My Experience with Academic Job Search / Salary Data

MY EXPERIENCE WITH ACADEMIC JOB SEARCH (WITH AN MS DEGREE)

There are usually two avenues after MS (or even PhD). You can choose to go to industry or academia. I will focus on teaching as this is the route I took. As a candidate for instructor or teacher with MS/PhD degree you have primarily two options: Community Colleges or Universities. Here are few things to remember:

• Top Research universities will always want a candidate with finished PhD. Some occasionally will ask for ABDs but degree needs to be finished before you start working. These positions are mostly Tenure Track positions but sometimes Non-Tenure Track too.
• Other universities or colleges will prefer PhDs but may accept MS degrees for teaching positions (like lecturer or instructor). This also works for regional campuses of large universities too.
  
• Community colleges mostly want candidates with MS degrees and with some other certifications.

The best time to start looking for academic jobs is from November-December each year because most universities start their search at the end of Fall or early spring semester. Most positions will start from Fall semester. Schools and colleges start publicizing positions in late Fall or even in early spring semester. Good schools start interviewing people in late Fall but some will start the process in early spring semester.

Best resources for job postings in CS/EE/CpE are:

• HigherEdJobs
• Chronicles of Higher Education
• CRA Jobs

You should create an account on those websites and set them up to receive a daily email if a position of your interest is advertised. 

If you are looking for a Tenure Track position then you must have a lot of research papers (mostly top journals) and some teaching experience. On the other hand, if you are looking for a teaching-based job (also known as Not-Tenure Track) then teaching experience will help you a lot. If you are interested in teaching based jobs, here are some suggestions:

• Try to take courses that cover breadth of the different fields. Multiple MS degrees are always helpful.
• Find opportunities to teach a lab and more importantly teach a class as Instructor of Record.
• If you didn't get a chance to teach a lab or course during your degree, you could also teach at local community college.
  

A good candidate will have good teaching experience, breadth and depth of knowledge, a bit of research (which nowadays is related to teaching), leadership experience as well as university and community service.

Here are the things to do :

1. The goal is to get the search committee's attention and highlight potential match to the job. Be sure to use the right terminology to get their attention and try to make sure that they will see your submission as the type of candidate they might be looking for.
   
2. Write a CV highlighting your breadth of knowledge, degrees, courses, teaching experience, leadership experience as well as university and community service (advising, fundraisers, committees, etc). - focus should be on teaching, course development or related stuff and any awards you have received for teaching excellence! 
3. Write a teaching statement and define your teaching philosophy. (be sure to mention active learning)
   
4. Write a cover letter
5. Arrange for 3-5 referees to write recommendation letters. Also provide them with a summary of your contributions which they can use in those letters.
6. Many schools have started asking for statements on diversity, inclusiveness & equity. Write one (add a few examples of what you did or would do: engage in projects to attract minority students or provide community of support for them, hire diverse TAs, create diverse groups/teams for projects, encourage friendly environment in class, provide support to all, etc.)
   
7. If you have taught before, compile the best of student feedback and comments. 
   
8. Get a list of courses offered in a general degree program and rank your ability to teach those. It would be helpful if you can find out which technologies they often use in their courses.
   
9. Get a transcript and scan a copy. (Schools rarely ask for that nowadays)
   
10. Start applying for jobs as soon as you find an advertisement especially when requirements match your qualities. Be sure to update the cover letter and/or CV to highlight the match
11. Prepare for interviews: Initial Phone interviews, followed by on-campus interviews. More on those below.

What happens after you apply:
Universities or Colleges usually have pretty good idea about the candidate they want to hire based on the type of courses he/she will be teaching or types of activities he/she will be involved in. Try to get an idea about those from the ad and tailor your cover letter/CV accordingly. For example: If a positions requires a candidate with Software Engineering background then highlight the courses you have taken along with industrial experience in software development. Sometimes universities cast a wider net and are looking for candidates who can teach in several different areas. Be sure to highlight those.

