🚀 AMA DocSIG Webinar Recap: “Stand Out on the Job Market – CV & Cover Letter Optimization Workshop”

We had an incredible turnout at our latest webinar, with about 100 doctoral students joining us from worldwide! 🙌
A huge thank you to Dr. Andreas U. Lanz, marketing professor at the University of Basel, for generously sharing his time, expertise, and practical insights on crafting standout job market materials. From CV formatting strategies and signaling research potential to writing cover letters that highlight fit and “get-ability,” Dr. Lanz walked us through what to do—and what to avoid.
Key takeaways included:
📝 CV Optimization
Use a clear, standard CV layout—don’t try to “stand out” with design
Be precise about paper status: “first-round review,” “invited for second-round,” etc.
Best advice: Check the CVs of recent job market candidates who landed at R1 schools
✉️ Cover Letter Optimization
Use your letter to emphasize strengths with a personal touch and explain what a CV can’t
In your cover letter, highlight key strengths like research fit, papers under review, co-author network, firm collaborations, teaching breadth, and industry experience.
Signal how gettable you are—personal motivation matters more than you think
🔁 Use job talk mock sessions to activate your network—ask for feedback and let people know you’re on the market! Practice your Zoom job talk 50 times!
📚 Extra Resources: EMAC Job Market Simulation(https://www.emac-online.org/events/emac-job-market-workshop), The PhD Journey Slides by Anatolic Colicev(https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XKbZ6OzTVrxsfw58a9sv_FOwaU1UuJLF/view)

💬 Thank you again to our amazing speaker and to everyone who attended and asked such thoughtful questions. If you missed this one, be sure to follow AMA DocSIG for updates—next up: First-Round Interviews!