About three years back, I had posted some tips for job applicants on my old blog, which I am reposting here for convenience. After having been on search committees yet again, I am compelled to write up some additional thoughts. The tips in the earlier post are still valid. This time, I may be a bit more pointed and direct about just a few items. interview etiquette - thank you notes I know that no one really gets consistent instructions about interview etiquette anymore. ... Read more …

I am still torn up by the Sackler verdict, which absolves the Sackler family of guilt for deceptively promoting addictive and ultimately deadly drugs in order to boost their all-American profits. The result was over 500,000 all-American corpses due to overdose, and the judicial system’s recent verdict has only awarded approximately enough money to cover the funeral expenses of these corpses. The Sacklers get to pay these expenses over a decade while keeping their fortunes intact and being shielded from further prosecution. ... Read more …

So, a couple of years ago, I wrote here to introduce the possibility of my blogging at this site. At that time, I said that I would be continuing to also post work-related announcements at ryandata.wordpress.com. Well, time has passed, and I am trying to simplify many things in my life. The need for a blog site announcing things has been superseded by the growing capabilities of our workshop calendar and the increasing accumulation of material on the graduate specialist libguide, in addition to supplemental resources like the graduate specialist github. ... Read more …

Having been involved in several hiring committees over recent years, it is sometimes a bit frustrating to not be able to give advice to applicants. We cannot do that in individual cases as a matter of HR policy. The decision-making process is confidential. But I hope that by offering some general observations I have made after reviewing many applications, that this might be of help to future seekers. We are, after all, trying to find the person who will provide the best job performance, not perform the best in the application process. ... Read more …