tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post6568379675823238320..comments2024-03-14T04:53:49.513-05:00Comments on FemaleScienceProfessor: I Can See MyselfFemale Science Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15288567883197987690noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-86469420859588921762012-04-28T08:14:43.456-05:002012-04-28T08:14:43.456-05:00Female, Biologist. Postdoc - I applied to only a ...Female, Biologist. Postdoc - I applied to only a couple groups in a place where I wanted to live for a few years, got the interview, liked the person, and accepted the position before other jobs even got back to me.<br /><br />In my field it's fairly easy to find a post doc as long as you have a strong recommendation and at least some publications and skills in what your future adviser needs done. Hence, no reason to apply too broadly. <br /><br />For faculty I intend to apply much more broadly, basically anyone that offers a job in biology that could remotely be considered similar to what I do. Just hoping that doesn't mean I have to live in Nebraska, etc... However, I'm currently thinking more teaching less research than the school where I got my phd.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-70916166595154188552012-04-27T04:09:53.317-05:002012-04-27T04:09:53.317-05:00Female geologist: I applied for anything and ever...Female geologist: I applied for anything and everything that sounded remotely related to my field. The first post-doc position I landed was the one wherein my initial letter of inquiry in response to the ad basically said "Experimental petrology? Never had an opportunity to do it, but from the papers I have read on the topic it sounds interesting. How important is the part about 'experience using a piston-cylinder apparatus'?"A Life Long Scholarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13930670217574191380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-83588812698349065432012-04-27T01:56:04.203-05:002012-04-27T01:56:04.203-05:00My first month of grad school, the graduate direct...My first month of grad school, the graduate director sent around an essay that echos FSP's colleague's hypothesis that female PhDs didn't apply for jobs in the same way as male PhDs. It concluded that if a female grad students wasn't prepared to apply for jobs like a male grad student, then she shouldn't take the fellowship dollars and training slot of a man or a more motivated woman. <br /><br />This was an awful introduction to the academic job search and grad school. But years later, when I when it was time to apply for jobs, I remembered that article. My instinct was to apply narrowly -- I pushed myself to send in applications and let the vagaries of hiring committees decide whether they wanted to interview me. My experience as a faculty member has reinforced the idea that you should send your application to any job you would consider, because you don't know how much the wording of the ad was constrained by external factors, but that once the candidates are interviewed, the school will hire the best one.<br /><br />Female R1 assistant profphagenistanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-61973871763975014002012-04-26T11:52:16.529-05:002012-04-26T11:52:16.529-05:00Male, first job search after my doc program.
My m...Male, first job search after my doc program.<br /><br />My major prof. gave me the best advice: The person they hope to hire and the person they are willing to hire are two totally different people.<br /><br />My philosophy for applying to positions when I was wrapping up my doc program was to apply to anything that even vaguely looked like a match for me. I left it up to the search committee to decide if I wasn't a good match for the position. This worked out pretty well, but it did backfire once when it became obvious in the phone interview that they had not even looked at my CV. Or they did and just wanted to make me squirm. The position I finally accepted ended up being nothing like what they advertised and interviewed me for. I have now taken a new position because the university, job description and salary were all an upgrade and very specific to my research/teaching interests.Curby Alexanderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09869886724369878916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-74966163209804081812012-04-26T08:12:33.842-05:002012-04-26T08:12:33.842-05:00I'm female. For my postdoc I didn't even l...I'm female. For my postdoc I didn't even look at job ads, just contacted someone I wanted to work with and somehow that worked out.