Interviews for Academic Positions:
Once the deadline for applications passes, search committee reviews all applications and shortlists 15-20 people for phone interviews. These might be interviewed via Phone or Zoom/Skype. This list is later reduced to 3 or 4 candidates for on-campus visits (if on-campus visit is virtual, they might invite more than usual number of candidates).

PHONE/ZOOM INITIAL INTERVIEWS
Phone (or first) interviews can come in a wide variety of forms. Some are 15-20 minute long and others are 45 minutes long. But you should be prepared to answer any & all questions. These interviews are almost never technical but always difficult. Always take them very seriously. Here are a list of questions that I have been asked during several phone interviews:

• Why did you apply for this position (say something like great match between position requirements and your experience/abilities/interests)
• What kind of teaching experience do you have? (highlight any grader, lab instructor as well as Instructor experience)
• What courses can you teach? or have you taught? (be specific in terms of areas, never say everything)
• How do you keep students engaged? (have some activity for them in class or assign regular weekly work in the course)
• Do you have industrial experience? (highlight your work and the technologies you used)
• What technologies have you learned during your education as well as work (highlight all tools especially those they use in their courses)
• What is your teaching philosophy? (summarize it in 30 seconds)
• How would you integrate technology into a course? or develop an online course? (mention discussion board, communication, video lectures, zoom breakout rooms etc.)
• How do you connect theoretical knowledge to practical concepts? (give students real work examples and applications, use analogies)
• What is a good teacher? (define it and then tell them that you have some of those qualities)
• How do you evaluate the performance of students?
• How do you handle non-traditional students (flexibility as well as following rules, emphasize hard work)
• What innovative idea or technique have you used or implemented in a class room and how did it affect the delivery of course? (say something like designed a project)
• What is active learning and how did you use it in your recent courses? (give an example like an in-class where students work in groups and then they share their answers with another group to get feedback)
  
• If you have an option to start a CS program, how would you make the decisions regarding courses, curriculum, teachers, etc. (compare other programs, ask users - industry and other universities)
• Do you have experience in curriculum design, course improvements? (find something similar and highlight it)
• Have you ever worked with other instructors or TAs on a lab or course? (Highlight team/group work, collaboration)
• Suggest two courses that you would like to add to our curriculum? (Bioinformatics and Business oriented?)
• How do you stay current in your field? (How do you know which technologies to teach in classes)
• How do you manage your time?
• What are your favorite courses to teach?
  
• How do you decide the curriculum for a new course? How do you decide which course to add to the curriculum.
  
• How do you keep students engaged in online class (you could say, something like smaller video length mixed with some easy to complete exercises)
  
• What would be your ideal job? (say something you like to do and what overlaps with what they offer, For example: teach a variety of courses, do a bit of research, contribute to department/school and larger community.)
  
• ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE US TO KNOW? (This is very important question and use it to highlight ALL of your strengths and experiences relevant to the position (i.e., courses, projects, service, leadership, etc.). Your goal is to make sure that the committee has heard about all of the different things you have done and if you couldn't get to it while answering one of their questions then briefly highlight it here.
• DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTION FOR US??? (Always have a few questions ready for the committee, something about their school. For example: ask about usual responsibilities, course load, ask about position, advancement plan for position, ask what is the time frame for the decision, when should you expect to hear back? ask about change of status policy, if you are on visa? Stick to general questions and leave the more specific questions till later)

You can also search online and find other academic questions. Here is the key: MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE PRACTICED ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS BEFORE THE INTERVIEW. YOU SHOULD KNOW WHAT TO SAY BEFORE THE INTERVIEW STARTS. REHEARSE, REHEARSE, REHEARSE!!!

