Author: annatrester

Audio and Video
annatrester

Linguist Liz Marasco brings a conversation analytic approach to the consent conversation.

Scholars in conversation analysis have known for a long time that we try to avoid using the word ‘no’. We rely on a number of other linguistic resources to ‘say no’ in order to save face. So why is this word necessary in one very specific, high-stakes situation? Liz Marasco has Master of Arts in Linguistics from CU Boulder where she specialized in conversation analysis. She believes opportunity and vulnerability exist in every interaction. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

 

Job postings

job posting: Director MA in Language and Communication (MLC) at Georgetown

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https://linguistlist.org/issues/29/29-2737.html

University or Organization: Georgetown University
Department: Linguistics
Job Location: District of Columbia, USA
Web Address: https://linguistics.georgetown.edu/
Job Title: Director of MA in Language and Communication

Job Rank: Director; Other

Specialty Areas: Discourse Analysis; Sociolinguistics; Ethnography, Institutional Discourse

Description:

The Department of Linguistics at Georgetown University invites applications for Director of its MA in Language and Communication (MLC), a professionally-oriented program in sociolinguistics that prepares students for careers in a wide range of fields, professional as well as academic. For more information about the MLC, please refer to our website: https://mlc.linguistics.georgetown.edu/

The Director of the MLC is responsible for all key aspects of this program:
– Recruitment;
– Web and social media presence;
– Admissions; orientation; academic and professional advising;
– Development and execution of professional development activities/workshops;
– Monitoring of academic progress through degree (along with the departmental Director of Graduate Studies);
– Alumni outreach and networking;
– Community and professional outreach regarding linguistics in the professions.

In addition to the above-listed administrative and professional activities, the Director teaches two courses each academic year in the department (1-1 teaching load).

The appointment is for a three-year term beginning academic year 2018-21, with the possibility of renewal, and will start August 1, 2018 or as soon as possible thereafter, to be determined by the search committee and successful candidate. Applicants must have completed all requirements for the PhD degree by the time of the appointment.

The ideal candidate is a scholar with a strong background in sociolinguistics, particularly ethnographic or discourse analytic approaches, who is passionate about the relevance of sociolinguistic insights for real-world challenges, including those within business, education, healthcare, legal, media, and governmental contexts. Candidates should have experience in both academia and the world outside it; an innovative, interdisciplinary research agenda; teaching experience and evidence of excellence in that domain; and experience in program administration.

Applications should be sent in a single pdf via email to Heidi E. Hamilton at application email provided below and should be received by midnight EDT (Eastern Daylight Time) Friday, July 13, 2018.

Applications should include a:
– CV;
– A brief statement of research interests, teaching qualifications, and your specific interest in the administration of the MLC program;
– One representative publication; and
– Names and contact information for three references.
– Please write “APPLICATION FOR MLC DIRECTOR POSITION” in the subject line of your message.

Georgetown University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer fully dedicated to achieving a diverse faculty and staff. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability or other categories protected by law.

Application Deadline: 13-Jul-2018
, MD
Email Address for Applications: hamilthegeorgetown.edu
Contact Information:
Professor Heidi E. Hamilton
Email: hamilthegeorgetown.edu

Events, Professional Development

Stay on track professionally over the summer…

annatrester

…with the support and accountability of the CL Mighty Network!

Membership is only $15 a month and you can try it out free for a week at any time! Read more about the Mighty Network (including what others are saying about the benefits of membership) here.

Why not start by trying out a work session on July 5th? Re-focus after the holiday by joining us from 9-11am PDT / 12 – 2pm EDT.  Work sessions are a time to come together to make progress on small tasks. We keep the (zoom) line open and each person quietly works on a project of his/her choosing (following some light facilitation at the top of the session).  RSVP for the July 5th work session here.

person holding macbook flatray photograph
Photo by Christina Morillo on Pexels.com

Read more about the Mighty Network (including what others are saying about the benefits of membership) here.

