Job search - the illusive 'fit'

The job search process often felt like a act of random chaos, with little rhyme or reason. In the end, I applied to 55 jobs ranging across R01 research universities, teaching colleges, policy fellowships, and even an aquarium thrown in. There was apparently enough there for quite a few search committees to throw me in the short list and thirteen wise committees invited me for an interview. I interviewed pretty much across the range to which I applied - prestigious liberal art school to R01 university, and from Hawaii to the United Kingdom. Needless to say that I've covered a lot of ground and met a lot of great people along the way.  Again, stories of some of the best and worst interviews will come... I promise... but right now whats been on my mind is that final step from interview to job offer.

I did get more than one job offer, but not always the ones I would have predicted. In quite a few places, I was able to figure out my competition. Tip: If you want to know who you're up against, look on seminar schedules; if you know someone there, ask as it is usually public information; look at posters for upcoming seminars during your visit. I'm a pretty humble person, but at least on paper, I was a stronger scientist than some of the people who were offered the job. So why doesn't the best scientist always get the job offer? ... 'FIT'

What is this ambiguous and annoyingly illusive word - fit?
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For scientists it might be difficult because it can't usually be quantified and isn't always rational. There are sometimes inexplicable choices that may very well have been political or personally motivated. Sometimes, though, its pretty straightforward to come up with a reasonable answer. For example, I brought molecular expertise to marine science as a strength, but it priced me out of at least one smaller teaching & research (teacher-scholar model) school. For a different job, I would have contributed to growing a group of marine biologists. However, for the size of the department, I think the successful candidate fulfilled a teaching need that wasn't already represented. Larger departments can afford to build groups in a common expertise. This isn't usually the case for smaller or medium size departments where covering the teaching load takes precedent. 

Fit has aggravated me on more than one occasion. My favorite was this email: "The Dean, Chair and Department all felt that you are excellent scientifically - the final decision was made based on 'fit' for the advertised Modeling job."

This brings me to the question of fit not only in the department/institution/etc but to the actual job description. "when it comes down to it, search committees usually try to stick to the spirit of the position.  But it is also true that a few high-profile papers can make the whole “field” issue seem less important!" I believe I got at least a couple of interviews based on this sentiment... but in the end the job ad prevailed. I'd like to note that in my cover letter for the Modeling job (previous paragraph) I explicitly stated that my primary research interest was not models but that I use models in my research - interview but no offer.

Its a fine line to be different. The diversity allowed me to apply for a range of job types. It sets you apart - to get an interview. But it might backfire in the end because you don't conform enough to the ad.


So what was my fit... it turned out to be major research universities with strong marine institutes. That may not be surprising in hindsight, as that's what I 'grew up' in -- University of California, Santa Barbara, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and National Institutes of Health (not marine but a research institute). In particular, the best ones had a history of deep-sea research that they wanted to preserve into 'the next generation'.  I'm happy to oblige.