Print Email Font A A

Finding a Job

Up to Home

Everything you need to know to find a job in science. Covers the application and interview process, postdocs, and both academic and nonacademic careers.

Career Guides
Labor Market for PhDs
Cover Letters
Nonacademic Careers
How to Get a Job
Resumes and CVs
Interviews
Salary Information
Job Listings
The Two-Body Problem



Customized Cover Letters
in Cover Letters
You can generate all your math department cover letters in a snap using Mary Pugh's LaTeX files, now updated for 1997. You'll need to customize the address list. Hint: customize your cover letters by adding a custom content field or two to your address file. (To download this file, right click on the link and select "Save As...")
The Commandments of Cover Letter Creation
in Cover Letters
by Peter Fiske, Science's Next Wave. "I've always hated the term "cover letter." It implies that the letter you send out to accompany your résumé, the opening shot in your job-hunt campaign, is merely "decoration" for your résumé. A good cover letter does far more than just cover: It engages the reader and makes her want to explore your job qualifications more fully. A good cover letter also highlights your qualifications, guides the reader through the most important parts of your work history, and demonstrates your flawless command of the English language. That's a lot to cover in only three paragraphs!"
The Big Payoff: Educational Attainment and Synthetic Estimates of Work-Life Earnings
in Salary Information
US Census, July, 2002. "This report illustrates the economic value of an education, that is, the added value of a high school diploma or college degree. It explores the relationship between educational attainment and earnings and demonstrates how the relationship has changed over the last 25 years. Additionally, it provides, by level of education, synthetic estimates of average total earnings adults are likely to accumulate over the course of their working lives."
The Basics of Cover Letter Writing
in Cover Letters
"'In almost no time we can reject half our applicant pool just by looking at their cover letters,' says Susan Lord, associate professor of electrical engineering at the University of San Diego."
Small Mistakes With Big Consequences
in Salary Information
Dave Jensen, ScienceCareers. "It is by reading about other people's successes and failures that you can develop a game plan for the continued management of your career. So, in this month's column, I'd like to use OPE to relate three small job-search mistakes that can have very big consequences."
Writing a Great Cover Letter
in Cover Letters
by Search Masters International recruiter Dave Jensen. "A scientist or engineer beginning a search for employment must first master the art of writing a good letter of introduction--one of the most deceivingly difficult jobs of written communication. Whether you are stepping out of a graduate program and into your first job, or seeking to move up and out of your current position, the letter that "covers" your resume must favorably reflect your personality, your stature, and your credibility. That's a lot to ask of one sheet of paper."
Cover Letters for Professional and Faculty Positions
in Cover Letters
"A persuasive cover letter not only answers the questions 'Who are you?' and 'What do you want?' but also convinces the reader that you can exceed the hiring organization/unit’s specific expectations and must be interviewed before you are snagged by a competitor." Tips from the Duke University Career Center