<br />For faculty positions I applied to >25 positions in 7 different types of departments, party because my field is represented in those, but also because I took the broadest interpretation and applied well outside my comfort zone. If I could make a case, I applied (I got pretty creative)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-18286202687471263102012-04-25T21:56:40.896-05:002012-04-25T21:56:40.896-05:00I applied to almost everything in my field (Humani...I applied to almost everything in my field (Humanities - specifically Classics), simply because the market's super-saturated, you've got to apply to as many places as possible to get a job, and at the basic level, most places are looking for someone qualified to teach courses in Latin and Greek, which I am. The only places I didn't apply were the T-T jobs with specific research requirements - i.e., they're looking for a Byzantine historian and I specialize in poetry several centuries earlier than that. I'm female.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-26578591745541894402012-04-25T19:29:18.818-05:002012-04-25T19:29:18.818-05:00I applied to anything vaguely relating to what I d...I applied to anything vaguely relating to what I do unless there were really specific conditions that would rule me out. I'm male.mOOmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03440274434662150925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-36566645262241364262012-04-25T18:46:16.057-05:002012-04-25T18:46:16.057-05:00It's been over 25 years since I applied for a ...It's been over 25 years since I applied for a job, and things might be different now. When I applied for my current job, I didn't read any job ads---I heard that they were starting a new department which my research would fit in and sent an application. <br /><br />When we post jobs, we try to make the description as broad as possible. Our goal is to get the best faculty available, not to fill some niche position. Occasionally we have made a job description too narrow and been unable to find a sufficiently qualified person, but usually a super person with a vague fit is better for us than mediocre person with a precise fit.gasstationwithoutpumpshttp://gasstationwithoutpumps.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-84480935500674216982012-04-25T15:53:46.448-05:002012-04-25T15:53:46.448-05:00I applied broadly for faculty jobs, but not to ads...I applied broadly for faculty jobs, but not to ads that seemed very specific (e.g. "databases" whereas I'm "software engineering" or "programming languages"). I certainly did apply to ads that were more general ("systems"). I'm male.<br /><br />I don't think the right wording is critical for attracting the best candidates. On the hiring side, though, we do use the wording that we've previously agreed on to decide on which candidates are a better fit for the position. Again, it doesn't have to be an exact match, but it has to be reasonable.plamhttp://patricklam.canoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-74324461038327333222012-04-25T15:40:20.831-05:002012-04-25T15:40:20.831-05:00Great question and when I asked it myself I think...Great question and when I asked it myself I think I'd tend to give up applying for jobs not quite specifically linked to my specialty (I'm a woman). But it's becoming clear that I should change my attitude, as quite soon will start applying for my first post-doc :)<br /><br />You can read more about it here: <br />http://scienceprone.wordpress.comKatarzyna Kulmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15267371280875270482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-24349658388804346472012-04-25T15:07:01.006-05:002012-04-25T15:07:01.006-05:00not really answering your question exactly... but ...not really answering your question exactly... but a few weeks before my defense a job came up which so incredibly closely looked for my expertise, it was uncanny. I had another career before gradschool and this job description linked that career with my phd work in a way I didn't even imagine was possible. These 2 things are not a typical career path so I would imagine in the whole world there are maybe a handful of people with that specific kind of background. So I applied, and had a phone interview, which I thought went well. They had asked some very specific things from my previous career (like how to do certain things with a software) which I left 5 years ago which I no longer remembered. It would be easy enough to look this up so I did not think this was a problem. I did not get the in person interview and could not believe it. So I contacted them again and just asked for feedback on my interview, at which point they changed their mind and offered to fly me in for an onsite interview. Again, I thought it went well, but I never heard back from them. The funny thing is, over a year later I still regularly see advertisement for that same job reposted which makes me think they never hired anyone which is kind of bizarre. My postdoc now is completely unrelated to either of the 2 things from my background and I found it by writing to the professor in the same general area of research, not through an ad, there was no ad. I love it! for the record, I am female.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-46933232255521603402012-04-25T14:38:29.126-05:002012-04-25T14:38:29.126-05:00I look for a close enough correspondence of skills...I look for a close enough correspondence of skills and knowledge to get along.