The wonderful Shit Academic Say (@AcademicsSay) retweeted a hilarious parody of American vs. British recommendation letters this week. It's so painfully accurate that it immediately brought back traumatic memories of my time as a department … [Read more...] about How to Write a Recommendation Letter
How To Choose and Manage Recommenders
How to Write Your Own Rec. Letter, plus All of my Vitae columns
In my two+ gratifying and enjoyable years of writing for Chronicle Vitae, I've only had one column rejected by them, and it is this one, which I submitted late in December as an end-of-year compendium of all my columns, organized thematically. I … [Read more...] about How to Write Your Own Rec. Letter, plus All of my Vitae columns
Update on My Book: Blurbs, Reviews, and a Promotion
The book inches closer to actually existing in the material world (August 4)! It has gotten some lovely blurbs by amazing people, like this one by the inimitable Rebecca Schuman: “If you would like your academic career to begin in delusion and end … [Read more...] about Update on My Book: Blurbs, Reviews, and a Promotion
Buy My Book!
Love the blog? Now get it in handy book form--only $11.40! Available for pre-order now--comes out August 4! Buy it at all these places! It also makes a great gift for all those struggling grad students in your life! For bulk orders for use … [Read more...] about Buy My Book!
Those 12 Sentences: Evaluating Cover Letter Advice
Many of you have undoubtedly seen the blog post by Philip N. Howard that has been circulating around the internet for the past couple of weeks, called A Dozen Sentences That Should Appear in Your Academic Cover Letter. It was originally published on … [Read more...] about Those 12 Sentences: Evaluating Cover Letter Advice
Chronicle Vitae’s Free Dossier Service
As you probably know by now I am launching a post-ac branch of The Professor Is In, dedicated to advice and information for people seeking jobs outside the academy. I’ll be posting 2 post-ac posts written by my team of experts early in the week, and … [Read more...] about Chronicle Vitae’s Free Dossier Service
The Perils of “Nice,” Cont’d: Recommendation Edition
I got to see a letter of rec this week, and was stunned at the way it sabotaged my client, a SUPERB AND TOTALLY HARD-ASS candidate. It did this apparently from the best of intentions, by burying her achievements in endless verbiage about how "nice" … [Read more...] about The Perils of “Nice,” Cont’d: Recommendation Edition
It’s Not About You
Today The Professor continues her mobilization of low brow pop culture references in the service of the scholarly career by bringing to your attention the sentiment, “It’s Not About You.” This is actually another installment in the “Nice … [Read more...] about It’s Not About You
What To Do Now in Grad School (Special Request Post)
Apologies for missing Tuesday's post and then delaying on Thursday's post. I had a family health crisis (thankfully, fully resolved) that kept me away from the computer this week. Today's post is a Special Request post for K, who asks, what can a … [Read more...] about What To Do Now in Grad School (Special Request Post)
Why You Need Recommenders From Outside Your Department
I've had a raft of new clients this past couple of weeks seeking my help in strategizing for the Fall 2012 job market. I applaud this foresight and planning, and recommend it to all who know they will be on the market next year. One piece of advice … [Read more...] about Why You Need Recommenders From Outside Your Department