academic job market – PhD in Clothes

Help us find tops to wear under a suit!

Finding the right shirt to wear under a blazer or suit can be tricky, and was a source of stress when I was on the academic job market. A reader recently requested I do an updated round up–just in time for conference and interview season! Here are a few women’s tops that are perfectly unfussy under a blazer, and I would love to hear your recommendations!

Academic job market campus visits: What to expect, what I wish I knew

It’s campus visit season–both academic job market campus visits, and grad school campus visits–and I am blissfully doing neither of those things. But I know many people who are, which is stirring up strong memories of the whole process. It’s so interesting to have a full 2 day job interview, isn’t it? Maybe interesting isn’t the right word when you’re in it. Nonetheless, now that I’ve had about a year to reflect on academic job talks, campus visits, and the interview process, here’s what I wish I had known to expect. Plus, some advice that works for grad students visiting potential programs, too!

How I prepped for the academic job market

I am by no means an expert on academic jobs just because I now (miraculously?) have one. But I have been told that I am organized, and, yes, that is because being an anxious person sometimes means having a system for everything. So before I totally bury all memories of the academic job market, I thought I would put together a timeline of some of the things I did to get ready to search for academic jobs…

Every job interview outfit I wore/a life announcement

I’m so excited to finally be able to tell you: I have a job! A professor job! I am so excited. But also a little emotionally exhausted. Before I got the job, I was 95% worry every waking hour (and most of the night…). After, I just have to keep reminding myself that the search is over. But the challenges of trying to graduate are not. I will be starting as an assistant professor in the fall.

I wouldn’t let myself hope for the best–the academic job market is tough (understatement)–so I hadn’t processed any of the exciting parts of having a professor job. And finally getting to talk with you all about the academic job hunting process is one of those things! So, let’s start today with the easy stuff: every outfit I wore to an academic interview.