"But that won't work for me"

I can't tell you how often I hear those words, or something very similar.

"That might work for others, but it won't work for me."

Or:

"I tried it, but it did not feel right. Its just not me."

New behaviors rarely feel right; they are new. Breaking old patterns and habits is hard; it demands hard work, openness to feedback, and the willingness to take risks. If you find yourself saying these or similar things (to yourself or others), take a moment to consider how helpful these beliefs are to your career.

Practice campus interviews

Are you on the academic job market? If so, do you have someone with whom you can practice various campus interview scenarios? If not, time to find someone who can help you think through how you come across in various situations.

Too often, people practice their job talk, but neglect to prepare for the other situations they will encounter. Remember, every encounter you have is an interview, from the emails you write, the way you submit your materials, even your most casual contacts are all part of the "data" that search committees use in their decisions. You need to know how you come across in such situations.

Find someone today and get feedback on how you are coming across. I could mean the different between an offer or not.

I'm back!

Well, its been a while; I have taken some time off  form writing in my blog (no, in all honestly, not planned). In truth, I think I was getting stale with it, and moved on to other writing projects. Also, I have been very busy with coaching clients; while things have slowed up to some degree, this ebbs and flows.

What my work with doctoral students and faculty shows me is that universities often do not provide enough support to their doctoral students and junior faculty in writing and publishing. Thus,  why I have worked on my blog in the past, and thus why I am going to try to get back to it.

I am going to expand it more into the realm of the academic life, including job hunting, surviving universities, and managing careers. Its nice to be back.