ON-CAMPUS INTERVIEWS
Next step depends on whether you are a potential match to the position. Top 3 or 4 candidates are invited and then committee may have few additional candidates ranked. Now if you are lucky to be invited for on-campus visit, it will most probably have meetings with other faculty members and/or students (sometimes group meeting and sometimes one-on-one meeting), campus tour, a demo lecture (30 minutes to 1 hour), meetings with chair or dean, Lunch (and dinner too) and may be some other activity (like meeting with students and AIs). But they can be anywhere from 1 hours to all day. Almost all schools will reimburse the expenses so be sure to save original receipts. For a virtual full interviews, you will probably have a series of meeting with different faculty members and chair/dean along with usual teaching demo. 

 
The goal of these on-campus interviews is to see you up close and personal as well as show you the campus and environment. They will always be evaluating you and therefore, you must take every step extremely seriously. Sometimes, they will ask you questions like those given above or new ones. Be prepared to answer questions about your CV. Search committee doesn't usually miss anything hence you should be prepared to answer all kinds of questions (for example, if you have too much teaching, they might ask about teaching; If you have no research they might ask why; If they see a gap on CV, they would want to know the details - the goal is to figure out if you are a good fit with the teaching position and if you can explain any unusual stuff in your CV). Make sure that you have your lecture/demo ready (topic is sometimes chosen by the committee but sometimes it is left for candidate to choose). Always ask who the audience is (which is usually a combination of students and faculty). Rehearse several times. Keep audience engaged. Have some activity for them. Be polite and show that you are a good teacher. Make sure that you explain things well and try to relate them to real world applications.

Have a list of questions that you can ask from the committee as well as deans. Be specific if you need to. Ask things like what courses will you be teaching? H1B visa, Green Card sponsorship? Collaboration with other faculty, Ask them about their own school, research, plans, area, overloads, etc. Ask about class sizes, type of students? Ask about support/funding for research, Ask about summer teaching possibility, typical teaching load. Ask about decision time frame? Avoid talking salary numbers or other stuff that can be negotiated later (but do try to get an idea about the range)!

Thank them for the opportunity and try to enjoy the process and experience. Have fun!

AFTER THE INTERVIEW:
Wait for the response from the school/college, Be prepared to evaluate any offers, Be prepared to be told that we love you but we won't hire you, etc. If you lucky to receive offer, ask for some time, a few  weeks. Don't mention other interviews otherwise they may try to force a decision from you quickly. Sometimes they ask you to let them know if you receive another offer. In that case, keep them posted. If you have had other on-campus interviews, ask those guys to let you know the decision by your deadline (politely). Be prepared to never hear from some and be prepared for others to reschedule some stuff to meet your deadline. 

If you receive an offer: ask if the salary is negotiable and try to get the best deal. Remember the salary is always negotiable (some have more room than others). Always have a fall-back option. i.e., (Ask for more than what you want so that if they give you a little less, you are still ok with it). Compare the offered salary to the salaries of other universities in the area (search online for salary lists or state salary databases, news/jobs hunting websites, etc). Always show interest and thank for the opportunity and never give threats. If they show a lot of inflexibility, mention other offers and try to get a better deal (for one job, I was given 24hrs to respond with no raise from initial offer, for another I was gives 48 hrs with 1k raise beyond initial offer, and for one I was offered 15% raise and 2-3 time to decide). Make sure you discuss all aspects (visas, insurance, raises, retirement, dependent support, moving expenses, professional development funds, etc.) and try to get everything in writing. DO NOT BELIEVE FUTURE PROMISES OR VERBAL PROMISES (people who make those promises might leave or situation might change). Few suggestions for negotiating the offer:

• Always show enthusiasm ("I am excited about the possibility of joining, I am thrilled to receive the offer, Thank you for the opportunity and for your confidence")
• Always ask for best salary (more than what you want). If they offer lower than your asking salary, try to get something in return i.e., better rank/title, credit for experience, rank/credit contingent upon next degree, etc.
• See if you can get a release from a course and multi year contract as part of negotiation
• Get adequate moving/relocation (10k+ is great), ask for signing bonus (most Universities don't have this), request funds for research, travel for conference, registrations, memberships, certificates, tuition fees, etc.
• Ask for extra computer, equipment, standing table etc.
• Ask for everything ..... waiver from retirement contribution, waiver from wait period, dependent educational support, moving/relocation, house hunting, family visit, everyyyyyyyyyyything!

