Resume building and job hunting for scientists
Benjamin Scott - June 12, 2023
These tips could apply to anyone looking for a non-tenure track position of any type. Many of the tips could likely be applied to tenure track job hunts too.
The difference between a CV and a resume
A CV (curriculum vitae) describes everything you’ve done during your entire career post-high school.
This means every publication, every conference presentation, every award, all your teaching experience, every society/volunteer experience, and a comprehensive list of your technical abilities.
A CV is long, often 5+ pages
A CV is typically only used for applications to tenure track positions, or very specific technical positions at research institutes. They are not typically requested for any other role.
The same CV is often used for many job applications (it is not usually tailored to the job ad).
A resume is specific to the job ad you’re applying to. It does not cover your entire career, only the most relevant aspects to the job you’re applying to.
A resume is short, no more than 2 pages. You may want to create a longer “master” resume, and adjust it to suit the job ad.
The key sections to a resume are typically:
Name and contact information
Profile: a 2-4 sentence summary about you, your key skills, and accomplishments. It’s the first thing the hiring manager will read, and will re-read before your interview. Short and punchy.
Professional experience: summary of your employers, job titles, and how long you worked there. Under each one, list 2-4 bullet point accomplishments. Accomplishments are what you did, not how you did it. Don’t summarize technical accomplishments, unless relevant to the role you’re applying to. If you can’t think of any accomplishments, then the experience isn’t worth including. This will take up ~50% of your resume.
Education: very short summary of the degree(s) you earned, from what school(s), and when.
Selected publications: 2-4 publications, if relevant to the job you’re applying to. Reference format of your choice.
Selected conferences & presentations: 2-4 conference presentations, or other presentations, if relevant to the job you’re applying to.
Volunteer experience/hobbies: this can help show you have activities outside of work. Some hobbies can come across as unprofessional, so be careful what you list.
Additional links: LinkedIn, Google Scholar, ORCID, GitHub, etc.
Optional sections
Skills: These must be specific skills, highly relevant to the job posting. “Teamwork” and “MS Office” are not serious skills. But a specific programming language, or technical skill may be relevant to include. These skills should set you apart from other candidates. Be prepared to discuss specific ways you’ve used these skills.
Awards and distinctions: if particularly notable, relevant to the job, and/or something you would like to bring up in an interview.
Teaching experience: only if the job will involve teaching. You could instead include this under professional experience, to demonstrate you can train people.
The importance of a cover letter
A cover letter is almost as important as your resume. It’s your chance to tell your story, and why you’re perfect for the job. It is one page and clearly includes:
Header including your contact information
The job title you’re applying to
A short summary of yourself/accomplishments (similar to the profile on your resume)
A list of specific accomplishments relevant to the position (in point form, if that’s helpful)
Specific reasons why you’re interested in this role
Summary paragraph, relating your accomplishments to why you’re a perfect fit for the job
Your signature and printed name
What to focus on (in applications and interviews)
Employers want to hear about your experience, and how you work on a team. Teamwork is undervalued during grad school, but it’s a crucial component of jobs after school.
Focus on two major things
Your accomplishments (what you did, who it impacted, why it mattered)
Your experience working on a team (size of teams, skillset of teams, your contribution)
If there are specific technical skills mentioned in the job ad, you should also highlight those. But avoid talking at length about your technical skills.
It’s much more important to highlight what you accomplished with those skills, who it impacted, why it mattered.
Job ads, and when to start looking
You do not need to meet all criteria on a job ad. If you’re excited about the opportunity, and can meet ~50% of the listed criteria, you should apply.
~18 months before you plan to start a new job, start looking at job ads at companies/institutes you want to work at. If you find a role you like, use the job ad as a template for the skills you should be developing. Grad school is the perfect time to learn new skills, and take advantage of courses/seminars.
~12 months before you plan to start a new job, start reaching out to contacts at companies/institutes you want to work at. This could be emailing, or messaging on LinkedIn. Messaging on LinkedIn often results in a reply. This is an opportunity for an “informational interview”, a chance for you to learn about the company and the roles there. Most importantly, you will now be on the company’s radar. There are often unlisted positions/roles that have not been advertised yet, so you may learn about them.
