Searching for a Job

Jeremy Kepner G98 with help from Alix Sholl (UMass G95)

Introduction

The purpose of this document is to describe some of my experiences in finding a job with a Ph.D. in Astronomy. In my job search I considered employment opportunities in three different areas: My experience is that a job search in each of these areas can be vastly different. The biggest differences are between EDU and COM searches, with GOV jobs being somewhere in between. In the rest of this document I will describe how I went about each of these searches. For each type of job search I will discuss the following points:

EDU Jobs

Why pursue a job in academia? I felt this was the very first question I needed to answer before beginning my job search. Pursuing a post-doc in astronomy is the standard path after getting a Ph.D., but like choosing to go into industry still requires very strong personal reasons. For me the PROS and CONS of this career path were roughly as follows:
PROS
CONS

Preparation

First and foremost, my preparation for pursuing an academic career consisted of trying to be the most productive researcher I possibly could. Having a solid research and publication record is the base on which a career in academia is founded. Ideally, I wanted a couple of pre-dissertation papers published and perhaps one dissertation-based paper accepted before I applied for post-docs. In addition, I tried to make this work noticed by presenting it at a few meetings and workshops.

Whenever possible, I tried to meet people within my area of astronomy whom I thought I might like to work with later on. This activity is often referred to as "networking." Successful networking has nothing to do with "kissing up" to people whom you think are important. The best working relationships are formed when people have had a chance to meet and work together before. Over a sequence of meetings common goals can be identified, which often lead to opportunities years later.

The easiest people to network with are your advisor's colleagues, but contacts from undergraduate or summer research can also be very helpful.

Looking

The best source of listings for astronomy jobs is the AAS. The AAS e-mails a list of job postings every month. Detailed descriptions of these jobs can be found at the AAS web site (www.aas.org). Looking at this list a year in advance can give you a good sense of when the various deadlines are. Another good source are the ads in Physics Today. These jobs are less focused on astronomy. The rumor web site (currently hosted at www.astro.utoronto.ca/~hall/jobs.html) is also an extremely valuable source of additional job information. Finally,your advisor, his/her colleagues, and the people with whom you have collaborated are the best sources of advance inside information on the post-docs for which you are most qualified.

The independent post-doc fellowships (e.g. the Miller at UC Berkeley, the Bok at U of A, the Oppenheimer at Los Alamos, Hubble, CfA, etc...) tend to have the earliest application deadlines (starting Nov. 1). These post-docs often pay a bit more, have some prestige and allow the most freedom in setting your own research agenda.

Most of the other post-docs are funded by a grant from an individual researcher or research project and generally require that most of your time be spent on the project, which isn't necessarily bad if the project is very successful. These post-docs tend to have application deadlines beginning in December and continuing into the summer. A lot depends on the timing of funding and the job plans of existing project team members. In addition, while independent post-docs are 2-3 years, project-related post-docs have more opportunity to stay with a team for up to 5 years or longer.

Faculty jobs are a different story. It is possible to get a faculty job directly out grad school, especially at a teaching institution. However, acquiring a faculty job at a major research institution will usually require the successful completion of a couple of post-docs. Faculty jobs have deadlines throughout the year and often do not have to be filled. To get a sense of how this process develops, visit the rumor web page.

Another new area of employment in astronomy is computer systems administration. The explosion in computer usage in both astronomy and elsewhere has made it very difficult for astronomy departments to hire and retain good systems people. Generally, academic departments cannot pay the going rate for systems people. A new trend towards addressing this problem is to hire someone in at the staff scientist level and allow them to pursue astronomy research half time while also being responsible for overseeing the departments computing (usually with the assistance of one or two grad students). These jobs can be appealing in that they allow you to maintain ties with astronomy and have long term employment stability. Of course, to qualify for a job like this requires a strong background in computer systems administration.

Applying

The basic components of an academic job application are: A CV is a simple listing of your address, education/work history and list of publications, proceedings, presentations, etc... It is OK to list work (in particular your dissertation) as in press, in preparation or in progress. NOTE: a CV is not a resume and vice versa.

The summary of past research describes the work you have done, and should be no more than 2-3 pages in length. It is important to focus on what you think will be most interesting to whomever will be reading it. Thus, your summary might change depending upon which job you are applying for. Do not sacrifice fully describing your best work in an attempt to be complete about discussing a less-important project that occurred several years ago.

