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The Professor Is In

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

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How To Write Academic Job Cover Letters

My Dissertation on X Examines X

By Karen Kelsky | September 8, 2017

One of the writing problems that stands out the most in this Fall's job documents is the "painful repetition" problem. This is when someone writes, "My dissertation, 'A Study of Elephants,' is a study of elephants." Here are some more: "I have … [Read more...] about My Dissertation on X Examines X

Filed Under: How To Write Academic Job Cover Letters, Landing Your Tenure Track Job, Major Job Market Mistakes, Writing

The Job Search is Not a Striptease

By Karen Kelsky | September 1, 2017

One of my pet peeves in job documents is when the job candidate coyly gestures toward a research conclusion, without actually coming out and saying what the conclusion is. I have no idea why so many job seekers are so invested in this coyness.  The … [Read more...] about The Job Search is Not a Striptease

Filed Under: How To Write Academic Job Cover Letters, Landing Your Tenure Track Job, Major Job Market Mistakes, Promote Yourself!, Strategizing Your Success in Academia, Teaching and Research Statements, Writing

Revisiting the Cover Letter: Research and Contribution

By Karen Kelsky | August 11, 2017

by Verena Hutter and Karen Kelsky Now that we’ve talked about the intro paragraph of your cover letter, let’s move on to the next paras, the current research and contribution. In a research-oriented Cover Letter, this is going to be about … [Read more...] about Revisiting the Cover Letter: Research and Contribution

Filed Under: How To Write Academic Job Cover Letters, Major Job Market Mistakes, Strategizing Your Success in Academia

The Intro Paragraph is Your GPS Locator

By Karen Kelsky | July 21, 2017

Co-authored with TPII editor, Verena Hutter Almost every section of the CL has its own intricacies and pitfalls. The tailoring para for example can easily become a place where self-aggrandizing and desperation meet (“I’ll be a great asset … [Read more...] about The Intro Paragraph is Your GPS Locator

Filed Under: How To Write Academic Job Cover Letters, Landing Your Tenure Track Job, Major Job Market Mistakes, Strategizing Your Success in Academia

“My Family Lives In Driving Distance” – Or Not

By Karen Kelsky | October 17, 2016

For Fall 2016 I am reposting the top 25 posts on academic job applications. In the past month a client wrote in his tailoring section that he was excited to apply to a position at the University of Chicago, because his "family lives in driving … [Read more...] about “My Family Lives In Driving Distance” – Or Not

Filed Under: How To Write Academic Job Cover Letters, Major Job Market Mistakes, Promote Yourself!, Strategizing Your Success in Academia, Writing

“I’m the Ideal Candidate for Your Position!”

By Karen Kelsky | October 17, 2016

During Fall 2016 I am reposting the top 25 blog posts about the academic job market.  Today's post is yet another post on job letters. This one is on that object of contention: the fit sentence. You know the one---it's the sentence that says, … [Read more...] about “I’m the Ideal Candidate for Your Position!”

Filed Under: How To Write Academic Job Cover Letters, Landing Your Tenure Track Job, Major Job Market Mistakes, Strategizing Your Success in Academia

Banish These Words, 2016 Edition

By Karen Kelsky | October 7, 2016

Every season I note a new batch of trite, overused words cropping up in job and grant documents. I've already written about some of the most critical to banish from your vocabulary here, and here. Here is the newest set of words that need to go. The … [Read more...] about Banish These Words, 2016 Edition

Filed Under: How To Write Academic Job Cover Letters, How To Write CVs, Landing Your Tenure Track Job, Major Job Market Mistakes, Strategizing Your Success in Academia, Writing

Why Your Job Cover Letter Sucks (and what you can do to fix it)

By Karen Kelsky | August 26, 2016

An expanded and updated version of this post can now be found in Chapter  22 of my new book, The Professor Is In: The Essential Guide to Turning Your Ph.D. Into a Job. I am keeping a shortened version here, but for the complete discussion … [Read more...] about Why Your Job Cover Letter Sucks (and what you can do to fix it)

Filed Under: Bad Advisors and Good Mentors, How To Write Academic Job Cover Letters, Landing Your Tenure Track Job, Major Job Market Mistakes, Stop.Acting.Like.A.Grad.Student, Strategizing Your Success in Academia Tagged With: academic job cover letter, academic job market help, academic job search help, applying for academic jobs, applying for professor job, applying for university job, getting a tenure track job, getting faculty job, higher education job, how to fix your cover letter, how to get a professor job, how to get a tenure track job, how to write a job cover letter, tenure track job cover letter, the academic job search, what do search committees look for, why can't I get a tenure track job

How to Write Your Own Rec. Letter, plus All of my Vitae columns

By Karen Kelsky | January 22, 2016

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

Filed Under: Advising Advice, Graduate Student Concerns, How To Choose and Manage Recommenders, How to Interview, How To Write Academic Job Cover Letters, Landing Your Tenure Track Job, Major Job Market Mistakes, Negotiating Offers, Strategizing Your Success in Academia, The Campus Visit, What Not To Wear, Your Second and Third Jobs

A Perspective From the Hiring Committee (A Guest Post)

By Karen Kelsky | October 12, 2015

This is a guest post, volunteered by a tenured reader.  Also check out her previous post. I and my fellow committee members work in a somewhat technical field at a mid-tier state university. While every institution and department is different, … [Read more...] about A Perspective From the Hiring Committee (A Guest Post)

Filed Under: How To Write Academic Job Cover Letters, How To Write CVs, Landing Your Tenure Track Job, Major Job Market Mistakes, Writing

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