The wonderful Shit Academic Say (@AcademicsSay) retweeted a hilarious parody of American vs. British recommendation letters this week. (December 8, 2016) It's so painfully accurate that it immediately brought back traumatic memories of my … [Read more...] about How to Write a Recommendation Letter
Landing Your Tenure Track Job
Why Your Job Cover Letter Sucks (and what you can do to fix it)
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)
Dr. Karen’s Rules of the Academic CV
Please note this advice is continually checked and updated! Including for COVID. ~~~~~~~~ Today's post is a long overdue post on CVs. While the CV genre permits a wide range of variation, and there is no consensus on the value or desirability of … [Read more...] about Dr. Karen’s Rules of the Academic CV
Getting Ready for the Job Search
[Sharing this week's Chronicle Vitae column for all of you who are gearing up for the Fall 2016 job market] I’m gearing up to go on the academic job market this fall. What should I do to get ready? I answered a similar question in a semi-facetious … [Read more...] about Getting Ready for the Job Search
Introducing TPII Staff: Dr. Maggie Levantovskaya
Over the next few weeks I'll be introducing the wonderful members of the Professor Is In staff, who assist me in editing client academic job and grant documents and welcoming and directing old and new clients to the best range of services available … [Read more...] about Introducing TPII Staff: Dr. Maggie Levantovskaya
Beat the Fall Rush: Summer 2016 Updates
Hi everyone! Today is a brief interruption in our usual editorial policy (devoted, as you know, to alternately despairing and enraged commentary on the total downfall of US academe), to share some scheduling info to help you plan ahead. Including a … [Read more...] about Beat the Fall Rush: Summer 2016 Updates
Thoughts from the UK and Denmark
Kellee and I are heading into the final week of our month in the UK and Europe! We've had an absolutely amazing journey so far. We visited the Universities of Aberdeen (thank you, Amy Bryzgel), where I did a talk on the US job market, and an … [Read more...] about Thoughts from the UK and Denmark
We’re All In the Same Boat
The European tour is going splendidly! So far I've spoken at University of Aberdeen (2 events by me: Hacking the US Academic Job Market, Academic Leadership for Women; 1 event by Kellee Weinhold: The US Academic Interview), at University of St. … [Read more...] about We’re All In the Same Boat
Can I Negotiate? Advice For All, Especially International Ph.D.s
I am regularly asked "can I negotiate my offer when it's my only offer?" People constantly seem to think you need multiple offers to have leverage. This is not true. For the vast majority of schools, you can and should negotiate your offer. The … [Read more...] about Can I Negotiate? Advice For All, Especially International Ph.D.s
My Top Five Tips for Turning Your Dissertation Into a Book–A Special Request Post
This is a repost from 2011. Today is another Special Request Post. This one is from Maria, who asks, do I have a template (like my Foolproof Grant Template) for turning a dissertation into a book? No, Maria, I do not. The process of turning the … [Read more...] about My Top Five Tips for Turning Your Dissertation Into a Book–A Special Request Post