On Tuesday I attended a card-signing event on campus that was the formal launch of the voting process for the University of Oregon faculty union. The faculty union has been a long time coming, and this time it looks like it might actually happen. I … [Read more...] about Supply and Demand on the Academic Job Market: Thoughts on Obsolete Professions
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Adjuncting and Stockholm Syndrome
A few weeks ago I found myself in an illuminating exchange with a client. We were “off the clock,” and the dialogue (by skype chat of all things) veered into an interesting and unexpected direction--- the psychological state of people in adjunct … [Read more...] about Adjuncting and Stockholm Syndrome
Behind The Scenes of a Job Search: Just How Important is Your Teaching? (Guest Post)
This is a Guest Post by a reader who shall remain anonymous. He teaches at a regional state institution. It's the kind of place of which people say, "teaching is what counts." He is here to tell us what just happened, this past fall, in a job … [Read more...] about Behind The Scenes of a Job Search: Just How Important is Your Teaching? (Guest Post)
Why You Need Recommenders From Outside Your Department
I've had a raft of new clients this past couple of weeks seeking my help in strategizing for the Fall 2012 job market. I applaud this foresight and planning, and recommend it to all who know they will be on the market next year. One piece of advice … [Read more...] about Why You Need Recommenders From Outside Your Department
How To Give a Teaching Demonstration (A Guest Post)
Today's post is a Guest Post by Dr. Melissa A Barlett, who is an Instructor in Biology at Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica, NY. Melissa kindly came to my rescue when I asked for a post on the Teaching Demonstration. As I've mentioned … [Read more...] about How To Give a Teaching Demonstration (A Guest Post)
What Inside Candidates Persist in Doing Wrong
Today's post looks directly at the question of the inside candidate. It goes without saying that most people on the job market fiercely resent the inside candidate, assuming that he or she has endless advantages over external applicants. I am here … [Read more...] about What Inside Candidates Persist in Doing Wrong
Job Market Horror Stories, Part I: The Rescinded Offer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 This reader kindly wrote in response to my request for stories about "rescinded offers."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
How To Describe a Course (In an Interview)
Today I am going to devote the post to a brief but vital explanation of how to describe, in an interview, a course you propose to teach. I created this template after doing so many Interview Interventions where one candidate after another fell down … [Read more...] about How To Describe a Course (In an Interview)
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
Why You Need a Second Project. An Urgent #Facepalm Fail Addendum
In the middle of an Interview Bootcamp with a client yesterday, I suddenly realized with a jolt, and to my horror, that I had inexplicably and senselessly forgotten one of the major #Facepalm Fails of the academic interview in my earlier post on that … [Read more...] about Why You Need a Second Project. An Urgent #Facepalm Fail Addendum