September 2024 PNP Roundup
September 2024 PNP Roundup
Last Month in Review
Greetings, dear readers! September has arrived, and the semester has begun for many of us. I am finally settling into a routine of work and life in my new home. I took my time to adjust to my new life in the Netherlands, but I am finally regaining my creativity and vision for PNP and my coaching business.
Soon, I will be introducing new opportunities for engagement, such as the free office hours I held earlier this month. Stay tuned! I’m really excited for what’s to come.
As always here at the end of the month, I have compiled a list of some of my favorite writing, productivity, and time management resources from the last month. Some of this content is new, some of it is old, but all of it has kernels of wisdom for busy academic writers.
1. These are the Publish Not Perish posts from September, in case you missed any:
2. Are you ready to customize your cover letter and get feedback? 🎯 I’m offering a limited-time review cover letter service for a small number of clients!
Here’s how it works: First,📧 Email me at jenn@jennmcclearen.com to check my availability and discuss your timeline. Next, use the worksheet from this newsletter along with the cover letter template to draft your cover letter.
Once you’ve completed it, send me the worksheet, your draft, your CV, and the job description you used to write the letter. I’ll provide a developmental edit ✏️, i.e., focused on content, structure, and customization, with clear, actionable feedback to help showcase your strengths, your work, and your fit for the role and institution.
💼 Investment: €100,* or €75* if you’re a paid PNP subscriber.
*plus VAT if you’re located in Europe 🌍
3. What are some key things I wish I had known earlier about the academic job market?
The academic job market is highly unpredictable, and even if a position seems like a perfect fit, many factors—such as shifting departmental needs, internal politics, and subjective judgments—may influence the hiring decision.
External factors like budget constraints or institutional priorities can also shape outcomes, and sometimes a dean's preference can override the department's choice. It's important to focus on confidently presenting your qualifications while accepting that the outcome may be beyond your control and unrelated to your potential.
To manage the pressures of a tight labor market, consider exploring alternative career paths both within and outside academia, rather than viewing a tenure-track position as the only or ultimate goal.
Read more of my thoughts on the academic job market here:
4. of the When the Field is Online newsletter is hosting an AcaWriMo-themed series of curated content and discussions celebrating originality to help you invigorate your writing projects! You can read more about it here, but here’s some key points:
Let’s explore the meaning of originality in scholarly writing and the significance for our work. Take a fresh look at a new (or languishing) project with the support of this AcWriMo group on Substack.
I’ll share ideas through posts and podcasts, offer open-access resources, make suggestions and offer prompts. I’ll tailor materials to the interests of the group. You’ll also learn from some special guests including Jenn McClearen, featuring posts from her excellent Publish Not Perish newsletter, and qualitative methodologist Margaret Roller. We’ll communicate through a private community chat throughout the month.
5. Ideas on Fire, an academic editing company that focuses on socially just and accessible scholarship, put together this great set of resources on academic peer review. They aim for these resources to
help you reflect on the peer review system as a whole, imagining ways the process can be more sustainable, equitable, and generous.
Check it out!
If you want to hear some of my thoughts on being a good peer reviewer, I wrote about it here:
