Placement Services

The written resources of our extensive placement services  include a lengthy booklet, updated every few years; it includes samples of job letters and other application materials, advice about different types of institutions, a detailed section on interviews at the Modern Language Association and so on. We also maintain a collection of books and articles on the job market, as well as a data base recording our students' jobs . Human resources are also extensive: several colleagues work with the co-directors by reviewing job materials and offering advice at meetings to ensure that you can benefit from the perspectives of a number of different people.

A chronological overview. In the spring we have a meeting about preparing for the market; this is directed mainly to people going on the market the next year, though it also includes a segment about preparing ahead for going on a few years down the pike. We offer an overview of setting up materials for applications and distribute the booklet. In the autumn each student on the market is assigned to an adviser, who is one of the co-directors or a member of our team of advisers.  That person  reads the job materials of  the applicant (letters, vitae etc.) and then meets with her or him to edit those materials; we typically  work with students on successive drafts as well. Before the Modern Language Association convention,  the department has a general meeting with a public practice interview for everyone on the market; the meeting also includes extensive discussion of such issues as planning campus visits  and answering challenging interview questions.  After the meeting, each student also has a practice interview with a couple of faculty members. Jobs are increasingly opening throughout the year, and the placement team stays in touch with and when relevant advises students during the spring A data base of placement statistics is prepared in the course of the spring. All this work by the placement service dovetails with other departmental activities designed to "professionalize"; for example, we have brown bag discussions of issues about the profession, and some faculty members include in their courses subjects like preparing a strong abstract and delivering a paper effectively.

Heather Dubrow
Placement Co-director

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