The research proposal is a very important document in that it describes what you plan to do once you get the job for which you are applying. Again, this proposal might change a lot from job to job. The proposal is also an example of how well you can "sell" your research agenda. In addition, a well-written proposal may serve as the starting point of a future grant proposal. Finally, the research proposal can be a very useful introspective document in that you can use it to gauge you own level of interest about a potential job (i.e., does the work that you are proposing excite you?).

Letters of recommendation can easily be the most important component of your application. A strong letter from a person your potential employer respects is an incredible asset. In general, you will need three letters of recommendation. It is helpful to think about this early in your graduate career. It is OK to have letters from faculty outside of your graduate institution if you have maintained contact with them. It is also important to try and make the letter-writing process as easy as possible for your references. Ask them if they will feel comfortable writing a letter for you (preferably in private so that they can give you an honest answer). Give them copies of your CV, research summary and research proposal at least two weeks before the deadline. It is also helpful to get their feedback on the research proposal. Give them an organized list of all the places you will be applying to, including the addresses where your letters will need to be sent (you might even want to provide your references with pre-addressed mailing envelopes).

Most post-docs do not require an interview. However, you may have an informal phone interview before receiving an offer. This is mainly to gauge your interest in the position. One typical place for interviews to occur is at the winter AAS meeting. At the meeting, jobs are posted on a board and there is a place to sign up for an interview. For this and other reasons, it is a good idea to attend the winter AAS meeting. Furthermore, you should bring copies of your application materials in case they are needed.

Finally, don't tempt fate by assuming it is OK to mail materials in late. Some places have very specific deadlines. If necessary, find out what express mail options are available in your area (airports sometimes accept express mail on Sunday at midnight). You may also have a friend at the institution to which you are applying who can print out your application for you and drop it off only hours before the deadline. It is also OK to call and check that all your materials were received (in particular your letters of recommendation).

Deciding

If you are sure you want an academic career, then the decision process for choosing a post-doc is usually pretty simple as you will only have two or three job offers. Furthermore, there is not a lot of variation in salary among different post-doc positions. The prestigious post-docs pay more and that is about all there is to it. In general, the most important thing to consider is where you will be after you have finished the post-doc. Look at what previous post-docs at that institution have done. Are they currently in the kind of job that you would one day like to have?

If you have a more permanent job offer, then the situation is much different. Everything is negotiable and the negotiating process can take a while.

Government Jobs

Why pursue a job at a government lab? Traditionally, these are one of the common employers of astrophysicists. The most frequent employers have been NASA and the Department of Energy (DoE). Other labs that might be possible employers are those run by the armed forces (Dept. of Defense Labs), the Department of Commerce (e.g., GFDL, NIST), and even the National Institute of Health (NIH). Over the past few decades, NASA's budget has been relatively flat. This is important to know because new funding means new jobs which are the most common filled by new Ph.D.'s. The DoE has also not grown very much in total size but has undergone some significant shifts in funding which have resulted in many new jobs, particularly in computational science. Traditionally, the DoE has been in charge of the manufacture and development of the US nuclear weapons arsenal. It also has a large basic research component and has expanded its mission to include anything that falls under the umbrella of "national security", which may mean military, economic, domestic, etc. Many of the DoE labs require a security clearance, some don't. For me some of the pros and cons of these jobs are:
PROS
CONS

Preparation

The preparation for a career in a government lab is similar to that for an academic career in that a strong research record is important. However, it differs in the sense that your research should demonstrate your ability to work well in areas outside of astronomy. In addition, written and verbal communication skills are even more important, since most government research projects involve large teams. Acquiring a diverse background is best done by taking courses outside of astronomy (particularly in computer science and electrical engineering). In addition, spending time at a government lab during the summer can also be a valuable experience.

During my graduate career, I received funding from the DoE. To meet some of the requirements of my fellowship, I spent a summer working at PPPL. I also took two graduate-level computer science courses and several applied math courses, and maintained contact with individuals at government labs whom I had met over the years. Networking with these contacts is a very important means of finding out about some government jobs.

Looking at the job advertisements will give you a sense as to what kind of skills will be looked upon most favorably, and can act as a guide to choosing additional courses.