Keep this timeline in mind when job hunting: The interview and hiring process for technical roles, particularly academic ones, can be very long. Expect 2-4 months from your initial application to the final interview. It can then still take a few more months for you to start.
References
Create a list of 2-5 key people
Former supervisors, bosses, colleagues, people you have trained
Ask them before you provide their names as references
Tell them about the job you’re applying to, and when to expect to be contacted, and what the interviewer may ask about
Communicate communicate communicate!
Preparing for an interview
Ahead of the first interview, think of a few “S.O.A.R” stories (see here for more)
Situation: You begin by briefly providing context using a real life situation you experienced. This is the “before” picture which illustrates what was happening “at the time” of the situation.
Obstacles: You then articulate the issues or define the problem. This gets the interviewer’s attention regarding what it is you had to overcome.
Action: You then explain the action you took to resolve the situation.
Results: Share the result of your actions. Sharing the quantifiable as well as qualitative outcomes.
Write them down if it’s helpful, and practice them ahead of the interview.
When you find out who will be interviewing you, take 30 minutes to do some research about them before the interview.
The interview process
Each company/institute has a slightly different interview process. You should have a chance to meet your supervisor, team members, and other colleagues during the process.
The interview is not just about you. It’s also your chance to learn more about the company, and the people there.
Here are some questions you could ask. Obviously you won’t have a chance to ask them all, so choose the ones you feel are the most important.
Adapted from: https://www.academyoflearning.com/blog/6-types-questions-ask-job-interview/
Questions to Ask About the Job:
What does a typical day look like?
What are the most immediate projects that need to be addressed?
Can you show me examples of projects I’d be working on?
What are the skills and experiences you’re looking for in an ideal candidate?
What attributes does someone need to have in order to be really successful in this position?
What types of skills is the team missing that you’re looking to fill with a new hire?
What are the biggest challenges that someone in this position would face?
What sort of budget would I be working with?
Is this a new role that has been created?
How does this role connect with the larger work being done at the company?
Questions to Ask About Training and Professional Development:
How will I be trained? What does the onboarding process look like?
What training programs are available to your employees?
Are there opportunities for advancement or professional development?
Would I be able to represent the company at industry conferences?
Where is the last person who held this job moving on to?
Questions to Ask About Your Performance:
What are the most important things you’d like to see someone accomplish in the first 30, 60, and 90 days on the job?
What are the performance expectations of this position over the first 12 months?
What is the performance review process like here? How often would I be formally reviewed?
What metrics or goals will my performance be evaluated against?
Questions to Ask About the Interviewer (asking questions of the interviewer shows that you’re interested in them as a person—and that’s a great way to build rapport):
How long have you been with the company?
Has your role changed since you’ve been here?
What did you do before this?
Why did you come to this company?
What’s your favorite part about working here?
Questions to Ask About the Company:
Where do you see this company in the next few years?
What can you tell me about your new products or plans for growth?
What are the current goals that the company is focused on, and how does this team work to support hitting those goals?
What gets you most excited about the company’s future?
Questions to Ask About the Team:
Can you tell me about the team I’ll be working with?
Who will I work with most closely?
Who will I report to directly?
Can you tell me about my direct reports? What are their strengths and the team’s biggest challenges?
Which other departments work most closely with this one?
Questions to Ask About the Culture:
What’s the company and team culture like?
How would you describe the work environment here—is the work typically collaborative or more independent?
What’s your favorite office tradition?
What do you and the team usually do for lunch?
Does anyone on the team hang out outside the office?
Do you ever do joint events with other companies or departments?
What’s different about working here than anywhere else you’ve worked?
How has the company changed since you joined?
Questions to Ask About Next Steps:
Is there anything that concerns you about my background being a fit for this role?
What are the next steps in the interview process?
Is there anything else I can provide you with that would be helpful?