I sent out 36 applications (I applied to developmental, human developmet, social, and some clinical)....but really only maybe 10-15 of those job ads matched my research area.
I've sent out 41 (mostly developmental and cognitive). I'd say a little less than half of the job descriptions generally matched my research area, and some of the others were really a long shot.
Only 7 apps for me. I decided to target jobs that were very good fits for my specialization rather than carpet bombing the whole market. Not sure if this was a good strategy or not!
According to wiki leads, it appears that only a few superstars are getting all the interviews at top jobs so far.
Does anyone know of a good online resource for psych postdoc listings?
I'm up to 39 so far. I'm applying to developmental, family studies and ed psych positions.
No responses at all. I've only applied to places with grad programs, but I may broaden the net now. In my current department, they have interviews scheduled.
Does anyone have a sense of how many applicants there probably are per developmental/family studies position? The rejection email I got from Berkeley's Clinical program said they had about 115 applicants--is that typical?
For the person who asked about post-docs (12:09 PM today): if you aren't on them already, list-servs for your area can be a good way to find out about openings, as are the typical APA, APS and similar websites. I also don't think it's too early to go ahead and contact potential post-doc supervisors and see if they would be interested, talk about funding, etc. They should certainly understand if later on you change plans because you were offered a job!
Will there be many more ads? I'm in cognitive and it seems like there's not much to go around. I sent 15 to research places, and 3 to colleges. Even then, many were a stretch.
I applied for around 40 cognitive and experimental jobs. Really a large range in terms of type of school; so far, I've had a few phone interviews at regional, primarily undergraduate schools.
It seems like most of the R1 interest is going to senior people, either those with pretty extensive postdoc experience or those who are already assistant professors elsewhere. This is definitely the case at the R1 where I am a student, and also generally seems to be true from those R1 jobs I applied for that have already scheduled interviews. I guess it just really is getting harder and harder to be competitive right out of graduate school.
ABD. Sent 14 out for positions I met all the required and most of the preferred qualifications. Applying in health, community, applied (general), and applied social. Schools range from R1s to SLACs.
So far 4 phone interviews and 2 campus invites.
Now onto the small matter of developing my job talk.
Good luck to everyone and thanks for making the Psych job search blog!
For the person who posted the last comment (who is ABD), do you mind if I ask how many publications you have (and how many are first-authored)? I'm also ABD and have had no luck at all. I'm thinking maybe it's because I don't have any first-authored publications.
I'm also ABD and seeking a cognitive job. I've found out who is interviewing at a few places (R1 institutions) already, and I agree with the previous post that it seems to be either postdocs or current assistant profs. I've only seen one ABD on a short list, and he was an inside candidate.
Yes, it certainly seems tough to make the R1 short-list and/or interview cuts for ABD candidates. Is this also true at SLACs, or do ABD candidates tend to have better luck there? Can anyone weigh in on this from experience?
I'm ABD and I applied mostly to SLACs (plus a few longshots, about 25 total) and I've had 3 phone interviews with SLACs. I'm still waiting to hear about on campus interviews.
My personal experience with an R1 job search (cognitive) indicates that completing the Ph.D. is a major asset in the eyes of search committees. I was on the job market 1 year ago, as an ABD candidate, and generated no interest. One year later in my postdoc, I have had multiple schools contact me, leading to two R1 interviews. Notably, my vitae has not changed a lot aside from my degree completion. Stories from friends corroborate this. So my advice is this: if you strike out this year, find a postdoc, and your luck should improve in future job searches.
I'm the ABD who has 4 phone interviews and 2 campus invites. I was asked about my publication record. I have 8 publications, 3 first-authored, in good journals for my subdiscipline but by no means top tier psych journals (e.g., American Psychologist, Psychological Bulletin). I think publications are important, but I also think customizing cover letters is critical.
I don't know how it will all pan out, but so far I'm encouraged by the response.
Also here are some articles I found helpful.
Sheehan, McDevitt, Ross (1998). Looking for a job as a Psychology professor? Factors affecting applicant success. Teaching of Psychology, 25 (1), 8-11.
Brems, Lampman, Johnson (1995). Preparation of applications for academic positions in Psychology. American Psychologist, 50 (7), 533-537.
