Grad Currents - Career Planning category

Are Women Given An Unfair Advantage In Academia?

dorafarkas — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 21:33:27 GMT

If I were writing a blog about women in academia 15 (or even 10) years ago, the title would have been just the opposite: "Are Women Given an Unfair Disadvantage in Academia?" I recently red an article in the New York Times that was close to my heart. "Gains, And Drawbacks, For Female Professors" (3/21/11)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/21/us/21mit.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

While I decided not to pursue an academic career, the article focuses on changes in policies for female professors at MIT, my alma mater. In fact, the study that is discussed started 12 years ago, when I was a student there. Back in 1999 when MIT admitted discriminating against female professors, the school became a model for resolving gender inequality in academia. Since then several policies have been implemented to support female faculty members, including a generous family leave, a one-year pause on the tenure-clock after each child, and subsidized daycare on campus.

Given the strong push for hiring female professors in the last decade, women at MIT now fear that their male colleagues view them as having unfair advantages. However, the requirements for tenured positions remain stringent, including recommendations from at least 15 scholars outside of M.I.T. Furthermore a significant number of female faculty are recipients of awards including the National Medal of Science and membership in the National Academy of Sciences.

Overall female professors feel that more change has been made in the last 10 years than they had expected. Back in the 90's I went to a conference of the Society of Women Engineers, and the recipient of their highest award went to a female professor who had been a faculty member since the 1970's. Back in the 1960's she applied to several Ivy League schools for college and one of them (I chose not to disclose which one), simply replied "We do not accept women." Thirty years later, she was a tenured female professor at one of the most distinguished schools in the country and the recipient of numerous national awards. But, I do remember that back in the 90's women were still fighting for adequate lab space, and feared that having children would derail their careers.

Despite the encouraging progress in their career paths, women still feel that they are under more pressure than their male colleagues. Besides the demands of family, women are highly sought after to serve in university committees and speak about work-life balance. Some female faculty feel these commitments take precious time away which could be spent preparing for lectures, doing research or outside consulting. Nevertheless, the progress that has been made in the last 10 years is amazing, especially as more universities are working to eliminate gender inequalities.

Wishing you the best,

Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet

Author: "The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates."

www.phdnet.org

dora@phdnet.org

Now available in Kindle and Softcover

You Got a Job! Or Did You?

dorafarkas — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 03:56:59 GMT

(Based on a true story)

Fast forward a few years. It is 6:30 in the morning, and time to go to work. You are excited as you get up and envision the challenges of your new job. After breakfast, you kiss your spouse, your 2-year old son and your infant daughter goodbye as you head out the door. On your way to work, you think about your finances and how you will afford your upcoming family vacation. After the birth of your daughter, your spouse decided to stay home, since the cost of day care for two children was nearly as much as their salary. You are now a one-income family, and you can pay the bills, but there is little left for other expenses. As you pull into the parking lot, you take a deep breath and make a promise to yourself, to work your way up the ladder and secure financial stability for your family.

As soon as you walk into the building, however, you notice that something is wrong. Your colleagues are quiet. You brush your premonition aside as you turn on your computer and see several new emails from your boss. You open the emails, but even before you can read them, your boss walks in and closes the door behind him. "Look", he says, "I am sorry to have to be blunt, but as of today, your position has been eliminated. We are going through a restructuring, and several positions have been terminated, including yours. It is not personal, believe me, it was a decision from higher management. You have until the end of today to pack your belongings. I know you have only been with us for a few months, but you have done good work. I'll be happy to give you a good recommendation. I am truly sorry, I know you have a family, but there was nothing I could do."

This is the true story Leslie, (not his real name), the father of two young children. Fast forward another year. Leslie is now settled into a new job, but the previous 12 months were no picnic. He was laid off in the middle of a terrible job market and there were no positions in the area. In order to pay the bills, he took a temporary position in another state and visited his family on weekends. After six months of a grueling long-distance marriage, he finally received an offer from a company just 30 minutes from his home. What is the lesson from his story? How does one recover from a sudden layoff?

First, remember that there is no shame in being laid off. Companies let go of hundreds or even thousands of employees at once and being laid off does not look bad on your resume. Employers are interested in the skills that you bring to their organization, rather than whether you survived a layoff. Second, you have to keep a current "Rolodex", which today translates primarily to an updated LinkedIn profile. Leslie got his temporary position through one of his professional contacts. The job was not ideal because it was far from his family, but it gave him the opportunity to keep networking and look for a more convenient job.

These temporary long-distance solutions are becoming frequent as companies have waves of layoffs, and bread-winners need to find jobs fast. Another father of three young children found a position half-way across the country from his family after his company declared bankruptcy. Since there were no other employers in the area, he had to move his family to his new location over a 6 month period. Yet another mother of two teens lost her position just a few months before she had to start paying college tuition for her older child. There are thousands of these stories, and it is almost becoming a way of life in certain industries. Complacency is no longer possible. You always need to be ready to leap for new positions. Keep your professional network and resume current, and you will have a world of opportunities at hand.

Wishing you the best,

Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet

Author: "The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates."

www.phdnet.org

dora@phdnet.org

Now Available in Kindle and Softcover!

The Dual-Career Problem in Academia

dorafarkas — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 03:01:43 GMT

I recently received a question from a postdoc through Benchfly.com, which I think most dual-career couples face at some point in their lives. Lydia (not her real name) had been a postdoc for three years when her husband received a job offer in another city. At that point, Lydia had no first author papers although she was planning on publishing one in the coming year. Lydia was now faced with a difficult choice: cope with a long-distance marriage or leave her post-doc without publishing.

The specific details of Lydia's situation (how far her husband will be, how frequently they can visit, how long it would take her to finish her paper, and her own career plans) will eventually determine her decision, but this is a situation that almost all dual-career couples face. In academia, where the job market is becoming increasingly competitive, many couples have nearly given up the idea of getting positions in the same university or even city. One female professor, who received an offer from a university of Maryland, was happy that her husband got a faculty position in Virginia. At least they were in neighboring states.

While professionals in industry also face this dilemma, it is more common in academia because there are so few positions. Should couples apply as "unit" to a university, and only accept if both of them will be hired? There are different opinions regarding when one should bring up the job situation of their spouse during the interview process. In general, the consensus is that your first priority should be to demonstrate that you are the most qualified person for the position. Some candidates will discuss the situations of their spouses at the end of the interview or at the next round of interviews. (See references at the end of this blog for real stories.) Since positions are so competitive, many couples who are now in academia also applied to industry positions in the same geographical area.

One pattern I noted in the articles is that if the "trailing spouse" was also hired into the same department, he or she was sometimes treated with less respect. Other professors in the department felt that having spouses could create a conflict of interest and disrupt the academic direction of the department. It sounds like the spouse who was hired second needs to work extra hard to establish him or herself. This is less likely to occur if the spouse is in a different department, or if the applicants are still post-docs or graduate students. One student I spoke with noted that she was accepted to a very well-known graduate school, and they asked whether she had a "significant other issue." She replied that her boyfriend was already a student in another university (in a different field), and they offered to call the department at their school and inquire whether he could transfer.

Couples who end up in the same university or geographical location usually decide before they even apply to jobs that they want to stay together. They look for jobs together and consider commuting time a major factor in their decisions. Sometimes one of them needs to make a "sacrifice" (I put it in quotes because in the end they do not feel like it was a sacrifice) and take an industrial or other alternative career path. See the articles below for stories about how some couples coped with this situation.

http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/2010/100826/full/nj7310-1144a.html

http://www.phds.org/jobs/the-two-body-problem/

http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/careerprep/jobsearch/dualcareer.html

Wishing you the best,

Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet

Author: "The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates."

www.phdnet.org

dora@phdnet.org

Now Available in Kindle Edition!

Job Searching and Goal-Setting the SMART Way

dorafarkas — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 23:47:56 GMT

If you are one of those people who are tired of setting goals, you are in good company. Many of us shudder at the thought of goals, deadlines and New Year's resolutions because we feel that we are just setting ourselves up for disappointments. Yet, without goals, it is tough to be motivated to finish a thesis, start an exercise plan or get a job.

Goals are not inherently bad. The trouble with many goals is that they are too ambitious or too vague, and people do not even know how to go about to reaching them. Organizations on tight budgets and timelines, particularly in the corporate world, had to find a way to motivate people to reach their professional goals on time. The mnemonic that they came up with was "SMART", which stands for:

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Time-bound

As an example, let us assume that you are on the job market, because you will graduate in six months. In six months, you will no longer receive a stipend, so you will need a job to pay your bills. A statement such as "I really need a job in six months" will put a lot of pressure on you, and might not actually help you figure out how to do it. If you decide to follow the SMART mnemonic, you can ask yourself the following questions:

What kind of job am I looking for?
How many jobs do typical candidates apply for?
What types of positions am I trained for?
Where do I find resources and support for this job search?
What is the typical timeline for the job search? What are some shorter milestones that I can set for myself so I can find a job by the time I graduate?

