Hiring an academic job consultant

[GradSchoolTruther]

Since my first post wasn't well-received, here's a better piece of advice than hiring a consultant. Ask members who have been on search committees in your department for copies of cover letters for those who have been hired. They also may be able to reach out into their networks. As the job candidate, though, it is up to you to hunt down this information as advisors usually have other things on their plates to worry about.

[Eigen]

That assumes that (a) your department has hired recently, and (b) you're applying to a very similar department. 

Reading letters written to an R1 might help with applying to an R1, but won't do much good for any other school. 

Similarly, the main help of a consultant is editing. Reading other letters doesn't help much with editing your own. 

I would also disagree that it isn't your advisors place to help- I think that's part of the implicit advisor-advisee relationship. 

[rising_star]

5 hours ago, Eigen said:

Reading letters written to an R1 might help with applying to an R1, but won't do much good for any other school. 

Very true. I don't work at a R1 but I can also definitely tell a cover letter that is targeted toward one. And those get dinged on review since it shows they didn't care at all about what type of school we are and what we value. That said, I also overlook small typos since everyone makes those.

[Guest]

On 1/21/2016 at 8:54 AM, GradSchoolTruther said:

Since my first post wasn't well-received, here's a better piece of advice than hiring a consultant. Ask members who have been on search committees in your department for copies of cover letters for those who have been hired. They also may be able to reach out into their networks. As the job candidate, though, it is up to you to hunt down this information as advisors usually have other things on their plates to worry about.

This same advice was already given upthread, weeks ago. Refer to the previous page for more details. 

[displayname]

I'm late to this thread, so apologies if this isn't helpful anymore. My department's grad students recently agitated to get more professors involved with professional development and, specifically, job search documents.  The effort was successful, and my colleagues told me that their documents were eviscerated (to their delight -- it was very useful).  The reason that grads did this was because it became apparent that there was very lopsided advising on this level  -- some dedicated profs were very committed, others completely disengaged.  So, the grad chair created an event for people on the market where 3-4 students were paired wiht one prof to go over their cover letter. It was sent in advance, and then all 4-5 people, prof included, met for the review. Interestingly, the profs were not from the fields of the students. The students were grouped (say, all the medievalists) with one prof far afield - (a contemporary East Asianist).  Like I said, my friends said they were absolutely torn apart, but in a good way. Given that grads have no money, I think its worth asking your home department for this type of service if your prof isn't doing enough, or even if he is but you want other opinions.  But I do agree with Eigen that this is definitely your adviser's job. I also think that this is best if you're applying for an institution similar to the one you're attending.

In other cases: you could also just go to a professor that has a good reputation among students for a second opinion.  In my department, these reputations are hard-earned: the professors are kind, committed, and place students more often than other professors because they put mentoring first.  As a tweak to above advice: Perhaps you could go through your department's placement list, and see where was the most recent placement in a similar institution (and then, field) -- like the most recent grad to get a position in a SLAC. Contact that alum or their adviser and ask for assistance or a sample letter.  They might turn you down, but they might be happy to share their success story.  This might be more helpful than asking your R1 search chair to advise on how to place you in a very different institution -  @Eigen is right that it's likely to not be much help.

[farflung]

Thanks to all who have posted in this thread, I have found it enlightening. I began reading Kelsky's TPII blog and column at a low point in my graduate career, when I was coming up short on literally every grant & publication attempt, mired in coursework that I didn't enjoy and proceeding toward a dissertation project I thought was good but-- to be frank -- that no one else seemed to agree was good. I am (like many PhD students) a super high-achiever and utterly ruthless toward myself, so to receive so much negative external feedback (on top of my own overly high expectations), sent me into a spiral of sorts. Am I cut out to do this academia thing? Is there a place for me if I really like teaching but am not really keen on research? What do I really want in my professional life -- is it a "waste" of my academic talent to drop out, or get the PhD but use my skills in for-profit industry (note: I come from anthropology, a discipline that quietly but severely judges those who leave the academic ranks to make money). What do I really want in my personal life, for my family, for my well-being?

I find something soothing in Kelsky's harsh tone, as though if I just whip myself or my academic work into shape according to a few recipes, that I could correct course and become the star academic I have the capacity to be. Onward toward my place in neoliberal academia!! Part of me still feels and thinks this way. These days, however, I am moving toward accepting that I really don't want an academic career, or at least one that requires the sacrifices Kelsky outlines in excruciating detail, sacrifices I've seen my professors and their families make. Every time I read Kelsky's blog, I am confronted with what I like least about academia -- the obsession with productivity, the micro-managing what one says, does, or wears (for years on end), the constant 'strategizing' to move up the ladder, the disregard for teaching and mentoring and service. What I appreciate about Kelsky is that she acknowledges that not everyone wants or should want this life. 

But sometimes I worry her advice is overly pessimistic or negative, that in fact I could lead a well-balanced academic life, it wouldn't all have to be regret and strategizing and work and doubt. I guess the point of this post is just to say: I've found Kelsky's writings to be difficult to deal with. I'm stumbling through grad school worrying about my future a lot, which her advice both helps and makes worse. Thanks all for insight into how TPII services actually work (or don't work).