How do you COMPARE several OFFERS:
If you get multiple offers, there are a few things you can compare:

• Salary is the first. Make sure you account for the cost of living difference. You can find some estimates online (use multiple website and get a general idea about the range). Try to get a $ amount for the salary (or a range) that you will consider as acceptable vs ideal vs minimum. 
• Compare after tax (take home pay) and the cost of living, make sure you can afford to live in new city. Use paycheck calculators.
• Compare the rank being offered. Ask for more if you are close to the next rank. Negotiate for lateral credit in the rank which will allow you to apply for promotion early. 
• Ask for long term contract.
  
• Compare the retirement contribution and vesting period. Ask for waiver if they don't start contributing when you join.
• Check the Premium amounts for Health insurance, dental and vision. If you are young and don't have any health issues, you may want to choose High deductible Plan which often allows you to open HSA account. Some school contribute to your HSA accounts.
  
• Compare the dependent benefits and educational support. See if you there is any wait period and if universities will cover 50% or 100% of tuition for you or dependents. Some universities waive the waiting period if you coming with another school where you were eligible for similar benefits. Some schools give scholarships for your dependents too (even if they are studying in other schools).
  
• You can also compare all other academic and non-academic factors like course load, type of courses, summer salary, how you felt in interview, did you like the faculty who interviewed you, promotion process, length of contract, renewal process, social life in new town, if family will adjust, schools for kids, type of area you are moving to, etc. etc. Remember, you are not going there for a year or so .... you want to stay there for a long time. Consider everything!
  

Do you have a shot at getting hired by TOP universities?
Absolutely, especially if you have a good profile! After few years of teaching at UCF as grad student, I was interviewed by a lot of small colleges and universities. After 4 years of teaching at KSU, I applied for another round of teaching jobs and I was interviewed by some very good schools including UW-Madison, UVa, IU-Bloomington, UNC-Charlotte, & Augusta. After 5 years of teaching at IU, I applied again to very limited number of places and I was interviewed by all including Northeastern, Johns Hopkins, Emory and UT Austin. Here are my observations from new experiences (for intermediate level positions):

• Your CV should include a number of items: a wide array of courses that you have taught, courses proposed/developed (in different modes including face2face, hybrid and fully online), contributed in program development, may be had a leadership role, university and community service, research, etc.
• During your interviews, be sure to highlight your teaching philosophy. When answering questions, highlight all of your strengths and don't forget to mention everything that the committee might have not asked about. Try to find out what kind of candidate they might be looking for and be sure to mention related skills/courses during some of your responses.
• Most good schools look for someone who is engaged/interested in educational research, can use research and active learning techniques in teaching (or project work in courses), undergraduate research, student advising (also in capstone projects), can contribute to diversity, can attract/retain minority students and diverse population, has experience working with students and other TAs, can contribute to the department and field in general (attend related conferences and is familiar with related pedagogical techniques) 
• At the end of the day whether you get hired or not is really about two things: whether you are a good teacher for their students and whether you will be a good fit. Remember most of the time, its not really about how good you are, rather its about how good will you be for that environment. The evaluations by search committee can be very subjective and sometimes you can just get lucky!
  

SALARY DATA

Do a research about salaries EARLY. There are a few online resources available that can help. Be sure to compare with the appropriate position. Public schools usually have salary information that is public (look for state level database if you don't find a university level data). Be careful with your comparisons: sometimes the salary data includes overload salary and summer salary too which are not part of the annual base salary. Here are some great resources to check the Salary Data for University Administrators as well as Faculty (for different areas, all levels):

https://cra.org/resources/taulbee-survey/ (best resource for public and private universities)
http://www.higheredjobs.com/salary

https://data.chronicle.com/