The Professor Is In

Guidance for all things PhD: Graduate School, Job Market and Careers

Karen Kelsky

52 Career Actions: Week 24: Organize Your Digital Job Documents

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Sorry for the week gap! Somehow things just.. got away from me. But I'm back now! Job searches generate an astonishing quantity of files; Cover letters, CVs, Resumes, Research Statements, Teaching Statements, Writing samples, Reference lists, Job … [Read more...] about 52 Career Actions: Week 24: Organize Your Digital Job Documents

52 Career Actions: Week 23: Create a List of Professional References, and Ask Permission

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Thank you for hanging in with me this far! It's been a journey!  And one that most likely, you never wanted to be on in the first place. Assuming you undertook the various tasks I've covered in prior posts, you have a CV, you have a LinkedIn profile … [Read more...] about 52 Career Actions: Week 23: Create a List of Professional References, and Ask Permission

52 Career Actions: Week 21: Collect Testimonials and Endorsements

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Today we tackle something uncomfortable, which is collecting testimonials and endorsements from people who have worked with you. Academics generally hate the thought of this, because we are trained to believe that good work speaks for itself. And if … [Read more...] about 52 Career Actions: Week 21: Collect Testimonials and Endorsements

52 Career Actions: Week 22: Audit Your Online Presence

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It goes without saying that when you are being considered for a job, you will be googled, and not just for a job. Potential collaborators, conference organizers, journalists looking for someone who knows your subject, students deciding whether to … [Read more...] about 52 Career Actions: Week 22: Audit Your Online Presence

52 Career Actions: Week 20: Practice Telling Your Research Story for Non Academic Audiences

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Whether you stay in academia or you leave, you will need to master the art of explaining your research in accessible ways. In academia, you will need it for students mostly, and also folks from far outside your discipline. Outside academia, you need … [Read more...] about 52 Career Actions: Week 20: Practice Telling Your Research Story for Non Academic Audiences

52 Career Actions: Week 19: Submit a Piece for Publication

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This week's task is short and sweet: Submit something. Ideally, this means an academic article, essay, review, commentary, chapter proposal, or other appropriate piece of writing, to an actual academic publication venue. While regular readers … [Read more...] about 52 Career Actions: Week 19: Submit a Piece for Publication

52 Career Actions: Week 18: Prepare a Writing Sample Portfolio

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Hi everyone, and welcome back to the 52 Career Actions series. I hope you had a good summer! I took time off to write the bulk of my new book, The Professor Is Out: The Essential Guide to Leaving Academia. I did get a few chapters done! But I did not … [Read more...] about 52 Career Actions: Week 18: Prepare a Writing Sample Portfolio

52 Career Actions: Week 17: Overhaul Your LinkedIn Profile!

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If you are still treating LinkedIn as an optional social media platform for business people, please stop. For academics pursuing careers beyond the tenure track, LinkedIn is not optional. It is your public-facing professional profile, your … [Read more...] about 52 Career Actions: Week 17: Overhaul Your LinkedIn Profile!

52 Career Actions: Week 15: Write a tailored cover letter for a dream position.

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I'm doing a new thing from this week! I'm adding in a regular post about ACADEMIC career actions. I'm doing this because it's June and folks are looking ahead to their Fall academic job search, which starts in August. Of course academia is in an … [Read more...] about 52 Career Actions: Week 15: Write a tailored cover letter for a dream position.