(This will be a very long list by the end of the year if I keep it up. We'll see.)
Your statements are basically done after the first few deadlines. I always thought I'd customize extensively for each school.
Nope.
On a week like this (with so many apps due Sep 15), you just don't have time. You have to trust that you already put in the work with your base template. It's a mental shift from fellowship apps.
I'm getting better at customizing application statements quickly, without being too much of a perfectionist, but it's already time to move on to the next thing: crafting the job talk.
There's no breather. Which of course means you have to create moments to breathe, disconnect, and celebrate yourself.
Sure, there are more due Monday, but I'm finding that my lizard brain appreciates an immediate break/reward. So if I HAVE to get work done over a weekend, I'm going to try keeping it to Sunday.
For now I'm enjoying the last weekend before the apartment pool closes. #EndOfSummer
Between keeping up with application deadlines, keeping up with new job ads, preparing the job talk, trying to not completely halt work on my dissertation, and managing tasks and side projects I should have said no to...
...is the job market really just an elaborate test of my time management skills?
I think you're right, but I would further say: success in almost any non-grunt-work career is heavily dependent on time management. Academia is only one example. If no one's telling you on a fine-grained scale what to do every day, most people without good time management skills (which is to say, most people) are really going to struggle.
For those getting edit notifications, I'm only now realizing the last few toots have said #AcademicaJobMarket instead of #AcademicJobMarket 😑 Academica...
A few weeks ago someone told me your first practice job is always trash (so don't stress and rip off the bandaid).
I gave my first practice job talk yesterday. Calling it trash might be a little too self-deprecating... but let's just say I've got a LOT of revisions to make. Whew.
A good friend and I are both on the market this year, so I'm so glad to see this article from Paris Wicker and LaShawn Faith Washington.
It's paywalled, but their first tip is "have a communications plan for job-market updates." We've started, but I know the stakes & stress will only get higher. And thinking about it in this context, the job market feels incredibly cruel.
Going back to the #JobTalk, I like Betty Lai's advice emphasizing the need to tell a story with your talk.
I generally enjoy presenting my research to an audience (mostly as an escape from writing), but the job talk is a completely different genre. Still learning the rules but getting better.
I told my advisor my brain was full (of stress) and she didn't understand what I meant. So I described a version of the stress bucket model. But an illustration can probably say it better.
Lately my capacity to respond to even minor stressors is noticeably low.
Higher baseline stress = less capacity to deal with any additional stressors.
Taking care of your emotional health is harder yet more crucial than ever on the market.
I suppose it checks out that my last post in this thread was about stress and then I went silent for two weeks.
Everyone will have their own ways of coping, but lately I've been appreciating group exercise classes (gotta release that stress somehow) & friends who drag me out of the house on weekends.
What to expect in Zoom interviews! I have a few different lists of a) questions you might be asked, and b) questions you might ask. People have varying opinions on these lists. 👀
I'll compile what I have once this process is over, but I started out with this one:
Jobs you don't get. Potential futures that disappear. Relationships that change or become strained during this time.
And maybe you don't let yourself fully process the grief yet, because there's no time before the next application, interview, or talk... but I can see how a recovery period will be crucial, no matter the outcome.
Advice is only helpful if you're in the right headspace to receive it. At some point, you have to start taking only what you need. Filter out the rest.
Example: This article was shared with me before my first campus visit. It seems perfectly fine (and I'm choosing to share it here), but at the time it felt like a list of additional stressors.
I tried to stay cautious & realistic for most of this semester. A Zoom interview doesn't mean a visit. A visit doesn't guarantee an offer. An offer doesn't mean the terms are good.
Now I'd say nah. Celebrate everything. Enjoy the happy feelings as long as you can. The next stressful thing will be right around the corner, so enjoy the good parts while they last. 🎉
An offer is great, but then you have a decision to make. Fast.
And I gather that it's not uncommon to have to make that decision before you hear about other options.
Generally, I try not to post about a stage (i.e., job talk) until a few weeks after I've experienced it. Time to process and such. But this one is in real-time. And boy it's tough.
@writingmonicker@academicchatter@sociology One thing I found helpful for campus visits: find downtime and zone out. Meetings with anyone who has no input in the hiring process are perfect (librarians, family care office, etc). Be polite, but don't focus, don't ask questions, recover some free time for yourself. Also, if you can navigate by yourself from meeting A to B, you can get a walk in while not having to interact. All this helps bring the temperature down between interviews, talks, etc.
Add comment