I should add that I've heard from several of my professors that ABD applicants should be post-data collection on their dissertations to merit serious consideration. Otherwise, considered too risky.
I'm faculty at a R1 university and was on a cognitive search last year. We had over 150 applications and did not seriously consider ABD candidates or even candidates in their 1st year of post-doc.
Most R1 schools are looking for candidates who will be able to get grant funding in a year or two so ABD candidates are a risk. This is obviously not a universal, but a general trend.
1st author publications, strong letters or rec, and a clear sense of an independent research program are important (at least for cognitive positions).
I'm ABD, too. Sent out about 25 applications, 2 phone interviews (one that led to an on campus interview) so far, all at non-R1 schools.
It may be helpful to know that all this has happened in the last 2 weeks, so I'm hopeful (for all of us) that more good news will be coming. I just keep telling myself that it's still really early...
The Chronicle threads on phone interviews suggest that most people have horrible experiences, although I think most posters there are not in the social sciences. Can people with experience say if they've been grilled or if phone interviews in our field tend to be more collegial? And how about campus interviews?
The phone interviews that I've had were the search committee sitting around a conference table taking turns asking a series of questions they were required to ask by HR. After you answer each question, they ask follow-up questions if they have them.
All pretty common, nothing from left field. Why are you interested in the position, what could you contribute to our department, research/teaching experience, etc. I was asked in one interview to relate my experience teaching students with diverse cultural backgrounds and how I would include diverse populations in my research.
My scheduled phone interviews have been very collegial and friendly and the questions asked were almost always questions I expected (and for which I had practiced my answers beforehand.) The weirdest question I've had so far was "which grants would you apply for during your first few years?" but even then I think they just wanted to hear some general ideas. (Though I did not get invited to visit that school so maybe I blew it!)
On the other hand, I had one "surprise" phone interview that was much more awkward. A chair of a committee at a (rather weak IMO) state school called me out of the blue one day ostensibly to ask me about potential dates for an interview. Then he started grilling me about why I had applied there and whether I was serious about wanting the job. (I suspect he thought I wasn't serious because I am coming from a much more prestigious R1, though I still find it odd that he would assume that.) In retrospect, I should have asked him to call back later but I went ahead and talked to him and tried to remember positive things about the dept. (difficult because it was one of about 20 apps I had sent out at the same time and this place did not stand out as a particularly great place). Needless to say, this whole thing really turned me off to their dept., and I was actually relieved that apparently I did not make the cut for an interview.
I am trying to get a feel for what a typical R1 startup package is, specifically the money provided by the university for an assistant professor setting up a new lab. I realize this may be field-specific, so in particular I am interested in what range is common in cognitive psychology. Any thoughts on this are much appreciated. Perhaps it's too variable to even be an interesting question.
I've had one phone interview. It was with the chair was being recorded for the rest of the committee. The interview also had a friendly tone to it. The only awkwardness was that over the phone it was a little hard to judge whether the person was finished with their question or just pausing and sometimes there was an awkward silence after I would answer a question. The only question I was not prepared for that caught me off guard was "Name 2-3 values that are important to you in life".
32 applications to 28 institutions (cognitive). As noted above, to apply for this many meant a mix of places, and only about one-half were good fits for my specialty.
A friend of mine is presently on a cognitive search committee at an R1 institution. She says that they do give consideration to ABD and early postdoc applicants. What matters most to them is: (1) How well the applicant fits or matches with the department; (2) The applicant's publication record.
Behav Neuro: 26 applications, essentially all to places which match my record/interests (albeit a fairly wide variety of institutions); I didn't apply to places we wouldn't go (e.g. anywhere south of about North Carolina!).
I have a funded R01 starting this year, 7 years of good personal funding, 7 years of postdoc and was just promoted to Asst Prof this past year.
No interviews thus far; two phone interviews and a couple of places asking for more info. Seems to be that many places are just getting to their review - I hope!
34 applications (developemental). Thus far I have been contacted for 10 initial interviews and 3 on-campus interviews. Turned down an invitation for a 4th campus interview. I suspect a 5th invitation may be forthcoming.
I'm a 3rd year postdoc (2 first-author peer-reviewed pubs, 3 contributing author empirical pubs & 2 theoretical chapters).
