What is the Employment Center?
For
those who are currently in the job market, the Employment Center is a
central meeting place for employers and applicants who are attending
the Joint Mathematics Meetings. Interviews are arranged in two ways;
either by computer scheduling, or by personal invitation from an
employer. The Employment Center is
a great resource not only for interviewing purposes, but also for
finding out what jobs are available in the mathematical community,
meeting other applicants, and making a personal connection with
employers not possible on paper. Read more in the Overview.
What kind of employers are there? Many of the employers are academic
mathematical sciences departments. There are some nonacademic
employers. A list of LAST YEAR's
employers is available; this year's list will not be made public to
applicants until December.
There will be usually be no interviews held for
research-oriented
postdoctoral positions. Attention generally goes to versatile
candidates who are well suited for teaching positions at
bachelorŐs-granting colleges.
THIS YEAR's list of employers will be printed in the Winter List of
Employers, and mailed to registered applicants in December.
What are my chances of getting
interviews?
A
lot depends on whether you have been able to make a number of
applications in the months preceding the Employment Center.
Previous applications increase the chance that employers will seek you
out. Last year, the applicants using the computer-scheduled
section received an average of 2.5 interviews. Those who
responded to a follow-up survey reported an average or 3 or 4
interviews in the Interview Center.
Data from recent Employment Centers
show that:
most jobs listed require a doctorate
women represent about half of the most sought-after
applicants, although they make up less than half of the total
Employment Center applicant pool
those without permanent authorization to work in the United
States will find themselves far less requested than U.S. citizens or
permanent residents
newer Ph.D.Ős tend to be invited for more interviews than those
who have been working longer.
most
of the applicants reported that at least some of the Interview Center
appointments had been arranged in advance of the meetings.
Typically, of the 50 most-requested applicants in
the scheduled program, ALL have registered in advance.
Will I get a job?
Applicants
should understand that the Employment Center provides no guarantees of
interviews or jobs. It is simply a convenient meeting place for
candidates and employers who are attending the Joint Meetings.
Keep in mind that interviews arranged by the Employment Center
represent only an initial contact with the employers and that hiring
decisions are not made during or immediately following such
interviews. A good outcome, in the following weeks or months,
would be an invitation for a campus visit.
What are the two options for
applicants?
ALL Employment Center
services (computer
scheduling system, form posted in Winter List of Applicants,
Winter List of Employers received by mail, use of Employment
Message Center, available for employer-scheduled interview
center.)
Message Center and
Winter Lists ONLY (form posted in Winter List of Applicants,
Winter List of Employers received by mail, use of Employment
Message Center, available for employer-scheduled interview
center, BUT NOT using the computer scheduling system). This
option is available at a slightly lower price.
REGISTER before October 24, 2007
Applicants will be registered
when they have completed the following steps:
Register and pay for the Joint
Mathematics Meetings. Look for "Registration" on the Joint Meetings website
(available
in early September, 2007).
Mark
one of the two "Employment Center Applicant fee"
boxes on the Joint Meetings registration form and pay
the appropriate fee. If you choose "Message Center and Winter
List only", you will NOT receive, or turn in, an interview
request/availability form.
Submit an
Applicant (brief resume) form electronically.
Successful submission of the form will generate an
on-screen acceptance message and an automatic email reply to the
address given on the form. Each applicant form will be reproduced in a
booklet, the Winter List of Applicants, and distributed to
all
registered employers. Applicant forms received after October
27, 2006 cannot be included in the booklet. The booklet allows
employers more time to examine each candidate's qualifications
in advance. Viewing the list of MR
Classification
Codes may
be necessary for completing the applicant form.
Advance registration
fees for applicants using the full
Employment Center services are $44 plus Joint Meetings
registration fee, vs. $82 on-site registration fee plus Joint
Meetings registration fee. The applicant "Message Center and
Winter List only" registration is $22 in advance or on site. However,
those registering for this service after October 24
will have missed the opportunity to appear in the Winter
List.
