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
What Not To Wear
Data Point, Data Point, Data Point…
Sometimes I hear reactions to The Professor Is In, that my level of attention to details and minutiae (everything from what kind of bag you carry to where your voice rises in your delivery of a sentence) is excessive--even anal or obsessive. … [Read more...] about Data Point, Data Point, Data Point…
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
What Not To Do at Your Campus Visit
Today I share some remarks by a tenured client, who just completed a search at her department, and wrote to tell me about it: "We just finished doing a job search here and an offer has been made. I wanted to share with you something the last … [Read more...] about What Not To Do at Your Campus Visit
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!
Don’t State the Obvious
There is a kind of line in job documents that is technically blameless, but is so generic, so very much "stating the obvious" that it also completely pointless. This kind of line fills space while doing nothing to distinguish you in any way. The … [Read more...] about Don’t State the Obvious
MLA Job Advice (A Guest Post)
I missed my weekly Friday post yesterday because I had grand plans to make it a video post, but when I recorded the video, I couldn't get it to upload. I ended up delivering my little lecture on tailoring the job letter three times at different … [Read more...] about MLA Job Advice (A Guest Post)
Working the Conference: A Letter from a Client
I have a series of blog posts called How To Work the Conference Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. Here is a story from last week that shows why you should do what they say. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Karen, I just attended the annual … [Read more...] about Working the Conference: A Letter from a Client
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