Participant checklist to prepare for the Career Prep workshop

What to do in preparation for the workshop for Preparing for An Academic Career in the Geosciences

To help you get the most out of the workshop for Preparing for an Academic in the Geosciences, we ask that you do several things in advance. Here's a list of those preparatory activities and their deadlines:


Prior to the workshop:

  • If you have a teaching and/or research statement, print out five copies of each, and bring them with you to the workshop. Make sure that your name is on each statement.
  • If you have a CV and/or cover letter, we will be offering an opportunity to get them reviewed by a workshop leader on a first-come, first-served basis on Thursday evening. To accommodate as many interested participants as possible, the review will be kept to 10 minutes per person. If you are interested in participating in this, please print and bring a copy of your CV and/or cover letter.
  • At the workshop, you will have an opportunity to present and work on an "elevator talk." This is a very brief, conversational description of who you are, what your research is, and why it's important - something that you could say in the length of an elevator ride (hence the name). Another way to think about it is the "30 second sound bite" version of who you are, what you do, and why. Before the workshop, plan what you might say in an elevator talk, and come prepared with a couple of different variants - one for a geoscientist who is not in your specialty, one for an administrator whom you might meet during a job interview, etc. You could even practice it (maybe in your head!) on your next elevator ride or plane trip or while you're waiting in line at the grocery store.
  • Download the workshop health form, complete it, and bring it with you to the workshop in a sealed envelope.
  • Bring a laptop, if possible.