Applicants registered by October 24 will receive their
Employment Center materials two to three weeks in advance
unless they request otherwise. The package will include all job
announcements received from employers registered
in advance.
After the October
24 deadline
Registration for the Employment Center will continue
after the October 24 deadline until the final registration
deadline of December 14; however, the applicant form will NOT
be included in the Winter List but will be posted on site at
the Employment Center (a serious disadvantage). Those who do
not register by December 14 must register on site at the Joint
Meetings Registration Desk and pay the higher fees.
Registering on Site
Feel free to enter the Employment Center area first to consult
staff about the decision to register on site, and to check on
which employers are participating. Full registration on site
early Sunday is allowed, for a higher fee, but is severely
discouraged. Most employers will not notice an applicant form
which arrives on Sunday. Therefore, these individuals will
only receive a couple of computer scheduled interviews.
Registration on site is advisable only for those who know they
will be interviewed in the Interview Center and would like a
message center folder for employers to leave messages in. Registering
on site for a mailbox only is possible, at
the $22 rate, on Sunday and Monday.
If you need to register on site for the Employment Center, then
you first must go to the Joint Meetings registration desk and pay for
the Employment Center. You will receive a receipt which needs to be
brought with you to the Employment Center to complete the registration
process. You will receive further directions about the meeting during
your registration at the Employment Center.
Getting ready
What do I do in advance to prepare
for the Employment Center?
The most important preparation is to register for the Employment Center
before the advanced deadline date,
October 24, 2007. If you complete your registration by then, your name
and brief resume form
will be placed in the Winter List of Applicants. This booklet is then
distributed to all registered employers approximately one month prior
to the start of the meeting. Therefore, employers will know that you
will be attending the meeting and will be able to read your
qualifications ahead of time. You may also want to consider doing some
networking before the meeting and
letting employers know that you will be attending the meeting.
What do I bring?
Many copies of a brief resume. The best format is back and
front of one sheet. These may be given to employers at an interview,
left with a note in the messge center box of an employer, or left in
your own message folder for public use. Photocopying at a
convention center is expensive.
A few copies of your standard application documents: generic
cover letter, teaching/research statements, full vita, etc.
Bring a list of job applications already made.
Pack suitable clothing for job interviews; these could occur over
a period of 3 - 4 days.
Setting interviews in advance
Computer-scheduled interviews are arranged on site. If an
employer emails you in advance to set up an interview in the
employer-scheduled interview center, you can accept it and then mark
yourself as unavailable for that time period when you fill out the
computer request form on site. See the schedule
for exact time
periods.
What
to do on site ...
When should I arrive?
All participants in the scheduled section of the Employment Center must
submit their Interview Request/Availability Forms in person between
9:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 6, 2008, or they will not be
included when the interview-scheduling program runs
Sunday night.
What if I get delayed while
traveling and canŐt get there the first day (Sunday)?
The ONLY method of getting on the computer schedule, if you can't
make it to the convention center before 4:00 p.m. Sunday, January 6, is
to PHONE IN your requests to the Employment Center desk between 7:30 am
and 4:00 pm Sunday, Central time. Plan to carry your request
materials
with you while travelling. The number in San Diego is not
available yet, but will be contained in the email acknowledgement that
goes to registerted applicants, and will be available on this web site,
as soon as it is known.
What should I do at the meeting ... on SUNDAY?
Computer scheduled applicants:
submit scan form between
9:30 am and 4:00 pm
for computer-scheduled interviews (or you will not be included when the
interview-scheduling program runs Sunday night.)
Mark as many requests on your form (up to 12) as you like, assuming you
have a real interest in the job. The scannable form cannot be
changed, once submitted.
check the Employment Center bulletin
boards for new employer forms. It is advisable to check
this board
before submitting your computer-scheduled interview scan form as there
may be employers listed there that may be of interest to you.
locate the smaller
"computer-scheduled" interview room,
usually behind blue and white curtains. It will be used
informally on Sunday. By Monday morning, each table will have a
table number sign.
