From April 15 to April 30, CaPS front desk hours will be adjusted to 10-12PM and 1PM-4PM.
Booking for advising appointments will resume after May 1.
Drop-Ins are cancelled during the exam period.
The academic job search takes years. It begins by building a relationship with your supervisor, who will eventually act as a reference, attending academic conferences and networking with potential collaborators, working as a teaching assistant and compiling evaluations, developing your research, getting published, building your teaching portfolio, writing your CV and cover letter, applying for faculty positions and getting through the interview process.
Accelerate your Academic Job Search
Join a group of PhDs applying for tenure-track academic jobs or full time contract academic jobs.
Registration is closed for Fall 2023. To join the next available group, fill in this form
- Group members meet twice a month to share progress, support, and feedback on application materials and interview prep.
- By the end of a semester, group members will prepare an academic job application
- Potential topics: Academic CVs, Teaching Portfolios, Research Statements, EDI statements, Teaching Demos, Job Talks, Networking as an Early Career Researcher, Campus Visits, Job searching with a spouse/children, Maximizing time in a postdoc, Book/Grant proposals, etc.
Please note that CaPS and McGill do not endorse any particular websites/services; the listing below is for your information only.
- CVs & Résumés
- Cover Letters
- Teaching Portfolios
- Interviews
- Reference Letters
- Salary Information
- Academic Jobs
- Career Planning
Academic CVs & Résumés
For a list of sample CVs or résumés, consult the following sites:
- Samples for Academic Positions (UCSF)
- Creating Your Academic CV for Masters and PhDs PDF (University of Toronto)
- Cover letter, CV and resume samples (UBC)
- CV for faculty job applications (University of Pennsylvania)
- List of Vitae CV examples (Vitae)
Registration is required to see the samples.
Articles of Interest
Consult the following sites for tips and advice on writing academic résumés / CVs.
- Creating an effective academic CV (Vitae)
- Dr. Karen's rules of the academic CV (Dr. Karen)
- Explain the gap in your resume (UA)
- Preparing your application package for an academic job (UA)
- Presenting scholarly work on your CV (UA)
- Resume writing tips for academics (UA)
- Writing an effective academic CV (Elsevier)
Academic Cover Letters
For a list of sample cover letters, consult the following sites:
- Academic cover letter sample (OWL)
- Cover letters for faculty job application (University of Pennsylvania)
- Sample cover letter for an advertised position (The Chronicle)
- Sample cover letter when no position has been advertised (The Chronicle)
- Sample cover letter for a one-year position (The Chronicle)
Articles of Interest
Consult the following sites for tips and advice on writing academic cover letters.
- A dozen sentences (Inside Higher Ed)
- Beyond the one-page cover letter (The Chronicle)
- Those 12 sentences: Evaluating cover letter advice (The Professor Is In.)
- Understanding cover letters (Inside Higher Ed)
Teaching Portfolios
Developing a great personal teaching portfolio or statement is crucial. For a list of sample portfolio or research statement, visit the following websites.
- McGill Teaching and Learning Services
Guidelines, samples and consultation. - Writing Your Teaching Philosophy (University of Minnesota)
- Writing a Philosophy of Teaching Statement (Ohio State University)
- Application materials for the faulty job search (University of Pennsylvania)
- For more information, visit Academic Career Series for a list of teaching portfolio resources.
Articles of Interest
Consult the following sites for tips and advice on developing your teaching portfolio / statement.
Academic Interviews
Consult the following websites for a list of sample interview questions for academic jobs.
- Same Typical Academic Interview Questions (On the Cutting Edge)
- Two-Year College Interview Questions (On the Cutting Edge)
Articles of Interest
Tips and advice on how to prepare for an academic job interview as well as what to expect in the first round interview.
Reference Letters
Tips and advice on how to ask for a recommendation or reference letter.
- Writing effective reference letters (McGill GPS)
- How to ask for a reference letter (UA)
- Sample faculty reference letter (NACE)
- Sample teaching recommendation letters (Penn State)
Salary Information
Use the following websites to find out average academic salary or stipends.
- Academic salary policy and data (McGill APO)
- Faculty salary explorer (The Chronicle)
- Research salaries (USA) (The Adjunct Project)
Articles of Interest
Consult the following sites for tips and advice on salary negotiation.
- 36 negotiable items in an academic position (On the Cutting Edge)
- Data on number of professors and their salaries released after five-year hiatus (UA)
- The best problem: dealing with more than one job offer (The Chronicle)
- The etiquette of accepting a job offer (The Chronicle)
Academic Job Boards
Academic Job Websites
Academic job boards in Canada, USA, Europe and around the world.
Networking
Join one or more groups to connect with alumni and professionals in your field to build your network and find job leads.
- McGillConnect
Join the global McGill community to build and expand your network. - Academia.edu
A platform for academics to share research interests. - Academia Stack Exchange
A question and answer site for academics and those enrolled in higher education. - Academic Jobs Wiki
A information-sharing platform for academic job candidates. - LinkedIn - McGill University
Connect McGill alumni on LinkedIn to build your network. - Connect with alumni from your faculty, department or professionals in your field to expand your network and find job opportunities.
Career Planning
Career information, tips and advice for those who are interested in landing an academic job.
- Creating a simple and effective academic personal website (Elsevier)
- Commencing the academic job search - impetus and deadlines (UA)
- Deconstructing the academic job offer letter (UA)
- Do's and don't's to land an academic job interview (UA)
- Preparing your application package for an academic job (UA)
- The academic job search - getting your foot in the door (UA)
- Tips for success on your path to tenure (Elsevier)
For more career resources, consult the following resources:
- Academic career books (Available in the McGill Library)