LING689A   (1 credit)
Professional Methods
Fall 2012

Week by week topics and tasks (Subject to change. Check this site frequently.)
→Standardly bring a computer or tablet to class and post any written assignments to the appropriate sub-folder of the 689A folder in the pdf locker, so we can all look at them and help each other.
Aug. 30    Course overview
Sept. 6     CVs    Post a draft of yours. Here are some suggestions  and here is a very useful link.
Sept. 13   More on CVs.
Sept. 20   Web sites
Sept. 27   More web sites.  "The Dean's question": You've made the short list and are brought in for job talk and department interview. Then you are taken to the Dean (not a linguist), who asks "So tell me what you work on". Post a written version of your answer (one page absolute max).
Oct. 4      More on answers to Dean's question.
            Initial discussion of job application letters
                A useful site for this, and other things we are discussing:
                http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/careerprep/jobsearch/application.html
Oct. 11   Still more on answers to Dean's question.
               Initial discussion of departmental interviews.
Oct. 18   More on departmental interviews.
               ?Job application letters
Oct. 25   SPECIAL EVENT: Associate Dean Charles Rutherford will be in class to conduct mock Dean's interview. Alexis will be the candidate. Charles will also be happy to answer questions about processes and procedures.
Nov. 1-8    Departmental interviews. You will take turns being the applicant. The rest of us will be the departmental search committee. 15-20 minutes for each interview.
Begin to work on job application cover letter. Find an ad for a job that seems suitable (even if you aren't at that career stage yet). Within 2 weeks prepare a draft of your letter and upload it to the sub-folder. You will find some good suggestions on the Oct. 4 link. And here is a very brief summary by me.
Nov. 15  Job application letters. Be sure to upload yours before class.
Nov. 29   More job application letters. Be sure to upload yours before class.(If there's time, a little discussion of job talks. Here's a handout of mine on conference and job talk presentations (slightly revised, and typos corrected) and here's a link with good suggestions on job talks. And here are a few more suggestions on cover letters. (Unfortunately, the links to sample letters in this pdf don't work, but the advice offered is good.)
Dec. 6  Applying for grants and post-docs. (Guest presentation by Colin.)

Handout on journal submissions; Conference abstract hints.