I've finished, now what?? Finding a job in academia

Yay! You've finished your dissertation, you've successfully defended, and now you're ready to hit the academic job market. 

As we're wrapping up a spring semester, I wanted to take a moment to focus on what comes next. Many (though not all) of our clients graduate and seek to secure positions in academia. While we specialize in getting you to graduation, there are others out there who are better suited for what comes next. 

One of those is Dr. Karen Kelsky, of The Professor Is In. I do not know Dr. Kelsky personally, but have been a long time follower of her blog, and found her book to be an excellent source of advice, templates, and tips on navigating the academic job search process. She is also a frequent contributor to the blog over at Vitae.  

Click the book cover to the right to be taken to Amazon, where you can view inside the book and get a feel for the contents. I've personally read this book cover-to-cover and refer back to it frequently. 

Selected Reviews from around the web: 

“Karen Kelsky’s The Professor Is In offers a compendium of smart, clear, direct advice to anyone seeking to turn a PhD into an academic job. She covers everything from how to build a competitive profile, to writing cover letters and resumes, to negotiating for that final job, postdoc, or grant. She’s not afraid to give examples of ‘don’ts’ and she models the ‘do’s.’” I’m about to meet with a doctoral student on the job market right now—and I’m giving her my copy of The Professor is In.” Cathy Davidson, Distinguished Professor, CUNY Graduate College, Director, The Futures Initiative.

“If you would like your academic career to begin in delusion and end in disillusionment, then by all means, ignore Karen Kelsky. If, however, you want unvarnished straight talk about the academic job market—and how to navigate it—then heed her, and heed her now.” —Rebecca Schuman, education columnist for Slate

“Every graduate student in academe should read this book. But also: if you teach graduate students, if you mentor graduate students, if you worry about graduate students, and even if you’re thinking about becoming a graduate student, you should read this book too. It’s just that indispensable.”– Michael Bérubé, Director, Institute for the Arts and Humanities, Penn State University

Disclaimer from Dr. Kat:

Please note, I am not affiliated with "The Professor Is In," either the book or the firm. I am just a big fan and admirer of the work they do helping newly minted Ph.Ds and Ed.Ds move forward in their careers. Dr. Kelsky was actually a big inspiration behind the Subversive Scholar as well.

This post contains an Amazon affiliate link, which means the Subversive Scholar may receive a small commission if you make a purchase.