If this sounds like a lot of work, you are right, simply because job searching is time-consuming by nature. ("Finding a job, is a full-time job") The difference now is that when you begin thinking about these questions, you will actually start formulating a plan and be more motivated to follow through. If you keep up the good work, you might be among the 2% minority who keep their New Year's Resolutions!

Wishing you the best,

Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet

Author: "The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates."

www.phdnet.org

dora@phdnet.org

Now Available in Kindle Edition!

Cover Letters That Get the Call

dorafarkas — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 11:00:46 GMT

Cover letters are one of the least favorite parts of the job searching process for most applicants. Cookie-cut cover letters will not get a second glance, and writing a specific letter for each position is time-consuming. Yet, cover letters give you the opportunity to set yourself apart from other candidates. A well-written cover letter will demonstrate to your future employers that you are willing to go the extra mile to research how your background fits their needs. Once you get some practice, writing cover letters will become second nature.

Some cover letter templates will suggest that you tell potential employers how you found out about the position and why you are interested. The truth is, employers do not care much about this. Employers are looking for the person who will solve their problems. The purpose of a cover letter is to convince your employers that you have the ability to meet their needs, and you are willing to go the extra mile to do so.

Let's begin with the salutation. Which letter would you be more inclined to read if you were hiring manager: One that begins with "Dear Sir or Madam" or "Dear Dr. (Your Last Name)? An applicant who puts your name on top has demonstrated that they have done the research to find out who the hiring manager was. This is not always possible, particularly in the case of Internet job ads, but as an applicant it is a good idea to find out who would be hiring you and what their background is.

Second, you need an eye-catching introductory paragraph. Good ways to start your letter include referrals (e.g. "I got your contact information from XYZ, who suggested that I contact you because"), or references (e.g. "I read your article about" or "I saw your presentation about", or "I know your organization is looking to grow in the field of XYZ, and with my experience in X I can make significant contribution to your university/company.")

Next, you need to research the organization and find out more about their areas of growth and how you would fit in. Thus, the bulk of the cover letter should consist of "Here is what I can do for you." For example, "I know you are looking for someone with mass spectrometry experience, and I have X years working with this technology. Specifically, I optimized the protocols for X., and I was able to decrease the analysis time by half. I also published several peer-reviewed papers in the following journals" Of course you need to insert your own experience, but you need to give very specific examples that will catch the hiring-manager's eyes. This section should be at least two paragraphs, with examples from your research experience, and leadership/teaching roles.

Finally, give them a way to get in touch with you, such as email and phone number. If they do not call you back, follow-up with an email, or even a phone call. This way

Wishing you the best,

Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet

Author: "The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates."

www.phdnet.org

dora@phdnet.org

Now Available in Kindle and Softcover!

Three Things Employers Want To Find Out About You During an Interview

dorafarkas — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 01:02:59 GMT

After the hiatus in hiring during the summer, employers are once again posting job ads and leafing through piles of desperate resumes. The lucky candidates will get interviews either because they sent in an outstanding resume, or (more likely) an acquaintance got them through the door.

The initial excitement of landing an interview is sometimes dampened by the overwhelming preparation phase. Most PhD interviews include a 1-hour job talk followed by technical and behavioral interview questions. Technical questions are usually not the problem. We were trained in graduate school, and possibly during a postdoctoral fellowship, to answer tough research questions. The behavioral questions, on the other hand, can make candidates nervous especially if they did not practice the answers in advance. With so many types of interview questions, who can be prepared for all of them?

Rather than trying to memorize answers to all possible interview questions under the sun, remember the following truism: Employers hire people to solve problems. The purpose of the interview is to find out whether you are the solution to the employer's problems. In today collaborative environment, solving a problem translates into more than just technical expertise. You will need to demonstrate your ability to work in teams, and also motivate other people. While the list of possible interview questions is endless, most of them fall into the following three categories.

1) Do you have the necessary technical expertise?

2) Do you work well in teams both as a contributor and as a leader?

3) Do you fit into the work environment? (e.g. work hours and collaborative vs. competitive environment)

Many interviewers are friendly and will make light conversation with you. While it is acceptable to relax a little bit, keep most of your answers relevant to the job. In particular, when the interviewer asks you "Tell me about yourself", summarize your technical background that led you on this career path. Also let them know about your experience in mentoring and working in teams, even if they are not directly related to work (e.g. volunteering, student organizations).

