Academic applications and interviews

An academic CV is likely a familiar document to you already. Here we suggest several ways for you to adapt and develop your academic CV in readiness for postdoc, fellowship and lectureship applications: 

• Watch these short Academic CV videos (developed according to discipline) to learn about key headings, how to formulate strong content for your research and teaching experiences: AHSS (16 minutes) and STEM (13 minutes).
• Review or get started with your own CV, by using our prompt questions (5-30 minutes)
• Browse example academic CVs in the CV book for PhDs and postdocs (10 minutes) 

If you’re applying for funding, please review our section below on Narrative CVs as these are an increasingly common application document for grant and fellowship applications.  

Introduced by funding bodies relatively recently, the Narrative CV is intended to disrupt the traditionally narrow assessment of outputs in an academic CV. It’s purpose is to broaden the range of research contributions and impacts which are assessed.  

Typically, there are four ‘modules’ to a narrative CV:  

1. Contribution to the generation of new ideas
2. Contribution to research teams and the development of others
3. Contributions to the wider research and innovation community
4. Contributions to broader audiences and towards societal benefit 

Note each funder’s format differs slightly so be sure to check the guidelines carefully. The final document you prepare will look more like a personal statement than a CV. To learn more: 

Read our Narrative CV Guide (5-10 minutes) 

Review this Guidance from the Action Research on Research Culture project (3 minutes). 

Watch this video on Narrative CVs (15 minutes) 

A covering letter is a great opportunity for you to show why you want the job and why you will fit with the institution/department.  It is the chance to highlight how your research and/or teaching strengths and experiences align with the role. It’s also a good place to inform a recruiter of your other priorities as an academic. 

Watch this Academic Cover Letters for Faculty Positions video where you’ll learn how the cover letter fits in the broader set of documents, how it differs to the CV and encourages you to think about your fit with the department. (15 minutes) 

Take a look at this cover letter example with comments and you’ll also find example covering letters in our CV and Cover Letter Handbook  

If you use generative AI such as ChatGPT for help with writing your applications, don’t forget to personalise the text you get out of it and ensure it’s specifically relevant to the particular job you are applying to.  Read more advice in our careers blog. 

What’s the difference? A Research statement is your overall research profile and trajectory including past and future plans (e.g. for job applications).  A Research proposal is the specific detail of a research project including e.g. detailed methodology, timelines and budget (e.g. for fellowship applications). These are the documents in an application package where you really get to evidence your research achievements, innovations, context, trajectory and future plans. 

Get support and feedback:  

• Get feedback from our researcher careers consultants on your draft research statement or proposal. (for fellowship applications, we can read your research summary, lay summary, career plans and the justification of the host institution.  We don’t advise on methodology or experimental plans (your academic colleagues and mentors can advise you on this) other than on working with you on how this is communicated )  
• Get feedback from people inside and outside your field. We don’t keep any past applications to share due to GDPR but do recommend that you ask others in your department  if they would be willing to share. You can also reach out to previous fellowship holders from the same scheme, where this information is published online.  
• Use the resources below to get you started: 

Research statements lay out your research vision, context (or bigger picture) to your research, fit and track record. Give yourself the best chance by drafting yours before you start to apply for faculty jobs:  

• Watch our bite size intro videos on when you need a research statement and how to write one. Here you’ll see examples from research statements.
• Get inspired with examples from successful research statements.
• Read the dedicated section on research CV book for PhDs and Postdocs.  
• Take a look at our resource on Lay Summaries. 

A research proposal, as its title infers, is about something you would like to do; your next step in terms of your research and your research vision. It’s a good idea to start considering ideas for research proposals sooner rather than later.   

• Answer these Future Work questions (10-30 minutes)
• Use the Postdoc Academy's Research Canvas tool to support you in making a compelling case for funding, also known as a research value proposition. It invites you to focus not just on the quality of your research but also why the research is needed and how it can achieve its intended impact (30 + minutes)
• Learn how others approached their research proposals in our Fellowships Sessions podcasts (15-30 minutes)
• Listen to our Fellowships Sessions podcasts where early career and career development fellowship holders share how they approached it.  
• Gain peer feedback on the presentation of your research ideas and experience evaluating others' proposals at a workshop.  

A teaching statement weaves your ideas on what is important to you about teaching and learning, with a description of what you teach, how you teach it and whether you are successful. 

Your teaching statement should give the reader a picture of the place, subjects, context, nature of students (undergraduates, postgraduates, educational background etc), all of which should be connected to your values and priorities.  Applicants often focus on the ‘what is important to you’ side of the statement and fail to portray, with evidence, what and whom you have taught, and importantly with what effect. To help you write an effective teaching statement: 

Review our top ten tips in our Teaching Statements for Postdocs and PhDs (10 minutes) or work through the whole workbook including five steps to write a teaching statement (40 minutes) 

Take inspiration from an example teaching statement. Consider what you think works well here and what you might add to improve the document? How could you apply this to your own teaching statement? 

