This month's column was written by Michele Khoo.
This will be my last Student Column. Coincidentally, it also marks the end of my journey as a student. I am feeling a little nostalgic right now; I guess I miss the freedom and flexibility of managing my own time during graduate school. Since July of last year, I have returned to the workforce and have been doing what every salaried person does - working for at least 8 hours a day. In this last column, I would like to share some pointers that I learned as I looked for a job after graduate school.
It was probably a stroke of bad luck that I finished writing my thesis at the height of the global financial crisis last year. Companies all over the world were laying off workers or freezing recruitment. In other words, I had chosen perhaps one of the worst times to be out looking for a job.
What helped was my decision to sit down and map out some strategies with my husband. First, you really have to start planning early. Only you will know when you are likely to finish writing the thesis. If your school is much like mine, where the stipend stops at the moment you hand in your thesis, you MUST make sure that you are well prepared on the financial front. Ideally, you should start looking out for work 6 months before the completion of your thesis. Believe me, six months is not that long, if you take into account the interviews or tests you will need to undertake before landing a job.
I started sending out letters in January 2009 to seek employment at academic institutions, private companies, and government agencies. I felt really disadvantaged at that time: There I was, still struggling to finish my thesis, while at the same time looking out for suitable positions and sending out resumes and application forms. It was not the best time of my life. The worst part was that it felt like I was in limbo, where I did not have Ph.D. yet and as such my years of graduate school had only decreased my market value. Landing a job was going to be difficult.
During that period, I realised the importance of networking, especially with faculty members and contacts from the industry. I am very much indebted to many of the faculty members in my school who have given me very sound advice and pointed me in directions that have helped me in many ways. Take the time to talk to the faculty members in your school. It will prove to be extremely beneficial.
I also learned the true wisdom of not putting all my eggs in one basket. I made the mistake of pinning a lot of hope on one possible teaching position given the very positive review I had after two rounds of interviews; actually, it was the only interview I had gone on after sending out almost 50 applications. You can imagine my devastation when I did not get the job. Take the time to devise a backup plan - perhaps in my case, the job search should have included temporary employment in case a permanent job was nowhere in sight.
With the market flooded by job seekers, you must also try to differentiate yourself from the rest in the short cover letter and resume that you send out. There are many reference texts and websites that provide samples for both academic and industry resumes. Just as you do when reviewing literature for your research, do take the time to look through these samples and adapt those that meet your needs.
I hope the few points above will be of some use to you when you are at the final stages of your thesis writing and about to start looking for a job. Feel free to send me your comments at michele_khoo@pmail.ntu.edu.sg.
I look forward to seeing all of you at the ICA 2010 Conference in Singapore. Take care and my very best wishes to all of you in your studies and career.
