Return-Path: Received: from orcrist.gandalf.cs.cmu.edu by K.GP.CS.CMU.EDU id aa07081; 16 Jan 92 23:10:19 EST Date: Thu, 16 Jan 1992 23:08-EST From: Charles.Krueger@ORCRIST.GANDALF.CS.CMU.EDU To: bovik@CS.CMU.EDU Subject: Get a Job! CS PhDs Message-Id: <695621319/cwk@ORCRIST.GANDALF.CS.CMU.EDU> Here are a few experiences and tips from when I was looking for a non-academic R&D position (CS PhD). Some of the ideas should work equally well for an academic job search. I've included almost every search approach that I explored, and most of them resulted in at least one interesting job contact. Where do you look for current job openings? * CMU Career Center. Although they are oriented more towards undergrads, the Career Center is a good source of info for PhD openings. They have an Andrew bboard -- official.career-center -- that can be accessed from any CS machine using /usr/andrew/bin/vui or /usr/andrew/bin/messages. They also post notices on their physical bulletin board. You have to register with them in order to participate in company interviews that they sponsor. * Netnews "misc.jobs.offered". Even though most posts here are looking for CS types, there is a lot of noise -- mostly people looking for SQL programmers, etc. Usually about 1 out of 200 are of interest, but I found some of my best options here. * Physical SCS bulletin board outside of the lounge and in the binder in Sharon's office. These are job announcements that people send directly to CMU-SCS, so they are in general pretty good quality openings. * SCS "jobs" bboard. Sharon and Catherine often post interview announcements. Also, random locals occasionally post interesting openings here. * "Networking" -- Talk to advisors, friends, people you meet at conferences, etc. This is a good way to find personal contacts inside of companies, which are typically the most productive. * Ads and announcements in CACM, Computer, Spectrum, Potentials. These usually seem to be for either universities or military shops (assuming that you make a distinction between the two). * Headhunters. Close relatives of the used car salesman. They seem to be oriented more towards hackers, but some of them seem to know what to do with PhDs. Look for candidates on Netnews "misc.jobs.offered", Chamber of Commerce listings, Yellow Pages, etc. Your best odds are, of course, responding to posted openings that match your interests. However, I did have some luck targeting the technical recruiting staff for companies that looked interesting. They usually say "Send a resume", and then they pass it around to projects that they think match your interests. This is a slow process, so start early if you use this approach -- it often takes a couple of months to "prime the pipeline". Here are some ways that I found interesting companies to contact: * In your research reading, look for places from which people publish interesting work. * Netnews -- misc.jobs.offered. Occasionally you will find an opening that doesn't match your interests, but that indicates interesting work at the company. * CPC (College Placement Council) Annual Vol #2. You can get one of these (plus lots of other useful info) by registering at the CMU Career Center. The Annual is full of 1 page descriptions/ads for many hi-tech companies, plus a classification index, etc. * Geographic considerations. If you have a particular city you are interested in, phone "information" to get the Chamber of Commerce. Request a listing of hi-tech companies in their area. Some will send this list for free and some will charge you for it. * "Research Centers Directory". This book is in the E&S Library, call number 061 D59 in the reference section (thanks to Doug Reese for this tip). It lists an incredible number of different types of research centers, so be prepared to spend some time. This is a good source for addresses and info on places you have heard of but don't know much about. * CMU Career Center. They keep a whole wall of shelves full of notebooks on many companies that have interviewed there. This is a good source of glossy info on companies that you want to learn more about. Where do you find misc advice in job hunting for PhDs? * CPC (College Placement Council) Annual Vol #1. You can get one of these by registering at the CMU Career Center. * Places Rated Almanac. This book describes and compares the 333 major metro areas in the US. It is good for comparing "quality of life" in different cities you are considering (this is the book that rated Pittsburgh as the "Most Livable City" several years back). Includes data on cost of living, jobs, crime, health care, transportation, education, arts, recreation, climate, etc. It's a nice source, but don't take their numbers too seriously... * Netnews "misc.jobs.misc". This is a typical netnews bboard -- a bunch of randoms spouting garbage. But occasionally there are interesting threads... * CMU Career Center. They have lots of books, leaflets, and videos. Plus decent counselors that give advice, evaluate resumes, etc. * Ask your advisor for advice!