Also make sure you send a follow-up email within a week after your interview, to thank the interviewers for their time, and reinforce how you can contribute to their organization.

Wishing you the best,

Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet

Author: "The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates."

www.phdnet.org

dora@phdnet.org

Now Available in Kindle Edition!

Funding Your Postdoctoral Fellowship

dorafarkas — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:35:00 GMT

I write a biweekly Question and Answer column on an online scientist community called Benchfly.com, and I recently received the following question: “How many fellowships do most people apply for when starting their postdoc?” This is an interesting and relevant question particularly as the tough job market is channeling more PhD’s towards the postdoctoral track. According the NSF and the National Postdoctoral Association, there were 89,000 postdoctoral fellows in the United States in 2008, and the percentage of PhD’s going into postdoctoral positions is increasing*

Some students do not need to apply for postdoctoral fellowships because their PI’s have funding for them. Others are not so fortunate, and they need to go through the bureaucracy and secure their own funding. On the flip side, the process of applying for postdoctoral funding gives students experience in grant writing, which is valued highly in academia. Since there are only limited numbers of agencies that grant postdoctoral fellowships in each field, most students only submit one or two applications.

I know that most PhD’s would rather start a job after graduation than do a postdoc, but my advice is to view your postdoctoral position as a unique career opportunity. Many graduate students are so focused on their dissertations that they do not have time to think about their career paths. While you will probably make half as much money as your friends in industry or tenure-track positions, a postdoctoral fellowship will allow you to:

Explore different career options at workshops, seminars, and networking events
Gain more marketable job skills
Improve your publication record
Increase your professional network through conferences and collaborations

So, where do you find postdoctoral opportunities? I listed a few online resources below, but your thesis advisor is probably the best person to talk to. He or she could recommend other groups whose research could compliment your experience, as well as places to apply for postdoctoral fellowships.

For more information and to connect with other postdocs, visit the National Postdoctoral Association at:
http://www.nationalpostdoc.org/

If you are looking for a postdoctoral position, you will find listings on the following sites:
http://www.postdocjobs.com/
http://www.findapostdoc.com/

Of course, universities job bulletin’s and your field’s professional association are also excellent places to find postdoctoral listings.

To find fellowships:
http://www.phds.org/postdoc/postdoctoral-fellowships/
http://grants.nih.gov/training/nrsa.htm
http://www.nsf.gov/funding/education.jsp?fund_type=3

Fellowships in the Social Sciences and Humanities:
http://www.spo.berkeley.edu/Fund/socpostdoc.html

You can find more information about postdocs PhDNet’s latest newsletter at:
http://www.phdnet.org/phdnews/aug10_postdoctoral_fellowships.html

*References:
http://www.nationalpostdoc.org/policy/what-is-a-postdoc
http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/issuebrf/sib99310.pdf
http://www.cpst.org/Future.pdf

Wishing you the best,
Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet
Author: “The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates.”
www.phdnet.org
dora@phdnet.org

Faculty Salaries: How Do Men and Women Compare?

dorafarkas — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 23:05:36 GMT

It is no secret that men earn more than women for the same jobs. But is the gender wage gap closing and how does it affect faculty salaries?

In March, 2010 The Institute for Women's Policy Research published an article (http://www.iwpr.org/pdf/C350.pdf) that showed that the gender wage gap was still very significant. The nationwide ratio of women's and men's median annual earnings was 0.771 in 2008, compared with 0.778 in 2007. While the wage gap has narrowed during the last 50 years (the ratio was 0.6 in 1960), there has not been much change in the last ten years. The gender wage gap is also significant among people with advanced degrees. According to a study in 2001, the women to men ratio of annual earnings was 0.72 for those with Master's degrees, and 0.75 for those with Doctoral degrees. (http://www.womensmedia.com/new/Lips-Hilary-gender-wage-gap.shtml).

There is good news for those who are intending to go to academia. The following chart was adapted from the Chronicle of Higher Education (http://chronicle.com/article/Chart-Average-Faculty/64999/) and it shows the average faculty salaries for the 2009-2010 school year.

While there is still a gender wage gap in universities, it is much lower than the national average. I also thought it was interesting that there was no significant gap for Instructors. If you are interested in teaching (and I know many students are) this could be a great career path for you.

