Welcome back! The last post discussed rules 1-3: the importance to do a postdoc, a concise CV and a unique research statement. Like the last post this one is inspired by a Career Development Workshop at ISMB 2012 that I contributed to (download the slides).

There is still one thing missing from a standard application pack:

4. Pretend you care! The teaching statement

Together with CV and research statement some places ask you to submit a teaching statement. So write one. But don’t be fooled, it’s pretty low on the priority list (for the hiring committee, even if maybe not for you). Academic employers want three things from you: money, papers, and … long time nothing … teaching. I’m not saying they won’t ask you to teach for many hours a week, but when it comes to you being evaluated its money and papers (in that order) which…