Job Search in Academe: Strategic Rhetorics for Faculty Job Candidates (Stylus) [Paperback]

Formo Dawn M. (Assistant Professor of Literature and Writing Studies California State University San Marcos USA) (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1579220118 | ISBN-13: 978-1579220112 | Publication Date: December 1, 1999 | Edition: 1

A practical guide to the application process for those seeking an academic post in North America. From identifying sources of information to advising on the preparation of effective CVs and portfolios, through guidance on interviews to negotiating terms, the authors provide insider advice.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"With a great deal of wit, with a whole lot of common sense, and with a sound grasp of the rhetoric of identification, Dawn Formo and Cheryl Reed have produced a 'handbook' which will be invaluable to job seekers." -- Ross Winterowd

About the Author

Dawn M. Formo is Associate Professor, Literature and Writing at CSU, San Marcos

Cheryl Reed is a writer, creativity coach, and founder of CatsforChange.org, an affiliation of creatives who support each other’s work.

Product Details

• Paperback: 230 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (December 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579220118
• ISBN-13: 978-1579220112
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #664,814 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars helpful advice from people who have been there, December 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Job Search in Academe: Strategic Rhetorics for Faculty Job Candidates (Stylus) (Paperback)

I think the other reviews are much too hard on this book - I found it an extremely helpful resource. Certainly it duplicates a certain amount of information found in other academic job search guides (why is this surprising? 90% of any job search books on the market probably share about 90% of the same advice), but what is valuable about this book is the perspective that its authors bring to the topic. Formo and Reed have been on the market recently, and understand the experience very personally. For me, this made the book more useful than what I would consider the closest runner-up, the also excellent _The Academic Job Search Handbook_ by Heiberger and Vick (their advice is great and they are very sympathetic, but their distance from the personal experience of the job search occasionally made me resentful of how easily they talked about this difficult process). What I found particularly helpful about the Formo and Reed book was how they were able to discuss and provide examples of how necessary it is to get a real sense of oneself across in job applications. Using the Heiberger/Vick book, I produced applications that looked just like anyone else's; using the Formo and Reed book, I was able to come up with applications that looked like me. Finally, if, as one reader comments, these books are filled with information that any advanced grad student would know already, I advise her/him to check out any number of graduate programs that do nothing to prepare their graduates for the professional process of job applications, and in which students honestly in fact *don't* know much of what this book explains (it amazed me too, but I've been at conferences with such people...).

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Useful Coaching, January 3, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Job Search in Academe: Strategic Rhetorics for Faculty Job Candidates (Stylus) (Paperback)

Maybe this book is not for everyone, but I truly found large portions of it helpful when I was on the market last year. Women and men-of-color may find it more useful than white men. I especially recommend the chapters on the interview itself. I took this book along in my suitcase, would re-read the interview chapters, and then leave the hotel room, ready to communicate my main message. Only for the socially challenged? Gee I don't think so. One of the important messages of this book is presenting one's authentic self in a stylized way which makes interviewers perceive you as real but fits within the structure of a formal interview. The discussion of the type of school you would prefer and how to fit was useful as well. I requested that our local public library buy this, they bought 2 copies which are usually checked out.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Different, but nice, June 19, 2007

By 

MagdaE (California, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Job Search in Academe: Strategic Rhetorics for Faculty Job Candidates (Stylus) (Paperback)

I bought this book at the late stages of my job hunting process, i.e. after my first, phone interview, and right before the on-campus one. This book is not the traditional "how to get a job" book. It is written in a completely different style and this will make it difficult for some to follow (especially if what someone is looking for is a numbered list of things to do, say, question and answer). I myself found the relaxed, friendly tone of this book more entertaining. It covers all the phases of the job hunting process, starting from the application process (although I didn't read this part) to the first steps as a junior faculty member (which I plan to read). I focused on the middle, but most important phases, that of being interviewed in different situations (on conference, over the phone, on campus, etc.) What I really liked about this book is that it covered all different kinds of academic jobs, focusing on the differences between the interviewing process in community colleges, state universities and phd-awarding institutions. I also liked the fact that the authors used their own experiences and guided the readers through them. What I didn't find as useful was that the book is written by people who've been through this process searching for jobs in the humanities/literature/philosophy areas which seems to be a lot different that computer science/engineering positions, which was my case. The same holds for the resources on finding job announcements placed in the end of the book. The aforementioned fields are not there. Of course, one can always use the web!

I would recommend buying this book, perhaps along with another, more generic, less detailed book, such as the "Academic Job Search Handbook" by Heideberger and Vick.