Although there are some examples out there of people’s DH job application letters and tenure & promotion materials, there’s no central repository of professional materials to help guide people through what should be a straightforward process of presenting one’s credentials. Those of us who have served on hiring committees have all read great and terrible job letters, but most letter writers have only seen their own.
There’s even less out there showcasing the other side of the equation, particularly in the promotion process. The ability to study not only the candidates’ tenure materials but also the letters prepared by department committees, chairs, college committees, deans, etc. would appear be of intense interest (and real utility) to people in all kinds of professional positions.
After being hired, promoted, whatever we like to put all this messiness behind us and conceal it under the professional veneer of superior credentials inexorably prevailing, but it’s a complicated process of negotiation that could use some cleansing daylight.
I think it’s safe to assume that anyone who doesn’t participate in this session has crafted his/her professional reputation from a tissue of lies.
That’s interesting. It could almost be part of the same repository that Sarah proposed for publication contracts, or hers could be part of yours. At any rate, I’d like to compare the publication contracts that DHers negotiate with the contracts negotiated by traditional t-t faculty.
As THATCamp.org web administrator I am hereby taking under advisement the proposal to make your categories “exhibitionism” and “shaming” part of the general pervasive infrastructure.
My professional reputation is definitely crafted from a tissue of lies, but I’m happy to share the digital version of my own recent promotion file as well as letters I’ve written for others.
Sean, I also think as part of this conversation we could discuss the thought process behind building and managing a cohesive digital presence for DH’ers. In general I think we don’t consider (or forget) the fact that in a hiring process–for any position and at any organization–the first thing most of us will do is take to Google and see what comes up. Getting hired or promoted requires that we, as candidates, “market” ourselves. Our online presence (or lack thereof) of social profiles, blogs, websites, etc., becomes very important to that process and should be organized to help support our package/portfolio/credentials.