The Job Market’s First Steps: Using Research Tools to Simplify the Process
Research Question
How can political science job candidates use research tools to reduce repetitive work in collecting listings and preparing application materials?
Main Finding
The muRL workflow substantially reduces manual copy-paste work by automating job-listing extraction and letter production. It improves efficiency and reduces common application errors in high-volume searches.
Research Design
Methodological tutorial presenting a practical workflow using R for scraping and spreadsheet preparation and LaTeX for mail-merge letter generation.
Data Employed
APSA eJobs listings and structured job-application data entered into reusable spreadsheets and templates.
Substantive Importance
The article shows how computational research tools can be repurposed for professional workflows, allowing candidates to spend more time on substantive application content.
Research Areas
Research Methods, Professional Development, Computational Tools, Open Source, Pedagogy
Citation
@article{jobs,
author = {Moore, Ryan T. and Reeves, Andrew},
title = {The Job Market's First Steps: Using Research Tools to Simplify the Process},
journal = {PS: Political Science and Politics},
volume = {44},
number = {2},
pages = {385--391},
year = {2011},
}