Hi Suzanne,

Apologies for the delayed response to your question, for some reason our system didn't alert us that a new question was posted. I've sent your question over to our coaches who will be in touch soon. It sounds like you've been through a lot, I'm sorry to hear that finding a good paying faculty job is so difficult. It's great that you're getting so many interviews but must be frustrating that nothing has come through.

We do have a number of resources to help with a job search, I recommend checking out the following, if you haven't already:

- Looking for Work section: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/looking-for-work
- Free Resume Review Service: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/resume_reviews/new
- Interviewing: http://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/looking-for-work/interviewing

I hope that this is helpful, our coaches will be in touch soon.

Best,
Sarah, Manager of Programs, Cancer and Careers

Dear Suzanne,

I am terribly sorry that you have had such a rough time. It is so unfair that you have worked so hard at your education and career and you are in this frustrating position.

Unfortunately the process of applying for faculty positions is so inflexible. If I were to read between the lines, it sounds as if you have received some job offers for teaching positions that are low paying? Or have you not received any job offers? If it is the former, it may make sense to take a lower paying teaching job and figure out how to write or consult as well to supplement your income so you can put teaching experience on your CV. I know that this would be difficult especially as a single Mom. If you are not getting offers for teaching jobs, then there may be something going on with the way you are presenting yourself in interviews. I do not know what type of science is your specialty however have you considered applying for corporate jobs within this specialty?

Do you have a mentor or advisor who can give you advice? Also, how strong is your academic network? I know you have to fill out those arduous applications however networking is still very important.

Perhaps you can write back with the answers to some of these questions and I can give you more focused advice.

Take care,

Julie

I don't get interviews for positions at lower tiered schools. The science I do really requires big equipment and although I have changed materials to reflect an interest in teaching colleges, they tend to see me as someone who should be at a research 1. I also had no opportunities to teach during my postdoc and they want to see recent teaching.
I have been up for a person specific hire, where they create a job for you, however the funding fell through. I have not been offered other positions that I interviewed for, although I have always received feedback that I did great interviews. About 1/2 of the jobs disappeared and no one was hired. My own impression is that 1) my work is interdisciplinary and often in the end they hire someone directly within the department's discipline, 2) it hurts me to have time between finishing studies and publications and not having the big grants, which I might have had without the cancer and they hire someone who has a big current grant 3) I am non-traditional (older) and there is a lot of prejudice against non-traditional hires.
I do grant writing now. I do not do lecturing because it pays so badly and is semester to semester work.
My work doesn't translate well into corporate work.
I have a large academic network, very supportive mentors and I am getting involved with politics to get a non-academic network. One question that I have that no one seems to be able to answer, is should I just say that I had cancer? Most people say no however some people say that cancer is so ubiquitous that people might at least be sensitive to the difficulties. So far I only had one interview where they knew. I was up for a job one year and had to withdraw because I was so sick. The next year they interviewed me for a new job so at least the chair knew. They didn't hire me because it was a cluster hire for a science center where the new center director basically wanted to hire her own friends. The department wanted me very badly and were pretty pissed that she wouldn't agree.