I am interrupting regularly scheduled programming to share this email I received from a reader this week. I share it for several reasons. The first is as a follow-up to last week's post, "What's It Like to Work with the Professor?" In that post I … [Read more...] about A Letter From a Reader (With Thoughts on What Professors Make)
The Campus Visit
What American Idol Tells Us About The Job Market
We watch a lot of American Idol here at The Professor's house. We have strong opinions. Personally, I'm a fan of Joshua. I know that Jessica has the best voice. But she just doesn't "connect" with the audience, as Randy Jackson constantly … [Read more...] about What American Idol Tells Us About The Job Market
How To Talk To A Dean
Over the course of the 2011-2012 job market cycle, several clients wrote to me inquiring about how they should talk to the Dean they were scheduled to meet during their campus visit. Indeed, many, if not most, campus visits still include a visit with … [Read more...] about How To Talk To A Dean
Dr. Karen’s (Partial) Rules of the Job Talk
I've been asked by many readers to write about the Job Talk. I've resisted doing this because I believe that by the time you are writing your job talk, any meaningful advice has to be completely personalized. In other words, general rules about job … [Read more...] about Dr. Karen’s (Partial) Rules of the Job Talk
Pregnant on Your Campus Visit–A Crowdsource Project
Today's post is a Special Request post for a reader who wishes to know how to handle pregnancy and the job search, particularly the campus visit. This is a subject about which I'm not really qualified to write. I was never pregnant while on the job … [Read more...] about Pregnant on Your Campus Visit–A Crowdsource Project
Job Market Horror Stories, Part I: The Rescinded Offer
This is another guest post by a reader who shall remain anonymous. This reader kindly wrote in response to my request for stories about "rescinded offers." The stories here are alarming, although in this reader's case, they have a happy … [Read more...] about Job Market Horror Stories, Part I: The Rescinded Offer
The Unknown and Unknowable of the Job Market
Today's post is a guest post from a reader who shall remain anonymous. She shares her experiences with what she calls the "Unknown and Unknowable" aspects of the job search. Her message is invaluable: stay loose, flexible, and open to sudden … [Read more...] about The Unknown and Unknowable of the Job Market
How To Pack and Dress For Your Campus Visit (Inc. Cold-Weather Tips)
In response to pleas from clients with campus visit invitations, I am devoting the post today to a quick discussion of how to dress for campus visits , particularly in the cold weather. This post is for women (who present as women), since everyone … [Read more...] about How To Pack and Dress For Your Campus Visit (Inc. Cold-Weather Tips)
How To Dress for an Interview as a Butch Dyke
[Updated Sept 2021] Today’s post is a Special Request post for Digger, who asks, “how is a butch dyke to dress for a conference or campus interview?” She goes on, “I recently tried to girl-up my wardrobe, and it was pretty much a disaster … [Read more...] about How To Dress for an Interview as a Butch Dyke
The Campus Visit, Part 1: Search Committee Interview
[This post is excerpted from the Professor's Guide to Taming the Academic Job Market, available at The Prof Shop.] I will address some specific questions to expect in the search committee interview below. Before that, however, I wish to emphasize … [Read more...] about The Campus Visit, Part 1: Search Committee Interview