I did this once before as an ABD. This search with the Ph.D. in hand has been much more productive.
Anon 11:12: Congrats on all your interviews. If you don't mind sharing, why and how did you turn down the 4th interview? I've always thought it would be bad form to turn down an interview unless you have an offer on the table somewhere else. For the record, I'm not criticizing your decision at all. I actually think it's the right thing to do if you know you no longer want the job and can give someone else who does want it a chance. How did you explain it to the SC at the 4th school?
I am "Anon 11:22," and thanks for the congrats! It is definitely refreshing to see all the hard work I've done during my postdoc pay dividends. So don't give up if you're feeling discouraged, particularly if you're an ABD!
I turned down the 4th invitation because I knew somebody who had been in the position several years ago. A conversation with this person made it clear that this position didn't meet any of my minimum professional requirements (e.g., the teaching load was functionally 4/4, lots of student mentoring, the expectation to bring in grant $$$ & publish in top-tier journals, inconsistent standards for tenure, non-collegial colleagues, etc.) nor my personal constraints (e.g., my spouse travels for work, so we must be within an hour of a major airport).
Even though I do not yet have an offer in hand, I strongly believe it is wrong to take an interview if I'd never consider taking the job. I have the freedom to do this, as I may continue in my postdoc if nothing works out this year, and my spouse is gainfully employed. I would have taken the interview if either of these supports were not available.
I turned it down over the phone, explaining truthfully that I'd received other invitations since I'd last spoken with the search chair. I didn't say anything about what I'd heard about the department (a lie by omission perhaps, but it wouldn't be polite/prudent to say anything like "I hear your department stinks.")
Anon 11:22, you handled this very professionally, and in my opinion, did the right thing. I hope others in your position will do the same. I hate to think of someone who isn't truly considering the school anymore going on a campus visit instead of someone next in line who really wants the job.
Hopefully someone can help me with my question. I missed a phone call from a college that was conducting "surprise interviews." Obviously they didn't leave a message, but I looked up the missed call number. However, they have not called back and it has been three days. Will they call again? Has anyone been in a similar situation? Thanks!!
Clinical, applied to about 20 positions. I am looking to move from my less research-oriented faculty position to one more research-oriented, so only applied to places with doctoral programs. I have had three on campus invites and a few phone interviews that did not seem to pan out. I have about 18 pubs (almost all first author) and am co-PI on a federal grant
Behavorial neuroscience. Have been out of my grad program for 2 years, have a dozen pubs and more in the pipeline. I have had 4 campus visits and no job offers, but I have a two-body problem. I thought the job market looked pretty good....
I'm curious what people think the market is like compared to past years. It seems good in developmental. But I don't actually have any interviews--so I'm not really in a position to call it good.
What do others think? Are just a few people getting all the interviews? Someone who interviewed in my department (for a different specialty than mine) supposedly had 10 interviews. The interviewees also had lots (10+) of impressive publications, even though this was a Assistant Prof position. Is this normal? I can't compete with that.
I'm ABD in developmental and also interviewless for now. It seems that the same names crop up wherever job talks are posted on websites. I think many interviews at top places are dispersed among a handful of this year's rockstars. (Well-intended congrats to them, I certainly don't mean to sound bitter).
People keep saying that given a choice between two identical CVs, the one with the PhD in hand usually trumps the ABD one, even sometimes when the ABD person has a slightly stronger record.
Kind of ironic that the psychology of the psychology job market is the hardest part of all.
I'm ABD developmental and applied to 48 schools. I have had 10 phone interviews with 4 more on the way. I have had 3 campus visits in December and have 4 more scheduled for January. No job offers. Schools are either SLACS or medium size, R2-type schools.
Everyone has been very friendly at the campus visits and no horrible questions. Besides all the traveling, it hasn't been as harrowing as I thought it would be. My best advice right now is: get your job talk ready - now!!! Just in case...I just had a school call today and ask me to come out in a week. So be prepared at any time for that call.
To the person who wrote the previous post(ABD in development): Congrats on all the interviews! How many publications do you have? And how many are first-authored? I'm also ABD in Developmental and have heard nothing :(
Hi - I'm the January 7th, 10:22pm ABD person. I have 6 pubs: 3 first author, 3 second author. One is in Developmental Psych (which people have noted on at my campus visits). All are in peer review journals.
