Grads are welcome at job candidates events!

I encourage as many of you as possible to attend as many of the job candidate events as you can over the next few weeks.  Receptions and presentations are open to grad students, and it is an extremely useful experience for grads.  Even if you are not taking any Technical Writing classes, you will find that watching the process from the safe distance of student is informative.  You can see for yourself what job candidates undergo during the process, and you’ll be able to judge what works and what doesn’t for those who apply.  For instance, talk to the candidate at a reception and consider whether this person is someone you would be willing to take a class from, and whether she would make a good department colleague. All this can be invaluable information for when you go on to your own job searches in the future, especially if you plan to go off into academe. Also you’ll realize that the best candidates are actually those who are able to reach across sub-disciplines and make clear their research to other audiences who may not have all the lingo, so to speak.  Additionally, you may wish to review the candidate’s CV in the office, where their files will be available to department employees. In this case, you can see how they present themselves in print and then compare it to your in person impressions. However, one word of caution, some of our candidates already have academic jobs, which means their application materials are considered confidential. Many candidates applying to jobs do not tell heir home institution they are seeking other employment, so please don’t broadcast what you find to sources outside the department. Treat any information you find in the file or online with genuine sensitivity. Finally, also know that the department values the insights of graduate students on the individual job candidates. Dr. Thomas will make a call for comments after each applicant is here, and I urge you to offer your opinions.

We will post the schedule for each candidate.  The schedule for the first candidate is:

Tatiana Batova, a candidate for our Technical and Professional Writing position, will be flying in for her on-campus visit and interview. The English Department would like to invite you to several events that will be held on Monday, January 14th:

9:30 a.m. - 10:20 a.m.: Coffee and bagels in the May Swenson Room
2:30 p.m. - 3:20 p.m.: Tatiana's presentation in the Family Life Building, Room 307
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.: Reception at Elements Restaurant in the Maple Room (Receptions are for faculty, lecturers and grads only—not for spouses or partners)