There is an excellent book by Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever called Women Don't Ask. In this book Babcock and Laschever show that women are four times less likely than men to negotiate their salaries, and this contributes very significantly to the gender wage gap. In fact many women do not even know that salaries are negotiable. In their sequel, Ask For It, Babcock and Laschever show you specific techniques to sharpen your negotiation skills in all areas of life, including the salary negotiating table. What I enjoyed most about these books were the stories that showed how much women can achieve by preparing well and asking the right questions.

Wishing you the best,

Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet

Author: "The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates."

www.phdnet.org

dora@phdnet.org

Two Big Mistakes After A Job Interview

dorafarkas — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:35:29 GMT

Imagine that you just had an interview for your dream job. The position is a perfect fit, you like the work environment, and you feel that you nailed the interview. What is the next step? What can you do to make sure that the interviewers do not forget about you? Conversely, how do you check in with them without being intrusive?

Two common mistakes after job interviews are: 1) neglecting to send a thank-you note, and 2) checking in with the interviewers too frequently or impolitely.

The first mistake is easy to correct. The purpose of a thank you note is to:

Show appreciation for the employer's interest in you
Remind them of your interest in the job
Review your qualifications for the position
Include any information the employer may have asked you to provide after the interview.

Send the letter by regular mail to the hiring manager (the person who makes the hiring decision, such as the group leader) about a week after your interview. You can then send thank-you notes via email to others who interviewed you, including the HR person.

The etiquette for checking in with your interviewers is a little trickier. The employer might not get back to you for several weeks if he/she is interviewing others or has a busy schedule. If you do not hear back within a week after they received your thank-you note send them a reminder via email to inquire about their timelines. If the interviewer is interested in you, he/she will respond to your email. Another strategy is to ask someone you know at the company to find out from the hiring manager their plans for getting back to you. In the event that the hiring manager does not respond to your letter or email, and several weeks have passed since your interview, it is a good idea to call them over the phone. Remember to rehearse what you will say before you lift the phone, and remain polite throughout the conversation.

"Waiting for the phone call" can be tough emotionally, especially when you are unemployed. Employers are very busy (sometimes they take 3-6 months to fill a position) and there are many qualified candidates on the market. You cannot rush the employers' decisions (nor would you want to) but you can remind yourself of the following job-searching mantra:

Until you receive a written offer from an employer, your job is to keep looking for employment opportunities

Curious about sample thank-you-notes and other "after-the-interview" etiquette? Check out the websites at the end of this post.

Wishing you the best,

Dora Farkas, PhD, Founder, PhDNet

Author: "The Smart Way To Your PhD:200 Secrets From 100 Graduates."

www.phdnet.org

dora@phdnet.org

http://www.job-interview-site.com/what-to-do-after-an-interview-things-to-do-after-the-job-interview.html

http://www.best-interview-strategies.com/post-interview.html

http://jobsearch.about.com/od/thankyouletters/a/samplethankyou.htm

http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewsnetworking/a/intfollowup.htm

Career Fairs: What's The Point?

dorafarkas — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 10:41:28 GMT

Just a few weeks ago, I was talking with Tomas (not his real name) who came back from a career fair completely exhausted. "I do not know what the purpose of career fairs is anymore," he said with an air of disappointment in his voice. "I stood in line for 20 minutes for each company and at the end the reps just told me to apply for jobs online. My back hurts from standing in line for hours."

Good point. What's the point of career fairs? You walk into a crowded exhibit fall with lines snaking along the wall. All these people, you might think, are applying for a handful of openings. Why even bother coming, when you can just apply online?

Yet, career fairs do serve a purpose. First, you'll get a sense of companies that are hiring, or expanding in the future. Exhibitors need to pay a hefty fee for booths, and career fairs are a quick way for them to collect resumes and talk to candidates at the same time. Be sure to look over the floor plan in advance so you will know where the relevant companies are.

Another reason to attend is to collect contact information from friendly reps. If you get to the career fair early, before the reps get exhausted, they are more likely to talk to you in detail about their openings and possibly give you their business card. If you do exchange contact info, be sure to follow up and send them a copy of your resume electronically.

Career fairs will also give you an opportunity to talk to recruiters at staffing agencies, who can recommend your resume to multiple companies. Recruiters frequently hire for temporary positions as well, which can help you get a foot in the door into industry.

Finally, career fairs are great for networking. You might meet a colleague or old acquaintance, and you could help each other in the job search. The more professional events you go to the more people you will meet and the more connected you will become.

For more tips about career fairs, visit:

http://www.nationalcareerfairs.com/advice/
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/CareerManagement/story?id=4575484&page=1
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/jobfairtips/Attend_a_Job_Fair.htm