Looking

Most government labs maintain a web page that usually lists all of their available jobs. I have found that this is the most accurate and up-to-date source for positions at these locations. Princeton Career Services (www.princeton.edu/Career) will also get a few recruiters from these labs. Unlike most recruiters, these are particularly open to interviewing Ph.D.'s and not just undergraduates. Check the Princeton Career Services web page to see which labs will be recruiting and when they will be on campus. Many of these labs will also send representatives to the Technology Jobs Fair, held in Dillon Gym in the fall.

Applying

The basic components of a government lab job application are:

A resume is a much subtler and more sophisticated document than a CV. It is generally shorter and should be limited to one page. In addition to listing your general information, it should also include education and work summaries and lists of skills and accomplishments. Remember that a resume is often scanned very quickly and not read in detail. Your most important assets to the potential employer must be emphasized immediately in language *they* will understand. The best way to do this is to make a new resume for each employer while looking at their job advertisement. This way you can be sure to include important words or phrases that they are looking for. Create an ASCII version of your resume so that you can easily send it via e-mail.

A cover letter is designed to put the resume in context. Be sure to mention who you are, and that you are getting a degree from Princeton. Mention the job you are applying for. If someone at the organization recommended that you apply, be sure and mention that, too. The cover letter and resume are invariably sent together. Whenever possible I tried to send this information by e-mail. Do not be afraid to send your cover letter and resume to multiple places within the same organization.

There are two ways a recruiter can schedule an interview. An "unscreened" interview means that a week before the recruiter arrives you can go to Career Services, deposit your resume and cover letter, and sign up for a half hour interview slot. A "pre-screened" interview means you have to send your cover letter and resume in advance to the recruiter, after which they will contact you to arrange a specific interview.

When you go to an interview, always remember to be early and to wear a suit. Most likely you will have to wait along with many undergraduates. This is a distinct advantage, since you should be a lot calmer and more mature in comparison. An interview is nowhere near as stressful as the General Exam. For a government lab interview, you will normally be talking to a scientist from the lab who is technically very literate but doesn't know anything about Astronomy and has no interest in hearing about Astronomy. They want to see how you communicate and what technical skills you have acquired during the course of doing your research. Often the interviewer will use your resume as a script for the interview, asking you to elaborate on your various experiences. Don't put anything on the resume you don't want to talk about in detail.

After the interview you might be given an employment application to fill out and send in. The interviewer also fills out their own evaluation. If they were unimpressed with you, it ends there. If they were impressed, they will "push" your resume around their organization trying to drum up interest. If there is a group that is interested in you, they will contact you and most likely ask you for a research summary and names of references. Always try and tailor your responses to the specific group you are interviewing with. Also inform your references that they might be contacted by a specific organization. If all goes well you will be contacted again to schedule an on-site interview.

At a government lab you will normally be asked to give a short half hour talk on the morning you arrive. Most likely the group has no interest in Astronomy. They want to see how you communicate and what technical skills you have acquired during the course of doing your research. Keep this in mind when preparing your abstract and talk. Find out as much as you can about the group before you do this. After the talk, you will then spend the rest of the day and possibly the following day meeting and talking to people in the group. You can easily end up talking with over 20 people. It can be quite tiring. Pace yourself, drink a lot of water throughout the day to preserve your voice so it is still strong at the end of your visit.

After the on-site interview, the person who sponsored you and who is looking to hire you will pool together the opinions of everyone you talked to. If they are still impressed they might only now talk to your references.

Deciding

If you get a job offer from a government lab it will have a lot of components to it: salary, benefits, pay-raise structure, etc... Government labs are fairly formulaic in their approach. They take your info, stick it in the computer, and out pops your salary. This is where it pays to really have been thorough in your employment application. Negotiating with government labs can be very tough.

Choosing a job is an important decision. Don't be afraid to make another visit at your final choice to get more information. This is especially important if there were people in the group you didn't get a chance to talk to during your on-site interview.

3. COM jobs.

Jobs in industry span a tremendous range of careers. In my own search of industry jobs I focused on two types. The first were software R&D positions at large corporations, such as SGI, HP, Microsoft, Exxon, AT&T, Lucent, Siemens, Sarnoff, NEC, ... The second were small to medium sized technology consulting companies. Limiting myself to these two types of careers narrowed the field considerably, but there were still lots of companies recruiting at Princeton that fit. Perhaps the two most popular types of recruiters at Princeton are management consulting companies and investment banking companies.