Can anyone say more about the timeline for of visiting and postdoc positions that are posted with February deadlines? How long do these searches usually take, and when is the second round of hiring decisions typically announced?
It seems like the first round is Oct/Nov deadlines to Dec/Jan hires. So Jan/Feb deadlines and March/April hires? May?
When I applied for postdocs, I sent apps in January & February, and heard back in February through April. It varies, and it also depends upon whether it's a new postdoc or an established one. For example, I will be vacating my postdoc position if I get a TT position. My supervisor won't advertise the vacancy until we're certain I'm leaving, which will take at least 2-4 more weeks.
i know that some schools ask candidates to do a short lecture to an undergrad class on a psychology topic of their choice. does anyone have suggestions on a good topic to choose? and how much class interaction should there be? thanks!
Re: teaching demo, I chose a lecture that I thought went well previously. My demo was for a full class lecture at a teaching school, so I made it interactive. Short class discussions, one very short self-test on a psych measure, and a 5 minute small group discussion. I tried to include new/fun/interesting facts.
Be sure it's a topic you know well (once, the faculty sitting in on the class started asking me really strange/difficult questions about something I could not answer). Good luck!
I had to give a lecture on both of my campus interviews. One gave me a choice, the other did not. When I had a choice I lectured on something I knew a little more about, but not my actual research interests (I think that is important, don't just re-hash the job talk). One went great, lots of interaction and discussion from students, videos were a hit. The other was a nightmare. It was at a smaller state school and the students didn't respond at all, they obviously weren't used to classroom discussion. So if you include discussion topics/questions, also include enough lecture to get through the time allotted if the students are unresponsive!
don't give up hope if you are ABD. I got a job at a top R1 school as an ABD and I know several others in the same boat. I'm in developmental but know social people who were in the same situation. We've all had several publications (at least 3-5) with most being first-author in top tier journals.
I am checking it too. I am looking for a clinical or clinical health job and sent out 24 applications with another one going out tomorrow. What is everyone else applying for and how many places? Anyone else worried about hiring freezes?!?
Add me as a current checker. I think that the job search has caused my OCD to flair up again. I applied to about 20 clinical programs and am anxiously waiting/looking for updates. I jump when my phone rings or when I get a new email. I need help :) I would like to thank everyone who updates the wiki, and I wish you all good luck!
I've been watching as well, and hope people will keep posting for 2008-09. I'm not really on the market, but am sending out a few applications for neuro positions that would be attractive for professional and family reasons.
To the person who got notices that four searches were canceled, what places and what kind of job are you looking for (clinical, neuro, developmental). Anyone hear anything from anyone yet? Looks like some people are staring to get interviews from the wiki site.
I'm looking for a cognitive position and my background is pretty straight behavioral -- not neuro. Any one have a sense of whether the jobs posted as cogpsych /cogneuro or simply cogneuro are a total wash for straight behavioral people? Thanks!
To the beh/cog poster: On search committees that I have been on (small liberal arts colleges), if we were searching for a cogneuro person we would not likely pick a straight behavioral/cognitive person as our first choice. But, I can't speak for all positions, and in cases where the applicant pool was shallow, we at least wouldn't discount your application out of hand if your background was strong.
69 comments:
Just out of curiosity, how many job applications did you send (or plan to send) out?
I sent out 36 applications (I applied to developmental, human developmet, social, and some clinical)....but really only maybe 10-15 of those job ads matched my research area.
I've sent out 41 (mostly developmental and cognitive). I'd say a little less than half of the job descriptions generally matched my research area, and some of the others were really a long shot.
Only 7 apps for me. I decided to target jobs that were very good fits for my specialization rather than carpet bombing the whole market. Not sure if this was a good strategy or not!
According to wiki leads, it appears that only a few superstars are getting all the interviews at top jobs so far.
Does anyone know of a good online resource for psych postdoc listings?
I'm up to 39 so far. I'm applying to developmental, family studies and ed psych positions.
No responses at all. I've only applied to places with grad programs, but I may broaden the net now. In my current department, they have interviews scheduled.
Does anyone have a sense of how many applicants there probably are per developmental/family studies position? The rejection email I got from Berkeley's Clinical program said they had about 115 applicants--is that typical?
