Dear Benny,
I’m interested in working at Penn and was wondering if you could tell me how I can apply? Do you have to be on some sort of special list? Do you have to know somebody? I’ve heard so many different things. And where are the jobs advertised? Please explain.
— Job-Seeker Joan

Dear Job-Seeker Joan,
Every open staff position at Penn is posted on the mobile friendly Careers@Penn website. No position is filled without being on the website. 

To apply, you must create an account and profile, which requires your personal information, and education and employment history. If you have a LinkedIn or Chronicle of Higher Education Vitae profile, the system can pull your information from there.

Once your profile is created, you can upload your resume and cover letter, and easily submit your application for any posted job.

Nicole Torsella Harris, manager of talent acquisition and executive recruitment in the Division of Human Resources, says, “Penn offers a variety of opportunities in research, education and public service.” There are usually about 440 open jobs on the Careers@Penn site at any given time and the positions are organized by school, organization, job family, and salary grade.

“The landscape is competitive given Penn’s amazing total compensation package, including outstanding health, tuition, and other unique benefits,” she says.

When your application is submitted, the system will send you an email certifying that it has been received.

If you have been selected for an interview, the system will send you an email notifying you that someone will contact you. If you aren’t selected, the system will send you an email informing you of that as well. If you are selected for an interview, but are not selected as a finalist candidate, the hiring manager will notify you personally.  

“You can always check the status of your application in the system,” Harris says. “If it says, ‘In Process,’ it means hiring officers are still reviewing applicants.”

Your Careers@Penn profile does not expire, and your resume and cover letter are stored in the system and can be edited or updated at any time.

“We encourage you to check Careers@Penn frequently for new openings,” says Harris.

You can also sign up for an email job alert on the Careers@Penn site, which will send you information about new positions that are posted every week.

Got a question for Benny? Send it via email to current@pobox.upenn.edu or through a direct Twitter message via @PennCurrent. Follow @PennCurrent on Twitter, if you please.