Job postings

Job: UX writer at LinkedIn

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https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/729464326/

Job description: LinkedIn’s UX content and writing discipline is growing, and you can bring your point of view, talent, and passion to help shape our consumer and enterprise experiences. Our User Experience Design team is looking for a versatile, experienced content designer who loves making products great through simple, clear language and an authentic, human voice.
As a UX Writer, you will influence strategy and tell LinkedIn’s story by collaborating with cross-functional Product teams, creating innovative experiences, and designing language that speaks directly to our members and customers. You’ll play a key role in crafting the user experience, working with Designers, Product Managers, Product Marketers, User Researchers, Engineering, Localization, Brand Marketers, and other stakeholders. You’ll help shape and evolve the UX Writing discipline at LinkedIn, including developing processes, structure, and design systems. You’ll change lives by delivering LinkedIn’s vision, to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce—and our mission, to connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.
To be considered for this position, you must include your portfolio, website or other samples of work.
Responsibilities
Shape the user experience using LinkedIn’s voice and tone Build trust and influence with cross-functional teams Develop content strategy, including taxonomy, nomenclature, standards, and governance Design inclusive content for web and mobile, including microcopy, interaction flows, error messages, notifications, and in-product messaging Conduct content audits and analyze customer data to evaluate content effectiveness Contribute to content guidelines, develop content patterns, and evolve our voice and tone guidelines Clearly document and share process, workflow, feedback history, and decisions Manage multiple projects throughout the creative development process Become a subject matter expert in your aligned product area—the business and the users. Present and rationalize your work at product and design reviews Complete high-quality work in a timely fashion within a fast-paced, dynamic context Work with a global lens to deliver consistent content experiences across the product ecosystem Provide tools, talks, tips and forums to communicate value and elevate the writing of the entire team
Basic Qualifications
Background in UX and experience collaborating with Design and User Research BA in Journalism, English, Communications, or related discipline 5+ years of experience planning, writing, editing, and creating content strategy for web and mobile
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with writing for both consumer and enterprise Experience working on a global product Has expressed a point-of-view through writing or speaking on topics related to UX or content strategy Desire to contribute to LinkedIn’s mission and vision Resilient, motivated, and passionate about UX and Content Strategy Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, and comfortable with ambiguity Strong critical thinking skills Able to effectively communicate the content experience to executives and stakeholders

Resources

Book Review: What Color is Your Parachute 2018

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Parachute 2018Every year, a new edition of What Color is Your Parachute? is published, and every summer, I re-read the book and am inspired an reinvigorated anew.  Additionally, something different jumps out at me every time I make my way through. This year it is  “The Remedy” section, the solutions presented to job-hunters in facing the multifaceted challenges presented by the changing world of work.  For many reasons, I think that it is important to focus on the solutions, and so review them here as a reminder of how the world of work is changing and consequently, how we can be thinking about changing the way we approach our “career orienteering” in turn.

What follows are my “top ten” of the eighteen principles explored in the book.  For the complete list, see Dick Bolles’ website, and the book’s website. Also check out these additional resources, including my previous reviews here on Career Linguist:

My 2017 review of the book, which focused on LinkedIn  

“Bring In”- A Call to Professional Linguists – a response to Roger Shuy’s article “What Color Can Your Parachute Be?”

The 25 Key Ideas from this book a summary written by the author, Dick Bolles

Principle 1: You are the Given

Essentially, start with you and your interests. Find a job that fits YOU, and not the other way around.  Bolles calls this the “creative” as opposed to the “traditional” route.

 

Principle 2: The Importance of a Self-Inventory

According to Bolles’ research, when you begin your search from a self-inventory, you are looking at a success rate of 84%, as opposed to those searches which begin with researching the job market (asking which jobs are in demand, which are “hot”), which result in only a 4-28% success at best.

 

Principle 3: Creative Job-Hunting Rests on Your Finding Answers to Three Questions: What? Where? And How?

As the WaLK series on this blog exploring the work interrogatives would suggest, I am delighted to hear this attention to the importance of questions. Simply put, the three central questions Richard Bolles would have you ask are:

  • What are the transferable skills you most love to use?
  • Where would you most love to use these skills?
  • How do you find the name and title of such jobs, places that offer such work, plus the name of the person-who-has-the-power-to-hire-you-for-the-job-you-want?

Watch this space, as I have much MUCH more to say about the role of questions (a new book’s worth in fact), but these three are a wonderful beginning!!!

