4 ms·

In many graduate academic contexts, it is standard procedure for applicants to cold-email a PDF copy of their resume to prospective advisors, who then open said

In many graduate academic contexts, it is standard procedure for applicants to cold-email a PDF copy of their resume to prospective advisors, who then open said PDF and read it. It blows my mind.

jononomo 3y ago
Presumably there would be a note in the email accompanying the resume that would give some context. But if PDFs are really so dangerous to open, then that should be fixed -- it is completely unreasonable to expect people not to open PDF documents.
- empyrrhicist 3y ago
  The context is some unknown student applying to a department, which could easily be faked (ideal phishing target). PDF is a security nightmare, and while it's gotten better with e.g. sandboxed browser viewers, it still requires trust. People need to be able to open PDF documents, but unless there's a prior professional or personal relationship, or a stable and identifiable corporate entity involved, it's a bad idea. That obviously doesn't apply to PDFs you go out and find from sources you trust. In the case I'm referring to, the solution is to have a standard application process, usually involving a nominal fee. That adds intermediaries, as well as some standardization for fairness sake.
  - jltsiren 3y ago
    Academic application processes are often informal, because nobody wants to deal with university bureaucracy unless they absolutely have to. Even when there is a formal process, the standard practice is usually contacting the people first, to see if there is any point in subjecting yourself to the process. Application fees can be substantial barriers to some people. The academia is international, and international payments are often difficult outside the trivial cases. For example, there are plenty of Iranian grad students around the world, but sanctions make many things difficult for them.
    - empyrrhicist 3y ago
      Even if informal, it should be standardized. For one thing, unless the field is really unpopular, I don't know how you'd sensibly review candidates cold applying at random times. A standard application window, placing submitted materials in a cloud provider's infra (e.g., Google Drive), viewing materials with sandboxed web browsers rather than acrobat - these should be standard and well known methods. The poor hygiene of just getting sent documents by strangers and opening them needs to stop. Is it convenient? No. Tough luck, it's 2023 and this is a well known vector for infection.
      - jltsiren 3y ago
        Nothing is standardized in the academia. There are too many traditions around the world, and people are not willing to abandon them just to satisfy some foreign bureaucrat's aesthetic sensibilities. In some places, if you want to do a PhD, you apply to a school. If admitted, you take classes, do rotations in different labs, and pick a supervisor. In other places, you first have to find someone willing to supervise you, and maybe also secure funding. Once you have a supervisor and funding, the application process is just a formality that can be done at any time. Reviewing candidates is the same in the academia and elsewhere. Maybe someone in your professional network already knows the candidate (the world is pretty small, after all), or maybe they already have experience and achievements to show. If there is nothing that makes them stand out, they probably wouldn't make it through the process anyway. Also, it's easier to fix the technical issues with PDF than to get the academia to standardize on anything. Maybe create a safe subset without all the unnecessary features you would not expect in a printed document, and call it PDF. And then rename the full PDF to something appropriate, like "This will devour your soul and steal your children".

In many graduate academic contexts, it is standard procedure for applicants to cold-email a PDF copy of their resume to prospective advisors, who then open said PDF and read it. It blows my mind.

jononomo 3y ago

Presumably there would be a note in the email accompanying the resume that would give some context. But if PDFs are really so dangerous to open, then that should be fixed -- it is completely unreasonable to expect people not to open PDF documents.

empyrrhicist 3y ago
The context is some unknown student applying to a department, which could easily be faked (ideal phishing target). PDF is a security nightmare, and while it's gotten better with e.g. sandboxed browser viewers, it still requires trust. People need to be able to open PDF documents, but unless there's a prior professional or personal relationship, or a stable and identifiable corporate entity involved, it's a bad idea. That obviously doesn't apply to PDFs you go out and find from sources you trust. In the case I'm referring to, the solution is to have a standard application process, usually involving a nominal fee. That adds intermediaries, as well as some standardization for fairness sake.
- jltsiren 3y ago
  Academic application processes are often informal, because nobody wants to deal with university bureaucracy unless they absolutely have to. Even when there is a formal process, the standard practice is usually contacting the people first, to see if there is any point in subjecting yourself to the process. Application fees can be substantial barriers to some people. The academia is international, and international payments are often difficult outside the trivial cases. For example, there are plenty of Iranian grad students around the world, but sanctions make many things difficult for them.
  - empyrrhicist 3y ago
    Even if informal, it should be standardized. For one thing, unless the field is really unpopular, I don't know how you'd sensibly review candidates cold applying at random times. A standard application window, placing submitted materials in a cloud provider's infra (e.g., Google Drive), viewing materials with sandboxed web browsers rather than acrobat - these should be standard and well known methods. The poor hygiene of just getting sent documents by strangers and opening them needs to stop. Is it convenient? No. Tough luck, it's 2023 and this is a well known vector for infection.
    - jltsiren 3y ago
      Nothing is standardized in the academia. There are too many traditions around the world, and people are not willing to abandon them just to satisfy some foreign bureaucrat's aesthetic sensibilities. In some places, if you want to do a PhD, you apply to a school. If admitted, you take classes, do rotations in different labs, and pick a supervisor. In other places, you first have to find someone willing to supervise you, and maybe also secure funding. Once you have a supervisor and funding, the application process is just a formality that can be done at any time. Reviewing candidates is the same in the academia and elsewhere. Maybe someone in your professional network already knows the candidate (the world is pretty small, after all), or maybe they already have experience and achievements to show. If there is nothing that makes them stand out, they probably wouldn't make it through the process anyway. Also, it's easier to fix the technical issues with PDF than to get the academia to standardize on anything. Maybe create a safe subset without all the unnecessary features you would not expect in a printed document, and call it PDF. And then rename the full PDF to something appropriate, like "This will devour your soul and steal your children".