the CV and allow recruiters to know how applicants will be the best fit for the position. Concurrently, Graduate Writing Center Consultants provided feedback on cover letters for those who already had a draft. Here are some takeaways from the presentation:

[Image Description: Christina Trujillo presents information on creating strong cover letters] 

• Look at the Job Description:  Connect your experiences and skills to specific job requirements of the advertised position. For example, if the job description seeks a data analyst and you have programming skills, mention that in your cover letter. This will make it easier for the committee to sort out desired applicants. For a faculty position mention what new classes you can add to those they already offer--remember, every campus wants to grow and expand!
• Pre-Draft: Before drafting your cover letter, highlight the following in different colors on your CV: Content for your teaching statement; content for your diversity statement; content for your research statement. Identify how you delineate different activities to make sure you are not repeating the same fact across all three documents. 
• Structure: Be concise and don't go over two pages. If possible, keep your cover letter to one page. Use a UCR letterhead when writing your cover letter; this gives you credibility and ties you to a specific school and department.  Your letter should be written in 12-point font and be double spaced between paragraphs.  Always address to a person. Find out the search committee chair. If you can't, remember that it's better to address the letter to, “Dear Members of the Search Committee” than it is to address it to, “To Whom it May Concern.”
• Avoidable Mistakes: Don’t undercut your achievements by unintentionally using qualifiers like “I just/only” or “I was permitted”). Avoid phrases such as “privilege to” and “honor to.” Do not use passive voice. For example, instead of “my paper was about” use “I argued.” Active voice takes less words to express the same thing and shows more agency. Avoid complex and long sentences as the reader may be skimming as they review applications. Avoid using excessive jargon.

 

[Image Description: Writing Center Consultants Melissa Klocke, Christina Gregory, and Lauren Hammond provide feedback to graduate students on their cover letters]
 

• Be Specific: Don’t write “my teaching evaluations were great.” Instead write “My evaluations placed me in the top the 10th percentile in my department.” Highlight specific impactful information.
• Tailor Your Letter: Each letter should be tailored to fit the institution you are applying to. For example, when applying to an R1 institution you should have a discussion of your research follow your introduction. For community colleges and Liberal Arts colleges, which are heavy teaching institutions, you will want to have your teaching follow your introduction.
• Resources: UCLA Career Prep Toolkit (2019-21)

 

Diversity &Inclusion

The Diversity and Inclusion panel included faculty members Dr. Stephanie Dingwall, Dr. Mariam Lam, and Dr. Donatella Galella. Questions were moderated by GSA Dial representative Jessica Moronez. Here are some takeaways from the session:

 

[Image Description: Moderator, Jessica Moronez, asks panelists Dr. Donatella Galella, Dr. Stephanie Dingwall, and Dr. Mariam Lam about their thoughts on Diversity & Inclusion]

 

• What is Diversity - Diversity is more than demographics, it also incorporates multiple aspects of a person’s identity (e.g. ability, socioeconomic status, age, etc.). Rather than solely focusing on diversity, institutions should also focus on equity.
• Diversity in the Classroom - When teaching, learn about the background and needs of your students. Incorporate readings that are free and accessible. Include campus resources in your syllabus so students are aware of where they can get additional support. Be flexible with your office hours as students may need to juggle many responsibilities outside the classroom. When planning your lessons incorporate discussions on systemic structural issues within academia. Which authors do we include or exclude in our fields? Why is that the case?
• Job Market Advice - When applying for jobs make sure to research the faculty makeup of the place to which you are applying. Do they have a track record of collaboration? Do they value diversity and inclusion? A book recommendation includes Sarah Ahmed's On Being Included: Racism and Inclusion in Institutional Life. This book explores the gap between symbolic diversity and the experience of those who embody diversity. 

 

Post-Doc Panel

The post-doc panel included Dr. Marlen Ríos-Hernández (Chicana and Chicano Studies), Dr. Matthew Prior (Botany and Plant Sciences), Dr. Yan Wang (Microbiology and Plant Pathology), and Dr. Daniela Cassol (Botany and Plant Sciences). Questions were moderated by Dr. Hillary Jenks. Here are some takeaways from the session:

 

 

[Image Description: Dr. Hillary Jenks asks postdoc panelists to share their experiences.]

• Not all Postdoc Positions are Similar: One of the most interesting things about the postdoc panel was that each person, even those in related fields, had different experiences in terms of how they found their postdoc, what similarities or differences they saw between their grad school and postdoc experiences, and what their current day-to-day looks like.
• Find a Good Mentor: Panelists emphasized the importance of identifying a collaborative and supportive mentor or PI in order to make sure the postdoc experience is a professionally successful next step after grad school. One panelist even likened the relationship to a familial one, as he said (in responding to a story about an unsupportive PI), “Why would you want to fight against your own children?”  
• Make the Most of Your Experience: Dr. Marlen Rios-Hernandez spoke about how, as a postdoc, it is necessary to articulate your needs, expectations, and goals to your mentor/PI and other colleagues at your new campus. She advised thinking about how you will fit in and contribute to that institution. She also highlighted the importance of protecting your own capacity to conduct your research, to mentor others, and to remain connected to what you love about your work so you can survive, and hopefully thrive, in the long term.
• Network to Find Positions: A final point that stood out was the role that networking, in a variety of forms, played in the professional path of each panelist. One postdoc did a visiting rotation in her current PI’s lab as a graduate student; another targeted his eventual postdoc PI based on shared research interests and reached out to him following a conference presentation; and a third relied on her graduate school network to connect with a replacement when her expected mentor had to drop out at the last moment. It definitely demonstrated that, while your work has to be good, it also has to be KNOWN – in other words, that you have to reach out to potential mentors, sponsors, and champions and communicate about your work so they can step in and connect you to opportunities where you can shine.