Universities are increasingly and importantly considering their approach to creating an equal, diverse and inclusive environment for both staff and students. In the UK, institutions are competing globally for students and staff and some are opening campuses in other countries which in turn means an increasingly diverse demographic in terms of nationality, race, religious and cultural backgrounds of its staff and student body. At the same time, UK universities acknowledge that there are underrepresented groups facing barriers to accessing study, research and work within the university sector and actively work towards reducing those barriers. 

So, when these universities come to recruit new faculty members, it isn’t surprising then that they want to understand how you would contribute to ensuring an equitable, diverse and inclusive environment – in your teaching, mentoring and potentially research efforts. 

A diversity statement is the typical way to assess a candidate’s approach to this topic, but how do you get started with this document? 

Remember that this isn’t necessarily about your own diversity. The goal of a diversity statement is to show how you have considered issues around EDI in your work to date; you could describe it as a journey or use it to reflect on your connection to these topics.  

Get started with a Diversity Statement by answering these questions (15 minutes): 

• Are there any common EDI issues in your discipline? Are there barriers which prevent people from joining this environment or being promoted within it? What are these? Whom do they affect? And how? Is there any data to support this?
• Within teaching, is there anything specific you have done to address these issues? When have you stopped and thought about how your teaching will ‘land’ with different groups?
• Have you participated in outreach or public engagement work to address these issues?
• Have you organised, planned or communicated your research in an effort to address these issues?
• How might this experience fit with the institution you are applying to? Do remember to review the department/faculty’s website and look for information on topics such as Widening Participation, Access, Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), Diversity Initiatives, Decolonising Curriculum, Outreach, International activities, Athena Swan. Some departments may have their own policies on EDI. 

Review the University of Vanderbilt’s excellent Developing and Writing a Diversity Statement (10 minutes) 

Interviewing for a faculty position can involve a number of different elements, including: 

An in-person interview or online panel interview with the selection committee:  

• Watch our session on Academic Interviews: faculty positions and fellowships to learn more about these (13 minutes)
• Read our Interview Skills for Academia guide for lists of sample questions - we have collected actual questions from lectureship and fellowship interviews undertaken by previous Cambridge researchers. 

A research presentation, also called a ‘job talk’, to the hiring committee/panel or to the group/department  

A teaching presentation or a micro-teach to the hiring committee/panel or to the group/department or to a group of students. Read this presentation on how to approach writing and delivering a teaching presentation.

Chalk talks are hard to do well. Get insight on what’s required and how to structure it. 

Faculty tours sometimes academic interviews include a tour of the departments, to view facilities and meet other staff members. This  is a great opportunity for you to ask questions about the department and faculty life, as well as to discuss yours and potential colleagues’ research and show how you fit.  Think about the role of the person you are speaking with and think about what will be their priorities. 

Preparing for an academic faculty interview requires a similar approach to any interview:  

• Read the job description thoroughly, think about what they are looking for, and review your own application material;  
• Anticipate questions and prepare your answers;  
• Practise your presentation with colleagues
• Get feedback and practise with a researcher careers consultant in a 1:1 confidential appointment.  Talk through any concerns you and practice your panel interview and presentation techniques.  Come to a workshop to practise your interview skills with peers. Postdocs should register here for our booking platform Handshake. 

Interviewing for a fellowship position 

Fellowship panels will want to assess whether you are the right person for the project​ 

They will be testing whether your research proposal is realistic given the timeframe. You might be showing that you have some achievable aims, and some that are more risky, and will have contingency plans in place.​  Panels will want to know that your host institution is the best place for your research, and that you will get the necessary training and mentorship. 

Fellowship interviews are often short with a short presentation and questions focussed on your research proposal. They may be using referees’ comments as questions​. Processes will differ between funders

• www.jobs.ac.uk – for postdoc positions and fixed-term teaching positions and lectureships
• The Recorder and Oxbridge college websites for Junior Research Fellowships.
• www.researchprofessional.com – the University subscribes to this database of funding opportunities where you can sign up to receive alerts on funding opportunities for your career stage and discipline.
• ECRCentral: Funding schemes and fellowships for early career researchers (a platform for early career researchers to find research fellowships and travel grants, and to share experiences, resources and feedback)
• UKRI Funding Finder - opportunities from the UK research councils (fellowships, grants and loans) 

Outside UK 

• Academic Careers Observatory – country–by–country advice about academic jobs and careers pathways
• EURAXESS – The Researchers' Mobility Forum. Assistance for researchers wishing to work in Europe. Includes vacancy, grant and fellowship searches, CV submission facility, and general advice and information
• European mobility portal with job search facility for postdoctoral and other posts in Europe. Destinations and Labour Market Information
• HigherEdJobs – roles in US
• Research Gate Jobs – international academic vacancies
• All-acad.com – aggregates academic jobs from wide range of institutions.
• US Chronicle of Higher Education