Job-market discussion thread (2022-23 season)

As many readers of the Cocoon may recall, each job season the Cocoon hosts two job-market threads:

1. A job-market discussion thread (the present thread): to commiserate about the market, discuss particular job ads, the market in general, questions about application materials, interviewing, alt-ac opportunities, and so on.
2. A job-market reporting thread: to post news about interviews, on-campus visits, offers, rejection notices, etc.

Although I recognize that it is very early in the year, given that the academic job-market begins to ramp up in August, I thought it might be good to post this season's discussion thread earlier than in the past. After all, readers who will be heading out on the market may already have questions you'd like to discuss (about application materials, the application process, etc.). So, please feel free to bookmark and visit this thread throughout the job season to commiserate with others, or just to see what others are talking about! 

Because someone always asks, "Why two threads?", there are a couple of reasons. First, some people may want to discuss the market but not stress over daily news regarding which jobs they still do or don't have a chance for. Conversely, others may not want to discuss the market but just want news about the jobs they've applied for. Second, these threads can get very long already, so I think the best way for people to get the information they want in a well-ordered format is simply to have two threads.

A few final notes:

• This thread (the post you are reading right now!) will be the home of this year's job-market discussion thread. So, if you want to discuss this year's job-market, just comment below.
• Please reserve job-market news (i.e. interviews, on-campus visits, hires, etc.) for the job-market reporting thread, which I will open sometime in September.
• A 'permalink' to this thread will be on the upper right of blog's right sidebar for the rest of the job season. -->
• Because of Typepad's functionality limitations (which only permits 100 comments before starting a new comment page), readers may elect to bookmark each new page of comments as each new page emerges. I recognize that it can be frustrating to scroll through page after page to get to new comments, and I think this is probably the best solution given Typepad's functionality limitations.

Finally, as always, readers are asked to please bear in mind the Cocoon's safe and supportive mission. I try not to moderate with too heavy of a hand, as I don't like to squelch reasonable discussion and debate. I also realize that the job-market can be an emotional roller-coaster, and that passions can run deep on job-market issues. But the Cocoon has always been intended to be an unique oasis of sorts: as a refuge for early-career philosophers to support each other and discuss issues related to their careers and the profession in productive, supportive way. So, I will moderate carefully to ensure that these threads remain a welcome environment for everyone--and, of course, if anyone has any concerns, please do not hesitate to let me know.

All that being said, discuss away!

Comments

[Too late]

Don't you mean 23-24?

[Just in time]

@Too late. This is 2022. The cycle runs from fall 2022-spring/early summer 2023. Like the academic year. It isn't based on when you start the position but when you struggle through the market.

[MarketMail]

Maybe worth a separate thread, but I'm wondering if anyone has had success using MargyMail for their letters of recommendation? See post here: https://dailynous.com/2017/09/26/free-automated-recommendation-service-now-available/

I know some departments have manual, in-house services like this, but if this software has been working for people it would be good to know and good to reduce efforts spent on sending letters more broadly.

[Anon]

Question about AOS:

There are a growing number of people working at the intersection between M&E and social/political philosophy. E.g., feminist epistemology, metaphysics of race or gender, pragmatics of subordinating speech, implicit bias, etc.

I'm in this category and can never quite get a feel for whether it would be appropriate for me to apply to a job that asks for AOS: social/political. Like many people working in these intersectional categories, my training has primarily been in M&E, though my research applies that training to social/political issues. Is that enough, or are committees generally looking for someone with a more traditional training in value theory, and who could teach a class on, e.g., Rawls?

[Assistant Prof]

Anon: You never know what search committees are looking for, so I would say apply widely! There's very little marginal cost associated with a few extra applications, and the possible benefit is enormous.

[Michel]

Anon: I agree with Assistant Prof: just apply, and let _them_ weed you out.

That said, if you know you're going to be applying for social/political jobs, you should aim, over time, to cultivate the kind of profile that will be attractive for such a job. So, over time, you'll want to put together some syllabi for a few courses which are squarely on-topic (such as that class on Rawls), and so on.

In other words, your AOS fits more or less well, but if you're planning to target those jobs, try to work up an AOC that's clearly relevant. That way, you leave no doubt that you're a fit.