<br /><br />I've changed fields inside the umbrella of "experimental particle physics" (fixed target, medium energy electron scattering to low energy, large underground neutrino detector; it may not sound like much and some skill <i>did</i> carry over but there was a lot to be re-learned), and am open to changing again so I scattered my application around a little. But only a little for post-docs. The advertiser is looking for a particular set of skill.<br /><br />With faculty my faculty search I was a little more liberal, especially if the add came from a less prestigious institution. <br />My target here was for the reader to pick up my packet and understand <i>why I thought they might be interest in me</i>. No point in wasting my time or the committee's.EscapedWestOfTheBigMuddynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-90791181949126564212012-04-25T13:49:04.084-05:002012-04-25T13:49:04.084-05:00Female - I applied for any and all jobs that were ...Female - I applied for any and all jobs that were remotely related to what I didPsycgirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13476028853857792495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-28613591009382706662012-04-25T13:38:58.636-05:002012-04-25T13:38:58.636-05:00(female). I've applied to all sort of tenure-t...(female). I've applied to all sort of tenure-track and postdoc jobs, including those asking for candidates in other areas. For me, the sentence "exceptional candidates in other areas will be considered" means green light to apply. <br /><br />Of course, being in math, applying is trivial thanks to mathjobs...mathgirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09641041257943155537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-15977930256874092812012-04-25T13:34:49.771-05:002012-04-25T13:34:49.771-05:00I have to admit that I'm getting less and less...I have to admit that I'm getting less and less interested in questions like this because it's all anecdotal. An actual scientific study of the data on this topic would be interesting, though. I'd be interested in differences not just along gender lines but ethnic differences as well. For the last faculty search our department ran we had a consultant from the University office of diversity come talk to us about where to "find" minority candidates. But again, it was all conjecture. <br /><br />I'm with the first responder. In my field most people apply to anything even closely related but also most job ads are very vague. I once applied for (and got) a position that was originally advertised at a different level, although I did contact the search committee chair first to see if they might be interested in hiring outside their originally posted range.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-81337212711440696752012-04-25T12:57:33.618-05:002012-04-25T12:57:33.618-05:00Female postdoc: I applied to the specific laborato...Female postdoc: I applied to the specific laboratory I wanted to work in. <br /><br />Female prof: I applied to all relevant department openings at the level and in the geographic region I was interested in, and did not pay much attention to the fine details of the ad. <br /><br />Both of these decisions were guided by mentor input.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-84640536277567311462012-04-25T12:57:16.329-05:002012-04-25T12:57:16.329-05:00Female TT asst professor.
For my postdoc search, ...Female TT asst professor.<br /><br />For my postdoc search, I sent unsolicited letters to investigators whose research I was interested in pursuing.<br /><br />For my first round of applications for TT positions, I behaved as what was hypothesized as a typical female, applying only for those jobs that specifically stated they wanted *ME* and my research.<br /><br />For the second set, I expanded my search to anything, anyone, anywhere I thought could remotely be interested in me. Interestingly, I got a lot more feedback later in the game from those positions that seemed less likely/interested in my particular research.<br /><br />The position I ended up taking was WAY outside of anything obvious, but perfect for where I want my research to go.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-27497732039851352572012-04-25T12:49:05.744-05:002012-04-25T12:49:05.744-05:00I am female and postdoc: I sit between fields. I v...I am female and postdoc: I sit between fields. I visit the department website of any add that has key words in any of the fields I sit between. If the department has people that look like they may be interested in my work (loosely defined) I apply. My partner (male, TT) applied for a job where the faculty looked interesting, but the add was in a different field. The faculty wanted him, until the dean explained that, no really, the department had to hire in the subfield they advertised in.Barefoot Doctoralhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03116876526923906034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-15996770669822002012-04-25T12:36:51.943-05:002012-04-25T12:36:51.943-05:00Unrelated to your post, sorry, but had to get this...Unrelated to your post, sorry, but had to get this conversation I had recently with a senior prof. off my chest. I originally asked him for career advice (last time I ask him!): <br /><br />Important Prof: Did you hear about Dr XX getting promoted to Professor? Well I don't want to be labelled sexist but it's clear to everyone she was only promoted because she was a woman. This is a terrible thing for science.