All applicants:
make sure you have the Winter
List of Employers and check the bulletin board for additional
listings or revisions.
look for your Employment Center message center folder, to make
sure
it is there, and to see if any messages have been left by employers.
if you like, you can leave a brief resume and note in the message
center box of any registered employer. Some employers pay
attention to
those materials and respond if interested; other employers face
certain restrictions in their recruitment efforts and will be unable to
respond.
also locate the following sections of the Employment
Center: the Interview Center,
usually behind red and white curtains and the reference area containing
college guides, maps, and a few job descriptions left by employers.
Come to the optional orientation
session on Sunday at 9:00 a.m.
on MONDAY,
TUESDAY, and WEDNESDAY?
Computer scheduled applicants:
On Monday morning, find your printed
computer schedule
(for both days) on one sheet in your message center folder.
Arrive before your first available session (first interviews could
begin at 8:15 a.m.).
What if I get very few interviews in the
computer-scheduled area? This
happens to about 30-40% of all applicants. Pursue some additional
arrangements through the use of the message center, and take advantage
of the scientific sessions of the meeting and social events to meet
more people.
What if I
have an interview I donŐt want?
There
are cancellation forms available at the main desk. Fill one out,
turn it in at the desk, and staff will get it to the employer.
How
do I make an impression in a 15-minute interview? Communication
will have to occur both ways during this brief time. Remember,
this is mostly a screening opportunity, and there will be time to
explain more later if the employer sees a fit between you and the open
position. Plan 20-60 second responses to standard questions about your
goals, your teaching, your research, or your background. Remember
that the employer will also want to talk
about the job.
How are the computer-scheduled interviews chosen?
Mutual
requests are filled first. The scheduling algorithm then sets
appointments based on the employers requests, which fills up about half
of the slots, and then moves on to the applicantsŐ choices (high
priority, and then normal), which are more numerous, and therefore,
less likey to be fulfilled. It should be noted
that when turning to the applicant choices, the algorithm first
addresses applicants with few or no appointments. It is possible
that
some applicants may receive so many employer-requested interviews that
they will end up receiving very few, or none, of their own
requests.
About half of all applicants will find that they have been scheduled
for an interview with an employer that they had not requested (this is
often because an employer sees a match in the applicantŐs experience
and/or job skills). Additionally, factors such as availability
during interview times can skew the results of an applicantŐs
computer-scheduled interviews.
All applicants:
Check your message center
folder
regularly. Also, if possible, check your personal email in the
email center at the Joint Meetings since email is being used more and
more. All message center folders and contents will be discarded
at noon on Wednesday, January 9.
Find two sheets in your
Message Folder:
a blank form which allows you to make notes about your availability for
anyone that cares to look in your folder, and also a "record of all
interviews" sheet that you should take, fill in, and carry around with
you so remind you of your appointments.
How can I arrange an interview
with an Interview Center employer?
The
Self-Scheduled Interview Center is where employers set their own
schedules. These employers do not participate in the scheduling
program, so applicants have no automatic access to interviews with
them. They determine their own schedules and make their own
appointments privately, either in advance or on site using the
Employment Message Center. These interviews have always been ŇoptionalÓ
for applicants, since they may turn down any written invitation they
receive. Applicants are reminded to respond to all invitations
promptly. Many applicants prefer the interviews they are invited for in
this setting, since it is more relaxed and interviews tend to last
longer. If you have been selected for an interview, then you will
find a message in your folder, or perhaps receive an email before the
meeting.
Can I walk up to employer tables to
ask for an interview? No, you can leave a note for an
employer or application materials in
their folder. If they are interested in contacting you, then they will
leave a response in your folder.
What is the Joint Meetings
Message Board? Please do not use the Message Board to
communicate with employers who
are participating in the Employment Center. The Message Board is a
separate service that is offered at the Joint Meetings and is
completely unrelated to the Employment Message Center. The
Employment Message Center is a service that is available to all
applicants and employers who are participating in the Employment Center
and is always located in the Employment Center area. If you need
to communicate with an employer who is participating in the Employment
Center, then please use the Employment Message Center service.