Job Search Resources

Job Search Resources

General Job Search Resources

Individual Career Consultations

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs meets individually, upon request, with postdocs to help them as they consider their next career move and translate skills for a variety of careers. The Office will review application materials (CV, resume, cover letters, etc.), help with interview preparation for positions within and external to academia, and address general questions about their position and Cornell.

LinkedIn

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs maintains a LinkedIn page and an invitation-only group of current and former postdocs. For the purposes of networking, the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs LinkedIn page and the Graduate School LinkedIn page both serve as an excellent resources for connecting with other Cornell-affiliated individuals. If you would like to join the Cornell Postdoc Alumni group, please email postdocs@cornell.edu.

Online Cornell Career Exploration and Preparation Resources

The Cornell Career Network provides an online Career Development Toolkit. You will find useful resources on exploring career paths, developing a network, cover letter and resume guidance, interviewing and negotiation suggestions, as well as resources for seeking international jobs. While the content was developed for undergraduates, much of it is highly applicable to postdocs and graduate students.

National Postdoctoral Association

Cornell University is an organizational member of the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA). Founded in 2003, the NPA’s mission is “to advance the U.S. research enterprise by maximizing the effectiveness of the research community and enhancing the quality of the postdoctoral experience for all participants.”

As a postdoc, faculty member, or employee of an organizational member institution, you are eligible for a free Affiliate Membership to the NPA, including newsletters and members-only web content. Simply click here, select the Affiliate Member type, and create your account.

Academic Job Search Resources

Are you preparing for an academic career? While your mentor and faculty in your field are your best resource for discipline-specific norms, the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs has many resources that can help you develop the soft skills that will help you rise to the top of a faculty position candidate pool.

The NextGen Professors Program is a career development program focused on preparing Cornell graduate students and postdocs for faculty careers across institutional types. The primary audience for this program is doctoral students (in year three or beyond) and postdocs with a demonstrated commitment to advancing access to higher education and supporting inclusive learning, mentoring, and research environments. Applications are typically accepted each summer for the fall cohort.  

The Graduate School through Future Faculty and Academic Careers and the Office of Inclusion and Student Engagement hold many events and workshops throughout the year. For example, The Academic Job Search Series includes several workshops each year on specific skills needed to prepare for an academic job such as writing research and teaching statements. Most of the prior workshops are available with a Cornell login at the Video on Demand website.

Mentorship skills are essential, especially for disciplines with research is conducted in teams. The Future Professors Institute through the Graduate School is open to postdocs and holds multiple programs including Building Mentorship Skills for an Academic Career.

Teaching is often a key responsibility of academic faculty. The Inclusive Teaching Institute for Graduate Students and Postdocs can help you develop those skills.

Cornell is a member of the Center for the integration of research, teaching and learning (CIRTL) network that includes 44 institutions and makes available cross-network programming at no cost to individuals at member institutions. Go to the Cornell CIRTL webpage to find out more.

Nonacademic Job Search Resources

Are you considering a nonacademic job as your next career move? The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs has several resources that might be useful for you as you prepare.

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs partners with the Graduate School to offer occasional nonacademic job informational events, or other workshops on topics including How to Convert a CV to a Resume, Interviewing Techniques, Exploring Careers Outside of Academia, and Job Search Resources. These activities are announced through the ListServ and the monthly Office of Postdoctoral Affairs newsletter. Careers Beyond Academia, an office in the graduate school, maintains a Library Guide that is full of useful resources for job preparation and search.

The Cornell Career Network, which serves primarily undergraduates, maintains a Career Development Toolkit on Canvas. This is not a course per se, but a suite of resources on networking, resumes, cover letters, interviewing, negotiating job offers, as well as resources for international job seekers.

Postdocs may join Handshake to learn about upcoming career fairs and career exploration events as well as job advertisements by employers specifically looking to interact with individuals at Cornell. While Handshake is primarily for undergraduates, the graduate school and outside employers often advertise events on Handshake that are open to postdocs. To join Handshake, please go to the Handshake website and open an account. The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs will receive a notice and approve the request.

Other resources for nonacademic job seekers are the NIH Office of Intramural Teaching & Education (OITE) video library, the postdoc academy (note this has ended but the resources are available), and the National Postdoc Association SmartSkills Career workshops and prior recordings. Join the NPA as an affiliate member for free to access more information.

Interstride is an excellent starting point to identify job openings with U.S.-based international-friendly employers who have a demonstrated track-record of work visa sponsorship and CPT/OPT hiring. Workshops led by immigration experts help students to understand key information, including U.S. and Canadian work visas. Create your profile on the Interstride website.

For additional guidance and additional resources for nonacademic job searches, see Networking, Documenting Your Qualifications, Letters, Interviewing for Industry Positions, and Negotiating Offers for Positions Outside Academia.

National Programs and Memberships to Help with a Job Search

NCFDD

Postdocs can access online webinars offered through NCFDD, a professional development, training, and mentoring organization to support faculty success. Individual NCFDD memberships are available for free to all Cornell community members as a benefit of Cornell’s institutional membership. Resources provided by the NCFDD include 14-Day Writing Challenges and other courses and workshops.

Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL)

CIRTL is a North American future faculty preparation effort with branches at more than 40 universities, including Cornell University. Participate in webinars, courses, and institutes on the academic job search, diversity in the college classroom, Individual Development Plans (IDPs), teaching, research mentoring, and more. Available to all Cornell postdocs and recent Cornell postdocs.

Postdoc Academy

The Postdoc Academy is a comprehensive online and in-person program built on the National Postdoctoral Association core competencies to support skill development throughout postdoc training, from orientation to next career step. While this program is no longer active, there are many useful resources available at the site.