Information for Current English Graduate Students
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The Placement File
The English Department's Placement File assists our graduate students in the complicated process of securing an academic position. This instrument represents a complex resource. It describes the profession and the job market; it gives advice on a variety of aspects of the job application, fine-tuning the recommended strategies as to respond to your goals and to the profile of our department whenever possible; it gathers tips and suggestions from a range of sources and samples of the core materials you will have to generate as job applicants; it includes a brief anthology of scholarly pieces on the academic market and its current trends; finally, it provides you with feedback from search committees at institutions similar to those where our PhDs have recently accepted positions.Graduate students in the program may check out the File from Alyson Frazier. Feel free to look at the File if you are seeking a position in the near future or just curious to find out what lies ahead.
We urge you to first peruse this web site. It contains a comprehensive "Guide to the Academic Job Market" and links to "General Career Sites" as well as the MLA, The Chronicle of Higher Education, ADE, and other essential resources. All of these provide information on current market trends, advice on securing positions, job announcements, and links to further resources.
Then go ahead and consult the File. It includes primarily samples of application materials that we have decided to make available to you in this form rather than on the web page. Again, the File is directed to you, takes into account the specifics of our department and the market areas in which we have been successful in the past. Likewise, the File gives you post-job search feedback from the kind of schools you are likely to be interested in. Overall, while the web site addresses the general principles of the search, the File focuses on examples, real cases, particular strategies and suggestions tailored to our strengths and interests. The Graduate Placement Director will update it periodically to make it reflect the market changes and your professional objectives. Also, the File will be used on the placement workshops the Director will run regularly.
Remember that this is an internal resource. Feel free to xerox, for your individual use, whatever materials you want. You must sign the File out from Alyson and return it within 3 days.
Contents
I. THE ACADEMIC JOB SEARCH: GENERAL GUIDELINES, STRATEGIES, AND ADVICE
- The Job Application/ p. 1
Necessary Materials and Documents/ p. 2
- The Job Search Process
The Schedule: MLA Job List-Based
Professor Stephen Yarbrough/ p. 8
- Suggestions for Preparing for the Job Market
Professor Karen Kilcup/ p. 11
- Desirable Qualities of Job Candidates
A Personal List by Professor Kelley Griffith 14
- Job-Hunting Strategies and Considerations
From: Professor Linda Hughes/ p. 16
- Practical Tips for Job Searchers
From: Professor Robin Anne Reid/ p. 18
- The Job Search: Tips from a Successful Applicant
From: Professor Paul Heilker/ p. 22
- Applying to Liberal Arts Colleges
By Professor Marshall Gregory, Butler Univ./ p. 28
- "Professionalism: What Graduate Students Want"
By John Guillory (Article)/ p. 36
- "Regeneration"
By Elaine Showalter (Article)/ p. 45
- "The Year of Living Dangerously; or, Not Just
an Adventure, but a Job"
By Eric Gadzinski (Article) / p. 56
- "What You Should Know: An Open Letter to New Ph
Ds"
(The Commonwealth Partnership; Article)/ p. 59
II. THE COVER LETTER: GUIDELINES AND SAMPLES/ p. 62
- Letter of Recommendation
Suggested Form (for the Recommender)/ p. 63
- Tips and Advice on Vitae and Cover Letters
Liedeke Plate, Indiana University/ p. 64
- Cover Letter Writing
Focus on Strategies for Teaching/Service-Oriented Institutions
Christian Moraru/ p. 67
- "The Job Search: Observations of a Reader of 177
Letters of Application"
By Eleanor H. Green (Article)/ p. 69
- Letter of Application 1
Target: Teaching-Research Institutions/ p. 72
- Letter of Application 2
Successful Letter of Interest Target: UNCG, Dept. of English/ p. 75
- Letter of Application 3
Successful Letter of Interest Target: UNCG, Dept. of English/ p. 78
- Letter of Application 4
Successful Letter; UNCG Applicant Target: Teaching Institution, University Level/ p. 81
- Job Description and Successful Letter of Interest UNCG
Applicant
Target: Teaching Institution (Research Required)/ p. 84
- Job Description and Letter of Interest UNCG Applicant
Target: Teaching Institution (Research Required)/ p. 88
- Letter of Application 7
Target: College (Research Required)/ p. 92
- Letter of Interest 8
Target: Liberal-Arts School. Emphasis on Teaching/ p. 95
- Letter of Application 9
Target: Teaching Institutions Comm. Coll., Dept. of Humanities/ p. 98
III. THE CURRICULUM VITAE: STRUCTURE AND SAMPLES/ p.100
- CV Structure/ p. 101
- CV Sample 1: UNCG Ph.D./ p. 102
- CV Sample 2: UNCG Ph.D./p. 105
- CV Sample 3/ p. 109
- CV Sample 4/ p. 114
- CV Sample 5/ p. 118
- CV Sample 6
Target: Teaching Institutions/ p. 123
- CV Sample 7/ p. 130
- CV Sample 8: Successful Application
Target: UNCG/ p. 134
- CV Sample 9: Successful Application
Target: UNCG/ p. 139
IV. THE INTERVIEW / p. 142
- Preparing for the MLA Interview and the Campus Visit/
p. 143
- Suggested Review of Teaching Portfolio
(Prior to the MLA/Campus Interview)/ p. 148
- Selected Course Descriptions Suggested Format
(Attach to Application. Have Ready at the MLA)/ p. 152
- Interviewing Tips/ p. 154
- Interviewing Issues and Techniques/ p. 156
- Dos and Don'ts for Interviews
From: MLA/ p. 157
- Checklist for Job Seekers
From: MLA / p. 159
V. AFTER THE JOB SEARCH: SEARCH COMMITTEE TIPS AND FEEDBACK/ p.162
- Thoughts and Suggestions Regarding the Job Market
From: Search Committee Chair, Liberal-Arts School/ p. 163
- Search Committee Evaluation Criteria, Teaching Evaluated
Documents: Letter, Teaching Statement/ p. 165
- Evaluation of Candidate (Post-Campus Interview)
From: Small University/ p. 167
- Typical Interview Questions
Hiring Institution: Emphasis on Teaching/ p. 168
- MLA Interview: Questions for Candidates Hiring Institution:
Teaching-Research, Comparable to UNCG/ p. 170
- MLA Interview Questions
Hiring Institution: College (Opening in Philosophy; Same Pedagogical and Professional Issues Apply)/ p. 171
- The Academic Market and Professional Development
A Brief Bibliography/ p. 172
For more information, contact:
Ms. Alyson Frazier
3137 MHRA
(336) 334-5311