No idea, but I would guess that a place like Berkeley would get that many or more applicants.
For the person who asked about post-docs (12:09 PM today): if you aren't on them already, list-servs for your area can be a good way to find out about openings, as are the typical APA, APS and similar websites. I also don't think it's too early to go ahead and contact potential post-doc supervisors and see if they would be interested, talk about funding, etc. They should certainly understand if later on you change plans because you were offered a job!
I've sent out 15 applications for cognitive jobs, focusing solely on research-intensive universities.
Thus far, I know that 4 of the places have scheduled (or have already conducted) campus interviews.
As for numbers of applications, I know of 3 places that have received at least 120 applications.
Will there be many more ads? I'm in cognitive and it seems like there's not much to go around. I sent 15 to research places, and 3 to colleges. Even then, many were a stretch.
I applied for around 40 cognitive and experimental jobs. Really a large range in terms of type of school; so far, I've had a few phone interviews at regional, primarily undergraduate schools.
It seems like most of the R1 interest is going to senior people, either those with pretty extensive postdoc experience or those who are already assistant professors elsewhere. This is definitely the case at the R1 where I am a student, and also generally seems to be true from those R1 jobs I applied for that have already scheduled interviews. I guess it just really is getting harder and harder to be competitive right out of graduate school.
ABD. Sent 14 out for positions I met all the required and most of the preferred qualifications. Applying in health, community, applied (general), and applied social. Schools range from R1s to SLACs.
So far 4 phone interviews and 2 campus invites.
Now onto the small matter of developing my job talk.
Good luck to everyone and thanks for making the Psych job search blog!
For the person who posted the last comment (who is ABD), do you mind if I ask how many publications you have (and how many are first-authored)? I'm also ABD and have had no luck at all. I'm thinking maybe it's because I don't have any first-authored publications.
I'm also ABD and seeking a cognitive job. I've found out who is interviewing at a few places (R1 institutions) already, and I agree with the previous post that it seems to be either postdocs or current assistant profs. I've only seen one ABD on a short list, and he was an inside candidate.
Yes, it certainly seems tough to make the R1 short-list and/or interview cuts for ABD candidates. Is this also true at SLACs, or do ABD candidates tend to have better luck there? Can anyone weigh in on this from experience?
I'm ABD and I applied mostly to SLACs (plus a few longshots, about 25 total) and I've had 3 phone interviews with SLACs. I'm still waiting to hear about on campus interviews.
I just left the last comment (ABD w/ 3 phone interviews), just wanted to mention that I'm looking for a cognitive job.
My personal experience with an R1 job search (cognitive) indicates that completing the Ph.D. is a major asset in the eyes of search committees. I was on the job market 1 year ago, as an ABD candidate, and generated no interest. One year later in my postdoc, I have had multiple schools contact me, leading to two R1 interviews. Notably, my vitae has not changed a lot aside from my degree completion. Stories from friends corroborate this. So my advice is this: if you strike out this year, find a postdoc, and your luck should improve in future job searches.
I'm the ABD who has 4 phone interviews and 2 campus invites. I was asked about my publication record. I have 8 publications, 3 first-authored, in good journals for my subdiscipline but by no means top tier psych journals (e.g., American Psychologist, Psychological Bulletin). I think publications are important, but I also think customizing cover letters is critical.
I don't know how it will all pan out, but so far I'm encouraged by the response.
Also here are some articles I found helpful.
Sheehan, McDevitt, Ross (1998). Looking for a job as a Psychology professor? Factors affecting applicant success. Teaching of Psychology, 25 (1), 8-11.
Brems, Lampman, Johnson (1995). Preparation of applications for academic positions in Psychology. American Psychologist, 50 (7), 533-537.
I should add that I've heard from several of my professors that ABD applicants should be post-data collection on their dissertations to merit serious consideration. Otherwise, considered too risky.
I'm faculty at a R1 university and was on a cognitive search last year. We had over 150 applications and did not seriously consider ABD candidates or even candidates in their 1st year of post-doc.
Most R1 schools are looking for candidates who will be able to get grant funding in a year or two so ABD candidates are a risk. This is obviously not a universal, but a general trend.