 

Principle 4: Search for What you Love, Not Just for What You Can Do

In Bolles’ words: “passion plus competency, not just competency alone, is key to securing employment”

 

Principle 6: You Must Always Prioritize

Or as I like to say it “you must choose one” – although, in today’s world of work,  increasingly people do often choose more than one job at a time – but bottom line: you can’t do everything, at least not all at once (for more on this idea, see last week’s book review of How to Be Everything). Find strategies for ranking your priorities that will help guide your decision-making. In parachute, it is the “Prioritizing Grid” – in my current work, it is the tool of the work interrogatives (more soon – watch this space!).

 

Principle 7: Go After Any Organization That Interests You, Whether or Not They are Known to Have a Vacancy

This one kinda speaks for itself

 

Principle 11: Use Contacts or “Bridge-People” to Get In for an Interview

This is probably the very best way to reach out, and it is predicated on trust. Take time to build trust by being vulnerable yourself, including asking for small things, a practice that honors the ask.

 

Principle 12: Use Three Different Kinds of Interviews in Your Search:  

It’s not only about the job interview!  Make sure to build your interviewing skills, build your knowledge, and build your network of connections and opportunities by also conducting practice interviews and informational interviews.

 

Principle 13: Keep in Mind that in an Interview There are Only Five Questions an Employer is Really Concerned About

This all about the job interview now.   The five questions are:

  • Why are you here?
  • What can you do for us?
  • What kind of person are you?
  • What distinguishes you from say the nineteen other people whom we are interviewing for the job?
  • Can we afford you?

Putting yourself on the other side of the desk means owning the perspective that informs these questions, taking it on as if it were your own, or as I call it:  shifting your deictic center.

 

Principle 17: Remember, Job-Hunting is by Its Very Nature a Long Process of Rejection

I love this one!!!  And it seems like the perfect place to end this post as well.  You can expect that the pattern of your job search will sound something like: “ NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO YES YES” As Bolles puts it: “after each rejection, take comfort in the fact that you are one ‘no’ closer to ‘yes’ (or possibly even two of them).”

 

He ends the chapter thusly:

”Cheer up!  Yes, it is a brand-new job-hunting world out there. But you are not powerless, up against the vast forces you cannot control. You contrio this one thing above all else: how you search. And that, my friend, is the key to finding not only work, but meaningful work. You were put on this earth for a reason. You need to find it. These are the steps”

(or ten of them at least!)

So remember:

  • THEY need you!
  • And the work you do now now is worth it, so take the time

 

What are your own sustaining practices, strategies, and lessons learned from the job hunt?  We would love to hear from you!  Share in the comments, on Twitter @careerlinguist, or on LinkedIn.

Career Paths for linguists, Resources

Book review: How to Be Everything

annatrester

How to be everything image

It’s been a while since we have reviewed a book over here on Career Linguist, but a conversation over on the CL (Mighty) Network today reminded me about how much I appreciated Emilie Wapnick’s book How to Be Everything and I thought I would share some of my thoughts by way of kicking off a summer “work books” series. Stay tuned for more thoughts about books that tackle subjects like finding meaning and purpose in work, and please recommend your favorites! @careerlinguist

Reading this book was one big huge “a-ha” for me, in ways that I think that many folks who have pursued a PhD will recognize. Emilie is known for having coined the term “multipotentialite,” aka “multipod,” aka “multi-passionate” or a variety of other descriptors (scanner, renaissance person, generalist). As I read this book, and worked through her “you may be a mulitpotentialite if…”s, I recognized myself in many of the attributes she describes, including that I love to learn, I am typically looking for a new challenge after about 3-4 years on any project, I can often be found at the intersection of two (or more) ideas, trying to work out how one thing may be applied to / used as a way of understanding the other, and that I seem to gravitate towards / thrive on work that pulls my attention in various directions simultaneously.

An important caveat before we proceed any further: this book is how to BE everything, and not how to DO everything. We all have limited time and energy, and although we may have many interests,  the goal is to have a good life, so we need to think about ways to strategize.

