Penn State Graduate Student Career Guide - Biomedical Sciences ...

18 FINDING A TEACHING POSITION IN ACADEME
Summary
The job search is a time-consuming,
complex process, requiring knowledge
of yourself, your field, and the mechanics
of job searching, including preparing
curriculum vitae and cover letters,
locating and researching job opportunities,
and developing interviewing skills.
The process can be overwhelming; if
you need assistance, you are encouraged
to see a Career Counselor. A
Drop-In Counselor is available between
8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. weekdays, and
until 7:00 p.m. on Tuesdays during the
fall and spring semesters in the Bank
of America Career Services Center.
Individual counseling appointments
may be scheduled following your meeting
with the Drop-In Counselor. These
appointments are one-hour long and are
available throughout the year.
Services
Additional resources found at Career
Services to assist you in your job search
efforts include:
• Education Credentials Service (ECS):
105 Bank of America Career Services
Center: A file established for your letters
of recommendation, undergraduate
and/or graduate transcripts and
other appropriate, supporting documents.
This is a fee-based
service; see description on page 5.
REFERENCES/SUGGESTED READING
• Full-time Job Listings (Existing
opportunities received by our office
on a daily basis): Nittany Lion Career
Network (http://studentaffairs.psu.
edu/career/students/NLCN.shtml).
Formo, Dawn M., & Reed, Cheryl (1999). Job Search in Academe: Strategic
Rhetorics for Faculty Job Candidates. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, LLC.
Heilberger, Mary M. & Vick, Julia M. (2001). The Academic Job Search
Handbook (3rd Edition). Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Reis, Richard M. (1997). Tomorrow’s Professor: Preparing for Careers in
Science and Engineering. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley-IEEE Press.
Finding a Post-Doc
Short for “postdoctoral fellow,” a postdoc
is a research appointment of a
fixed length of time for those holding a
doctorate. It provides Ph.D.s with the
opportunity to deepen their research
in an area of expertise or acquire new
areas of research expertise prior to pursuing
an academic career or a career in
industry. They often feature a lighter,
if any, teaching load than faculty positions,
providing young scholars more
time to conduct more in-depth research
and to publish.
Post-docs are generally sponsored by an
academic institution, research center,
government agency, or private industry.
The post-doc has been a long-standing
feature of academic careers in the hard
sciences, and in many cases is considered
a must. Although less common,
post-doctoral positions do exist in the
humanities and social sciences.
Finding a post-doc is similar to the job
search for other academic positions. A
history of quality research experience
is critical in getting a research-oriented
postdoctoral position. However, don’t
underestimate the roles of planning and
effort. You will need a curriculum vita,
cover letters, letters of recommendation,
and interviewing skills. You will also
need to identify and research opportunities.
Refer to the section on job search
in the academe (pp. 14 - 18) for more
details. The key for post-docs is to start
early as some post-doc positions in top
locations can be filled 1 1 /2 -2 years in
advance. Once you have any sense of
when you might be completing your
degree, you should be on the lookout.
If you have the qualifications that a
preceptor is looking for, he/she may be
willing to hold a spot for you until you
finish your degree.