
Karen Kelsky
Columnist
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Karen Kelsky, an academic-career adviser, is founder and president of The Professor Is In, which offers advice and consulting services on the academic job search. She is a former tenured professor at two universities. Browse an archive of her previous Chronicle column here.
Stories by this Author
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Advice
The Professor Is In: How to Negotiate in a Pandemic
What to expect if you’re fortunate enough to get a faculty job offer this spring. -
Advice
The Professor Is In: Fear, Anxiety, and the Faculty Career
How should candidates prepare for a faculty-job market that looks to be even more contracted than usual? -
Advice
The Professor Is In: Stranded on the Academic Job Market This Year?
A look at what the Covid-19 crisis might mean for untenured faculty members on and off the tenure track, and for new and returning doctoral students. -
Advice
The Professor Is In: What if Your Teaching Experience Is Not ‘on Brand’ for the Hiring College?
A common question from job candidates is how to cope with a major disconnect between the place where they earned a Ph.D. and the campuses that are hiring. -
Advice
The Professor Is In: ‘Should I Mention I’m From the Area?’
In applying to small liberal-arts colleges, your local ties may be worth bringing up in your application. -
Advice
The Professor Is In: It’s Hard to Be Ill in Academe
With the cold and flu season comes the pressure on faculty members, especially the many untenured ones, to teach through an illness because canceling class would “look bad.” -
Advice
The Professor Is In: A Few Good Reasons to Switch Graduate Programs
You may lose a year or two in moving to a new doctoral program, but sometimes that is the best call. -
Advice
The Professor Is In: Publishing Isn’t Just About Volume; It’s Also About Strategy
Few benchmarks for tenure are more important than getting that first book contract if you are in a book field at a research-focused institution. -
Advice
The Professor Is In: Is a Renewable Faculty Job Ever Better Than One on the Tenure Track?
Sometimes the financial health of your institution can matter more than whether your position allows you to seek tenure. -
Advice
The Professor Is In: ‘What Is Your Five-Year Plan?’
What to say (and not say) when asked about your professional plans during a job interview at a teaching-focused college.