Software R&D at a big company is in many ways similar to working at a government lab--well-paid, relatively stable and technically challenging. There is less opportunity to pursue basic research and the emphasis is on creating proprietary technology that will benefit the company. However, there is even more opportunity to rise in the company and the compensation structure is less rigid than at a government lab. It is worth noting that many of these companies do some defense-related work and a security clearance might be necessary.

Technology consulting at a small

  • to medium-sized firm involves long hours, a lot of travel and not a lot of stability. However, it is a tremendous learning experience providing exposure to a vast array of technologies. In addition, smart people can expect to be given a lot of leadership quickly, as well as a significant stake in the company. If you join when the company has 10-100 employees and it grows to 1000-10,000 employees in 10 years, the potential value of stock options can easily exceed $500,000 (of course, this is peanuts for an investment banker).

    Preparation

    The preparation for a career in industry can be vastly different than that for academia. The key is diversity of experience. Looking at various companies' web sites and the jobs they offer will provide a good list of the kind of skills they are looking for. Many of these skills can be acquired in a course or by employing a new technology to an astronomy project (e.g. HTML, Java, relational database, etc...). For investment banking, I hear that Woodrow Wilson offers an excellent course which introduces a lot of the key terminology. For the most part just understanding the language of the area you are looking at is sufficient for a bright person. Most of the concepts are simple--they are just given funny names, which is something astronomers can relate to.

    Networking can also be very helpful, but more difficult to do as industry people are few and far between in astronomy. Career Services maintains a list of alumni who are willing to be contacted. Contacting them directly for a job is not a good idea, but most will be happy to meet and provide information about their career. If such a meeting goes well, it can easily lead to employment opportunities. Family and friends can also be a good source of contacts.

    Looking

    Most companies maintain a web page which usually lists most of their jobs. However, Princeton Career Services is probably your best bet.

    Applying

    The basic components of an industry job application are:

    Much of what I said with regards to a government lab also holds for industry as well. I will now elaborate on some of the key differences.

    The resume must be readily understandable by a non-technically trained reader. Most recruiters are primarily looking at undergraduates and they may have difficulty fitting a Ph.D. into their world view. The important thing to emphasize is your experience with understanding, solving, and communicating about complex problems. Another difficult issue is whether to outright say that you are getting a Ph.D. in astronomy, which just about guarantees getting your resume put in the trash. You will be really selling yourself as someone closer to a computer scientist or an electrical engineer. It is up to you find the appropriate Clintonesque language that conveys this without being deceitful.

    The cover letter serves much the same role as it does in a government lab job.

    Showing up on time and wearing a suit is even more important for an industry interview. The stereotype against a Ph.D. is that they are disheveled and only interested in their own Ivory Tower ideas. You must do everything you can to overcome this stereotype in the interview. My experience is that there are two types of industry recruiters that come to Princeton: kids who want to party at their alma matter and serious professionals. With the former, the interview is somewhat of a waste of time since no one listens to these people when they file their report. I have even had to help people younger than me conduct the interview. If you are lucky enough to be interviewed by a person who has been with a company for awhile, then you will be talking to someone who understands the companies needs and is trying very hard to see how you might fill them. It is very important to convey your immediate interest in the challenges faced by the company. The interviewer doesn't know anything about Astronomy and has no interest in hearing about Astronomy. They want to see how you communicate and what technical skills you have acquired during the course of doing your research.

    The recruiting interview may be the only interview that you have before they offer you a job. Only an idiot would accept such an offer without first visiting the company and meeting all the people they were going to work with. More likely you will be invited for an on-site interview. They may or may not ask you to give a talk and most likely you will only spend half a day talking to people, not two days like at a government lab. Microsoft employs a dynamic scheduling technique. If the first people you talked to were impressed you get passed up the food chain. If you make it to 6:00 you have done OK. If they kick you out by lunch, well at least you got a free trip to Seattle.

    Deciding

    If you get a job offer from a company, it will have even more components than a government lab offer such as a signing bonus, stock options, stock purchase plan, etc... All of these things are highly negotiable. The signing bonus is usually the easiest thing for a company to adjust, don't be swayed by it, an increase in salary is much better. Stock options are very difficult to value. Remember they are only options to buy stock at a preset price. If the stock doesn't go up they are worthless.

    Again, don't be afraid to make another visit at your final choice to get more information.

    GOOD LUCK!