Kellee and I were chatting the other day about her work in Interview Interventions over the past few months. She said to me, "What clients always need to understand is that the question is not the question! They always think the question is asking … [Read more...] about The Question Is Not The Question
Major Job Market Mistakes
The Status of the Press Matters, Still!
A debate has simmered on the comment thread to my post, Does the Status of the Press Matter, in recent weeks, on the question: is Palgrave MacMillan a press with high enough status for a US R1 tenure case? My position has always been, based on my … [Read more...] about The Status of the Press Matters, Still!
Four Tips for Getting Hired at a Christian University (A Guest Post)
Today’s anonymous author is a tenured professor in the field of religion at a mid-sized Christian University. He has sat on and chaired numerous search committees for both faculty and administrative hires. He sees the enormous stack of applicants for … [Read more...] about Four Tips for Getting Hired at a Christian University (A Guest Post)
The Teaching-Centric Letter
In response to many requests, I am devoting today's post to the teaching-centric letter. The absence of a post on this subject before now might seem surprising on a blog that purports to cover every aspect of the academic job search. But that … [Read more...] about The Teaching-Centric Letter
An Inconvenient Truth (A Guest Post)
A reader got in touch to tell me about an infuriating experience at a recent conference. I asked her to write it up as a guest post, and here it is. Professors: stop the madness. Tell graduate students the goddamned truth. Dear Karen, I just … [Read more...] about An Inconvenient Truth (A Guest Post)
Adjectives Are Not Arguments, Part I
It is time that all of you grasped a simple yet profound truth of academic writing: adjectives are not arguments. Simply repeating the words: complex multivalent/multidirectional/multiplicitous unique diasporic transnational … [Read more...] about Adjectives Are Not Arguments, Part I
Stop Acting Like a Grad Student, Redux: “After My Defense, I Will…”
I am always telling clients to stop "sounding like a grad student." But the trouble is, clients don't understand all the ways that they do this. Some are obvious. "While a grad student in the English Ph.D. program, I....." is a sure giveaway. … [Read more...] about Stop Acting Like a Grad Student, Redux: “After My Defense, I Will…”
The Hash-Slinging Slasher
This fall, a new phenomenon has emerged in job documents---the slash/dash addiction. I think, if you read the examples below (which are shared with permission of the authors), you'll see the problem. In a way, it's just another manifestation of … [Read more...] about The Hash-Slinging Slasher
Banish These Words, 2014
Previously I told you to banish the words "unique" and "burgeoning." Here is a new set of painfully overused, excruciatingly tedious, annoyingly self-important, and frustratingly vacant words to be banished in 2014: Banish these … [Read more...] about Banish These Words, 2014
We Don’t Need Your New Perspective
If you have the words "a new perspective" in any of your job documents, get rid of it. It's the tritest and most hackneyed of all job document language (that is not in the hyper-emotional-passion vein.) Who is not doing something from a new … [Read more...] about We Don’t Need Your New Perspective