A reader writes in:

[I] have all kinds of questions about the job market. One of them is related to a conversation that was trending online about a week or so ago concerning “brands”; namely, whether job candidates need to have a defined one these days. Is there already a Cocoon thread on this topic?

I don’t believe we’ve ever discussed this issue before, and I’m curious to hear from readers. Should job-marketeers try to “brand” themselves? If so, what does that involve? As someone who has served on a number of hiring committees at a mid-sized liberal arts university that values research, my sense is that at many jobs, hiring committees probably care most about whether you have a clear area of specialization, do interesting work, and can teach in areas the department needs. However, I do wonder whether “branding” might be more important for R1 jobs somehow, where they might be looking to hire a “trailblazer”, so to speak. Do any readers have any tips or insights on this?

Originally appeared on The Philosophers’ Cocoon Read More