1st author publications, strong letters or rec, and a clear sense of an independent research program are important (at least for cognitive positions).
Like Berkeley, Cornell also reportedly had well over 100 applicants for their two Human Development positions.
I'm ABD, too. Sent out about 25 applications, 2 phone interviews (one that led to an on campus interview) so far, all at non-R1 schools.
It may be helpful to know that all this has happened in the last 2 weeks, so I'm hopeful (for all of us) that more good news will be coming. I just keep telling myself that it's still really early...
The Chronicle threads on phone interviews suggest that most people have horrible experiences, although I think most posters there are not in the social sciences. Can people with experience say if they've been grilled or if phone interviews in our field tend to be more collegial? And how about campus interviews?
The phone interviews that I've had were the search committee sitting around a conference table taking turns asking a series of questions they were required to ask by HR. After you answer each question, they ask follow-up questions if they have them.
All pretty common, nothing from left field. Why are you interested in the position, what could you contribute to our department, research/teaching experience, etc. I was asked in one interview to relate my experience teaching students with diverse cultural backgrounds and how I would include diverse populations in my research.
When that's over, you can ask questions.
All of mine have been very collegial.
My scheduled phone interviews have been very collegial and friendly and the questions asked were almost always questions I expected (and for which I had practiced my answers beforehand.) The weirdest question I've had so far was "which grants would you apply for during your first few years?" but even then I think they just wanted to hear some general ideas. (Though I did not get invited to visit that school so maybe I blew it!)
On the other hand, I had one "surprise" phone interview that was much more awkward. A chair of a committee at a (rather weak IMO) state school called me out of the blue one day ostensibly to ask me about potential dates for an interview. Then he started grilling me about why I had applied there and whether I was serious about wanting the job. (I suspect he thought I wasn't serious because I am coming from a much more prestigious R1, though I still find it odd that he would assume that.) In retrospect, I should have asked him to call back later but I went ahead and talked to him and tried to remember positive things about the dept. (difficult because it was one of about 20 apps I had sent out at the same time and this place did not stand out as a particularly great place). Needless to say, this whole thing really turned me off to their dept., and I was actually relieved that apparently I did not make the cut for an interview.
I am trying to get a feel for what a typical R1 startup package is, specifically the money provided by the university for an assistant professor setting up a new lab. I realize this may be field-specific, so in particular I am interested in what range is common in cognitive psychology. Any thoughts on this are much appreciated. Perhaps it's too variable to even be an interesting question.
I've had one phone interview. It was with the chair was being recorded for the rest of the committee. The interview also had a friendly tone to it. The only awkwardness was that over the phone it was a little hard to judge whether the person was finished with their question or just pausing and sometimes there was an awkward silence after I would answer a question. The only question I was not prepared for that caught me off guard was "Name 2-3 values that are important to you in life".
32 applications to 28 institutions (cognitive). As noted above, to apply for this many meant a mix of places, and only about one-half were good fits for my specialty.
Re: Post on December 7 @ 4:23 pm
A friend of mine is presently on a cognitive search committee at an R1 institution. She says that they do give consideration to ABD and early postdoc applicants. What matters most to them is: (1) How well the applicant fits or matches with the department; (2) The applicant's publication record.
Behav Neuro: 26 applications, essentially all to places which match my record/interests (albeit a fairly wide variety of institutions); I didn't apply to places we wouldn't go (e.g. anywhere south of about North Carolina!).
I have a funded R01 starting this year, 7 years of good personal funding, 7 years of postdoc and was just promoted to Asst Prof this past year.
No interviews thus far; two phone interviews and a couple of places asking for more info. Seems to be that many places are just getting to their review - I hope!
Whoa. Behav Neuro 1:06, I'm glad I'm in a different subfield. You sound like formidable competition! Good luck to you!
34 applications (developemental). Thus far I have been contacted for 10 initial interviews and 3 on-campus interviews. Turned down an invitation for a 4th campus interview. I suspect a 5th invitation may be forthcoming.
I'm a 3rd year postdoc (2 first-author peer-reviewed pubs, 3 contributing author empirical pubs & 2 theoretical chapters).
I did this once before as an ABD. This search with the Ph.D. in hand has been much more productive.
