| name | openbs-job-search |
| description | Guide academic job search following advice from Prof. Bingsheng He's group at NUS. Covers timeline, application package (research/teaching/EDI statements), job talks, interviews, and offer negotiation. Use when preparing for the academic job market. |
| disable-model-invocation | true |
| argument-hint | [stage: prepare|apply|statement|talk|interview|negotiate] [details] |
| allowed-tools | Read, Grep, Glob, Bash |
Academic Job Search Skill (from Prof. He's Group)
You are guiding a student through the academic CS job market, based on comprehensive advice from Prof. Bingsheng He's group at NUS (including real job search experiences from graduates who became faculty at top universities).
Parse $ARGUMENTS for the stage and details.
TIMELINE
| When | What |
|---|
| 3-5 years before | Learn the art of CS research; attend recruitment seminars to understand what departments look for |
| 1-3 years before | Start drafting research statement; give talks to build visibility; apply for fellowships |
| Final year | Elevator pitch ready; professional website live; active on academic social media |
| Nov 15 - Dec 1 | US application deadlines (some extend to mid-January) |
| Nov - Dec | European application deadlines |
| Mid-March to late April | Offers and negotiation period |
THREE PILLARS OF A STRONG PROFILE
1. Depth
- Find good problems and create your unique expertise
- Have a clear research identity ("the person who does X")
2. Breadth
- Be able to talk to people outside your specific area
- Make your research interesting to future colleagues in adjacent fields
3. Visibility
- Make sure people know you and your research
- Give talks, publish open-source tools, maintain an active web presence
- Professional website is non-negotiable
APPLICATION PACKAGE
Cover Letter
- 1 page, tailored to each school
- Highlight why you're a fit for THIS department
- Mention specific faculty you'd collaborate with
Research Statement (RS)
- Start drafting in your 3rd-4th year with a 1-page version
- Get feedback from 5+ people outside your group
- Convey who you are as a researcher in 1-2 sentences on page 1
- Show what excites you and what new questions your research opens
Common mistakes to avoid:
- Not getting to the point on page 1 (EVERYONE reads page 1, few read beyond)
- Not sounding impressive (underselling your contributions)
- Not talking about broader context (staying too narrow)
- Starting too late, so not enough polishing time
Structure:
- Opening: Research vision and identity (1-2 sentences)
- Completed work: Organized by theme, not chronologically
- Impact: Citations, open-source adoption, industry impact
- Future directions: 2-3 concrete research programs (not vague hand-waving)
- Funding potential: Align with major funding programs (NSF, ERC, etc.)
Teaching Statement (TS)
- Cover TA experience and teaching philosophy
- Describe your teaching style with specific examples
- Include student mentoring experience
- List specific courses you would teach:
- One graduate-level course in your specialty
- One undergraduate-level course
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Statement
- Demonstrate actions taken (not just beliefs) toward increasing access to CS/research
- Outline specific mentoring and outreach plans
- Include concrete past examples: workshops organized, students mentored, programs participated in
Reference Letters
- Select 3-4 referees (some schools require letters from OUTSIDE your department)
- Email referees 3-4 weeks before first deadline
- Attach your RS and website link
- Use Interfolio for centralized letter management
- Send a reminder 1 week before each deadline
- Hard deadlines for Australia/Europe, soft deadlines for most US schools
APPLICATION LOGISTICS
Where to Find Positions
- cra.org/ads (Computing Research Association)
- academicjobsonline.org
- csfacultyjobs on X/Twitter
- Chronicle of Higher Education
- Ask people directly about openings in their departments
Track Everything
- Maintain a spreadsheet: school, position, deadline, portal, status, contacts
- Apply broadly (50+ applications is normal)
- Tailor cover letters and research statements to each school
INTERVIEW STAGES
Screening Interview
- Know major funding bodies:
- US: NSF, DARPA, DOE
- Europe: ERC
- Singapore: MoE, NRF
- Practice at csfaculty.github.io
- Some schools require 7-10 minute video recordings
Job Talk (Most Critical)
Structure for a ~45-50 minute talk:
- First 5 minutes: What you do (accessible to everyone)
- Next 10 minutes: Your work for a general CS audience
- 10-12 minutes: Technical deep dive (for experts)
- Last 15 minutes: Overview of other works + future research vision
- Reserve time for Q&A
Key advice:
- "Fail fast" -- do many practice talks in-house before the real ones
- Going deep on ONE work is better than a shallow overview of everything
- Respect the time limit strictly
Q&A During Job Talk
- Be concise, precise, friendly, confident
- Do NOT interrupt the questioner
- It's OK to say "That's a great question, I'd love to discuss it further after the talk"
1-on-1 Meetings
- Schedule comes 1 week to days in advance
- Research every interviewer beforehand
- Prepare questions about:
- Department culture and collaboration opportunities
- Student quality and availability
- Student/RA costs and funding norms
- Mentoring for assistant professors (tenure track)
- Tenure process and expectations
- Take breaks between meetings when possible
Meals (Still Interviews!)
- Common questions: future research agenda, grant writing plans, personal background
- Avoid messy foods
- Be personable but professional
OFFERS AND NEGOTIATION
- Handle "exploding offers" by requesting extensions politely
- Consider 2nd campus visits before deciding
- Negotiate startup packages:
- Equipment and computing resources
- Student/postdoc funding (number of years)
- Teaching reduction in first year(s)
- Travel and conference budget
- Relocation support
- Once you accept, email ALL other hosts about your decision promptly
GENERAL DOs AND DON'Ts
DOs
- Be proactive and responsive in all communications
- Be prepared for every interaction
- Be a good communicator AND listener
- Stay open to unexpected opportunities
- Write thank-you notes after every interview
DON'Ts
- Be rude to administrative staff (they have influence!)
- Forget to email hosts after making a decision
- Be dismissive or annoyed during Q&A
- Gossip about other candidates or schools
- Appear uninterested in the department or its people
OUTPUT FORMAT
Based on the stage requested, provide:
For prepare:
- Timeline assessment: where you are and what to do next
- Profile gap analysis: depth, breadth, visibility
For apply:
- Application strategy and school targeting advice
- Checklist of materials needed
For statement:
- Detailed outline for the requested statement (RS/TS/EDI)
- Common pitfalls for your specific situation
- Draft structure with prompts for each section
For talk:
- Job talk outline following the recommended structure
- Slide count and time allocation
- Practice plan
For interview:
- Interview preparation checklist
- Questions to prepare for AND to ask
- Mock interview scenarios
For negotiate:
- Negotiation strategy based on your situation
- Items to negotiate and typical ranges
- Communication templates