<br /><br />Me: Is she not proficient?<br /><br />Prof: She is ok actually. But clearly a man has been disregarded for the post - that's sexism!<br /><br />Me: She is the only female professor in the department, right? I wonder why there are no other women professors? <br /><br />Prof: Well, again, I don't want to be labelled sexist, but the coincidence of child-rearing and tenure is just bad luck for women. My wife was very busy for the first 2 years after each of our children were born. So in the end, if women are spending all their time taking care of their children, I don't see why they should be preferred for tenure. <br /><br />Me: But there is only one woman professor out of 10 in this department. So clearly they are not favored.<br /><br />Prof: Exactly. They chose to have children. It's not the fault of the people hiring.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-25375940465178472832012-04-25T12:34:41.448-05:002012-04-25T12:34:41.448-05:00I am a female asst. prof. I applied for all facult...I am a female asst. prof. I applied for all faculty positions that I was even vaguely qualified for, even those in departments different from mine.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-1360439797784074052012-04-25T12:24:57.760-05:002012-04-25T12:24:57.760-05:00When applying for faculty positions, I pretty much...When applying for faculty positions, I pretty much stuck to ads directly related to my experience and interest. I didn't/don't handle rejection all that well -- so I tried to only apply for jobs that if hired, I would have a good chance of success (happiness+tenure) there. I'm more interested in community than conflict/competition.<br /><br />However, it was a good market when I was looking. I was single and had no children. When I skim the occasional ad these days, I don't see much that I'd consider applying for. As I advance in my career, the options not only narrow, but also I'm also less open to seeing myself starting down some "related" path. Or, maybe I just see those ads with different eyes: I really like my position and it would take A LOT for me to even entertain the serious thought of a move... for myself and for my family. Or, maybe there just aren't all that many ads for mid-career openings.<br /><br />Female.mamallamanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-18639278752406056592012-04-25T12:19:22.939-05:002012-04-25T12:19:22.939-05:00male: I am currently a postdoc and my strategy ha...male: I am currently a postdoc and my strategy has been to apply to faculty positions with any vague relationship to my field. The interest expressed in response to my applications has a very low correlation to the quality of "fit" that I saw in the wording of the announcement.<br /><br />My strategy in choosing grad school and post-doc labs has been to seek the smartest, most pleasant-to-work-with (and best-funded) mentors as possible with secondary regard to the specific sub-field of research. As the tables hopefully turn and I am more on the hiring side, I will value a quality colleague far above their specific area of expertise.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-12542876201333045032012-04-25T12:06:04.291-05:002012-04-25T12:06:04.291-05:00I'm still a grad student, but I learned this l...I'm still a grad student, but I learned this lesson the hard way by mismanaging a job hunt in a former career- from now on, I will always apply as broadly as I can. (Given that I also want to spend enough time on each application that it represents me well.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-30071268868049425602012-04-25T12:02:40.309-05:002012-04-25T12:02:40.309-05:00male, assistant prof: When I first applied around ...male, assistant prof: When I first applied around out of grad school, I applied to anything remotely close to my field. Now my perceived area of expertise has narrowed to the point that the ad must mention my sub-sub-sub-field if I think I have any chance of being selected.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-75047189145890702832012-04-25T11:50:59.511-05:002012-04-25T11:50:59.511-05:00As someone who is advertising for a postdoc to joi...As someone who is advertising for a postdoc to join my lab, this is very relevant to me! I am astonished at how broadly people will interpret the description of relevant interests/expertise, and though it's a small sample size, far more men than women will send in an application that says, "My experience in washing cars makes me extremely suitable for your position in string-theory-based stem cell research on hamsters."MZnoreply@blogger.com