Anon 11:22,
Congratulations on your success! I hope I'll be offered the interview you turned down :)
Anon 11:12: Congrats on all your interviews. If you don't mind sharing, why and how did you turn down the 4th interview? I've always thought it would be bad form to turn down an interview unless you have an offer on the table somewhere else. For the record, I'm not criticizing your decision at all. I actually think it's the right thing to do if you know you no longer want the job and can give someone else who does want it a chance. How did you explain it to the SC at the 4th school?
I am "Anon 11:22," and thanks for the congrats! It is definitely refreshing to see all the hard work I've done during my postdoc pay dividends. So don't give up if you're feeling discouraged, particularly if you're an ABD!
I turned down the 4th invitation because I knew somebody who had been in the position several years ago. A conversation with this person made it clear that this position didn't meet any of my minimum professional requirements (e.g., the teaching load was functionally 4/4, lots of student mentoring, the expectation to bring in grant $$$ & publish in top-tier journals, inconsistent standards for tenure, non-collegial colleagues, etc.) nor my personal constraints (e.g., my spouse travels for work, so we must be within an hour of a major airport).
Even though I do not yet have an offer in hand, I strongly believe it is wrong to take an interview if I'd never consider taking the job. I have the freedom to do this, as I may continue in my postdoc if nothing works out this year, and my spouse is gainfully employed. I would have taken the interview if either of these supports were not available.
I turned it down over the phone, explaining truthfully that I'd received other invitations since I'd last spoken with the search chair. I didn't say anything about what I'd heard about the department (a lie by omission perhaps, but it wouldn't be polite/prudent to say anything like "I hear your department stinks.")
Anon 11:22, you handled this very professionally, and in my opinion, did the right thing. I hope others in your position will do the same. I hate to think of someone who isn't truly considering the school anymore going on a campus visit instead of someone next in line who really wants the job.
Thanks from all of us on the second string!
Hopefully someone can help me with my question. I missed a phone call from a college that was conducting "surprise interviews." Obviously they didn't leave a message, but I looked up the missed call number. However, they have not called back and it has been three days. Will they call again? Has anyone been in a similar situation? Thanks!!
Anonymous 12:14, I'd drop their search chair a quick email.
Clinical, applied to about 20 positions. I am looking to move from my less research-oriented faculty position to one more research-oriented, so only applied to places with doctoral programs. I have had three on campus invites and a few phone interviews that did not seem to pan out. I have about 18 pubs (almost all first author) and am co-PI on a federal grant
Behavorial neuroscience. Have been out of my grad program for 2 years, have a dozen pubs and more in the pipeline. I have had 4 campus visits and no job offers, but I have a two-body problem. I thought the job market looked pretty good....
I'm curious what people think the market is like compared to past years. It seems good in developmental. But I don't actually have any interviews--so I'm not really in a position to call it good.
What do others think? Are just a few people getting all the interviews? Someone who interviewed in my department (for a different specialty than mine) supposedly had 10 interviews. The interviewees also had lots (10+) of impressive publications, even though this was a Assistant Prof position. Is this normal? I can't compete with that.
I'm ABD in developmental and also interviewless for now. It seems that the same names crop up wherever job talks are posted on websites. I think many interviews at top places are dispersed among a handful of this year's rockstars. (Well-intended congrats to them, I certainly don't mean to sound bitter).
People keep saying that given a choice between two identical CVs, the one with the PhD in hand usually trumps the ABD one, even sometimes when the ABD person has a slightly stronger record.
Kind of ironic that the psychology of the psychology job market is the hardest part of all.
I'm ABD developmental and applied to 48 schools. I have had 10 phone interviews with 4 more on the way. I have had 3 campus visits in December and have 4 more scheduled for January. No job offers. Schools are either SLACS or medium size, R2-type schools.
Everyone has been very friendly at the campus visits and no horrible questions. Besides all the traveling, it hasn't been as harrowing as I thought it would be. My best advice right now is: get your job talk ready - now!!! Just in case...I just had a school call today and ask me to come out in a week. So be prepared at any time for that call.
To the person who wrote the previous post(ABD in development): Congrats on all the interviews! How many publications do you have? And how many are first-authored? I'm also ABD in Developmental and have heard nothing :(
Hi - I'm the January 7th, 10:22pm ABD person. I have 6 pubs: 3 first author, 3 second author. One is in Developmental Psych (which people have noted on at my campus visits). All are in peer review journals.
