Career Development Workshops for Grad Students and Postdocs

The Grad College is offering workshops on Preparing for Faculty Interviews, Interviewing Skills, and Finding Academic Jobs at Undergrad Institutions:

Preparing for Faculty Interviews

Tuesday, October 11, 4 - 5:30 p.m., Illini Union, room 210

What is an academic job interview actually like? What’s the difference between a phone interview and a campus interview? What sorts of questions will I be asked? What kind of things do you include in a job talk? In this interactive workshop, you’ll get answers to these questions as you learn the basics of the academic interview process. You’ll also have a chance to practice answering academic job interview questions and get feedback to help you improve. This webinar is sponsored by Graduate College Career Development.  

Interviewing: Answering Tough Questions

Thursday, October 13, 3:30 - 5 p.m., Illini Union, room 210

What’s your biggest weakness? Tell me about a time you failed? What would you do if a colleague took credit for your ideas? Interview questions like these can be terrifying. But if you have the right strategies, you can be prepared to answer them (or any other interview question) thoroughly, effectively, and convincingly. In this interactive workshop, you’ll learn approaches to answering difficult questions and have a chance to practice and receive feedback. This workshop is for graduate students or postdocs applying for any kind of job in industry, government, non-profits, or academia. This webinar is sponsored by Graduate College Career Development.  

Finding a Job in Academia: Undergraduate Institutions

Thursday, October 20, 5:30 - 6:30 p.m., Gregory Hall, room 223

Register

At large research institutions like Illinois, there are limited chances to find out about life at smaller colleges that primarily emphasize undergraduate teaching. This panel provides one such chance and will feature four guest speakers from all along the tenure track at undergraduate institutions. They'll speak about their experiences hunting for jobs, teaching students, and working primarily with undergraduates in both teaching and research in subjects from Communication to Chemistry! Each panelist will offer opening remarks, answer some overarching questions, and then answer questions from the audience. This panel is a great opportunity to learn about life at undergraduate institutions and to hear expert advice from new faculty members, lifetime professors, and even administrators.