easyaasjobs

A Python tool for searching, filtering, and organizing job listings from the AAS Job Register.

Author: Brendan Griffen (@brendangriffen)

Based on gully/AASjobRegister with extensive modifications.

Features

• Fetch current job listings from the AAS Job Register
• Filter jobs by career type (Faculty, Postdoc, PhD, Engineering, Management, Other)
• Search job descriptions using custom keywords
• Generate interactive HTML tables viewable in your browser
• Visualize job deadlines on a timeline
• Track days remaining until application deadlines
• Create keyword frequency histograms
• Command-line interface with flexible options

Requirements

• Python 3.7+

Installation

Option 1: Install as package (recommended)

git clone https://github.com/bgriffen/easyaasjobs.git
cd easyaasjobs
pip install -e .

This installs the easyaasjobs command-line tool.

Option 2: Run directly

git clone https://github.com/bgriffen/easyaasjobs.git
cd easyaasjobs
pip install -r requirements.txt
python getastrojobs.py

Usage

Command Line

After installation, use the easyaasjobs command:

# Run with default settings
easyaasjobs

# Force fetch fresh data from AAS website
easyaasjobs --fetch

# Run without opening browser
easyaasjobs --no-browser

# Run without generating plots
easyaasjobs --no-plot

# Use a custom config file
easyaasjobs --config myconfig.py

# Specify data directory
easyaasjobs --data-dir ./data

Configuration Script

Edit getastrojobs.py to customize your search:

from easyaasjobs import Config, run_search

config = Config()

# Career Options - Select which job types you want to see
config.want_faculty_jobs = False
config.want_postdoc_job = True
config.want_phd = False
config.want_engineering_job = False
config.want_management_jobs = False
config.want_other_jobs = False

# Display/Output Options
config.open_results_in_browser = True
config.want_deadline_plot = True
config.select_over_keywords = True
config.filter_over_job_id = False
config.plot_keyword_hist = True

# Keywords to search for in job descriptions
config.keywords = [
    'theor',
    'computational',
    'galax',
    'data science',
    'simulations',
]

run_search(config)

Python API

Use the package programmatically:

from easyaasjobs import Config, run_search

config = Config()
config.want_postdoc_job = True
config.keywords = ['computational', 'simulations']
run_search(config)

Workflow

1. Initial Query: Run with select_over_keywords = True to get a broad view of jobs matching your interests.

2. Review Results: The interactive browser table shows all matching jobs sorted by deadline. Note the days_left column to prioritize upcoming deadlines.

3. Refine Selection: After reviewing, note the job IDs (first column) of positions you want to track.

4. Track Specific Jobs: Add those job IDs and enable filtering:

   config.filter_over_job_id = True
   config.job_ids_filter = [51388, 51391, 51554, 51591, 51624]

5. Generate Reports: Re-run to create deadline plots for your shortlisted positions.

Output Examples

Deadline Timeline

Shows job deadlines relative to today, with key dates marked (November 15, December 1, etc.). Past deadlines are shaded.

Interactive Job Table

A searchable, sortable table that opens in your browser. The days_left column helps prioritize applications.

Keyword Histogram

Shows how frequently each of your keywords appears across job descriptions.

Generated Files

File	Description
jobsforme.txt	Complete job data with all fields
abbriev.dat	Abbreviated job data (excludes full announcements)
announcements.txt	Full text of job announcements
jobs_left_timeline.png	Deadline visualization
keywords.png	Keyword frequency histogram

Project Structure

easyaasjobs/
├── easyaasjobs/          # Main package
│   ├── __init__.py       # Package exports
│   ├── cli.py            # Command-line interface
│   ├── config.py         # Configuration class
│   ├── jfind.py          # Web scraping module
│   └── jtools.py         # Analysis and visualization
├── getastrojobs.py       # Configuration script (edit this)
├── pyproject.toml        # Package metadata
├── requirements.txt      # Dependencies
├── .gitignore
└── README.md

Troubleshooting

"Could not find job listing panel" error

The AAS website structure may have changed. Please open an issue on GitHub.

Jobs not loading

• Check your internet connection
• The AAS website may be temporarily unavailable
• Try running with --fetch to get fresh data

Stale data

Delete the generated data files or run with --fetch:

rm jobsforme.txt abbriev.dat announcements.txt
easyaasjobs
# or
easyaasjobs --fetch

License

MIT License - see repository for details.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues or pull requests.