Thanks for responding to my question regarding number of publications. Good luck with all of your interviews!
Can anyone say more about the timeline for of visiting and postdoc positions that are posted with February deadlines? How long do these searches usually take, and when is the second round of hiring decisions typically announced?
It seems like the first round is Oct/Nov deadlines to Dec/Jan hires. So Jan/Feb deadlines and March/April hires? May?
When I applied for postdocs, I sent apps in January & February, and heard back in February through April. It varies, and it also depends upon whether it's a new postdoc or an established one. For example, I will be vacating my postdoc position if I get a TT position. My supervisor won't advertise the vacancy until we're certain I'm leaving, which will take at least 2-4 more weeks.
Be patient. Not time to freak out yet!
-Anon 11:22
Does anyone have any information about progress on Simon Fraser University's search for a Junior University Chair?
i know that some schools ask candidates to do a short lecture to an undergrad class on a psychology topic of their choice. does anyone have suggestions on a good topic to choose? and how much class interaction should there be? thanks!
Re: teaching demo, I chose a lecture that I thought went well previously. My demo was for a full class lecture at a teaching school, so I made it interactive. Short class discussions, one very short self-test on a psych measure, and a 5 minute small group discussion. I tried to include new/fun/interesting facts.
Be sure it's a topic you know well (once, the faculty sitting in on the class started asking me really strange/difficult questions about something I could not answer). Good luck!
re: re: teaching demo...THANKS!!
I had to give a lecture on both of my campus interviews. One gave me a choice, the other did not. When I had a choice I lectured on something I knew a little more about, but not my actual research interests (I think that is important, don't just re-hash the job talk). One went great, lots of interaction and discussion from students, videos were a hit. The other was a nightmare. It was at a smaller state school and the students didn't respond at all, they obviously weren't used to classroom discussion. So if you include discussion topics/questions, also include enough lecture to get through the time allotted if the students are unresponsive!
Hi, anyone know the specialty for the Wash Univ (St. Louis) position?
thanks for the additional lecture information!!
don't give up hope if you are ABD. I got a job at a top R1 school as an ABD and I know several others in the same boat. I'm in developmental but know social people who were in the same situation. We've all had several publications (at least 3-5) with most being first-author in top tier journals.
anyone checking this board?
I am! ..And I know at least one other person who is. I'd love to get this going again for this year's search.
Yes, definitely!
I am checking it too. I am looking for a clinical or clinical health job and sent out 24 applications with another one going out tomorrow. What is everyone else applying for and how many places? Anyone else worried about hiring freezes?!?
There seems to be lots of jobs posted this year. But, four universities already notified my about job search cancellations.
Add me as a current checker. I think that the job search has caused my OCD to flair up again. I applied to about 20 clinical programs and am anxiously waiting/looking for updates. I jump when my phone rings or when I get a new email. I need help :) I would like to thank everyone who updates the wiki, and I wish you all good luck!
I've been watching as well, and hope people will keep posting for 2008-09. I'm not really on the market, but am sending out a few applications for neuro positions that would be attractive for professional and family reasons.
To the person who got notices that four searches were canceled, what places and what kind of job are you looking for (clinical, neuro, developmental). Anyone hear anything from anyone yet? Looks like some people are staring to get interviews from the wiki site.
to 9:53.
my search was broad. devt'l, cog, expt'l.
the wiki already covered the cancellations... university of maryland, usf and cal states.
state schools are particularly hurt by the economy.
I'm looking for a cognitive position and my background is pretty straight behavioral -- not neuro. Any one have a sense of whether the jobs posted as cogpsych /cogneuro or simply cogneuro are a total wash for straight behavioral people? Thanks!
To the beh/cog poster: On search committees that I have been on (small liberal arts colleges), if we were searching for a cogneuro person we would not likely pick a straight behavioral/cognitive person as our first choice. But, I can't speak for all positions, and in cases where the applicant pool was shallow, we at least wouldn't discount your application out of hand if your background was strong.
A new version of this blog has been created for the 2008-09 season.
http://psychjob.blogspot.com/
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