So, to begin with, one very helpful analogy she gives is that of the stovetop. We can only have so many things simmering at once, and likely at least a couple of them are on the back burner (at least for now). That said, her book offers four main approaches to moving through varied interests sequentially or simultaneously (or both): the Group Hug, Slash, Einstein, and Phoenix.

For a more in-depth exploration of these ideas, I refer you to the interview with Emilie Wapnick on the Happen to Your Career blog, which also contains a wealth of career resources, courses, and wonderfully inspiring stories!

So, the four ways to approach being a multipotentialite at work:

The Group Hug Approach is to find a job that is inherently multi – or inter-disciplinary. In the book, Emilie names teaching, urban planning, and architecture as worlds of work that would allow someone to wear many hats and shift between several domains. In my own professional life, I have found that work in consulting, editing, career development, and translation and interpretation also allow for the exploration of many domains, and additionally feature built-in opportunities to learn and do research as part of the job.

Another aspect of this strategy – which as I reflect on it has been a big component of the advice I offer to Career Linguists – is to approach hiring managers (for those who are currently job seeking) or existing managers (for those who are currently employed) with your innovative ideas for application and connection.  Your out-of-the box thinking and ideas for how to expand and grow an existing position may well be something that they are excited to (or at least willing to) let you try out, although of course, as Emilie advises, it is always best to frame in terms of how the organization will benefit – what’s in it for them?

The Slash Approach Is best for folks with interests that widely differ. The idea here is to pursue multiple jobs that are intentionally part-time so as to allow for expression of completely separate passion projects.

One expression of the slash is the “side hustle” , which I will explore more in subsequent book reviews for such titles as Escape from Cubicle Nation: From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur , Breaking Out: How to Build Influence in a World of Competing Ideas , Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World and Leap First: Creating Work That Matters

For now, know that most of these authors encourage would-be “leapers” to try the “side hustle” for a while before up and quitting a main gig if it is not sufficiently “group-hug-gy”.

The Einstein Approach is about finding a full-time job gig that fully supports you financially (named for Albert Einstein, who famously worked in a Patent Office full-time and did his scientific experiments before and after work and on the weekends), but which leaves you with the time and energy to pursue your other passions on the side. Crucial to this strategy is finding something that is mentally simulating rather than mentally exhausting, but at the same time is not so engaging that it is all consuming. Wapnicks’s observation is that one key to success here may be choosing work that draws on completely separate interests and utilizes different parts of the brain for the two so as to allow for the energy to work entirely outside of a day job. My personal take here is that such arrangements were easier to find in Einstein’s day. That said, technology and modern approaches to remote work, and more flexible work schedules – including part-time arrangements) may make up the difference in many ways.

And finally, there’s The Phoenix Approach which I guess would be the best way to describe my own career path, especially if you start the clock back when I was an investment banker in the 90’s. The Phoenix works in a single industry for a period of some duration and then moves to “something completely different” to quote our friends at Monty Python.

Taking a step back, I would argue that many academics were likely attracted to academia in the first place because of their own multipotentiality.  My own deciding to quit my job to go back to grad school in 2001 could well be seen as an expression of my “Phoenix” approach.  And because we also love to learn, we are drawn to institutions of higher learning, but the trouble is that if/when the academic route doesn’t work out, or ceases to be as interesting as it once was for any number of reasons (including a possible “call of the Phoneix”), we get stuck in thinking that the academic context is the only place where we can find such autonomy / flexibility / continual learning.

Bottom line: The world of work is changing, and one of the major ways in which it is changing is that change is now going to be the norm.  Having many interests and being good at a number of things is a strategic advantage.  I am deeply grateful for this way of thinking about career navigation and orienteering, and I welcome your own thoughts and experiences: do you see any of the multipotentialite in you?

For more from Emilie, listen to her TED talk, check out her community – the Putty Tribe and/or buy her book:

https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062566652/how-to-be-everything/

As for us, what should we read and review next?  I am always on the lookout for great books that help me think about ways of building meaning in work and life. This month in the CL (Mighty) Network, we are reading and discussing Daniel Goleman’s book Focus. Join the network to join us for that discussion on June 26th!

 

Events

Get involved the (CL) Mighty Network

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Lots going on in the CL Mighty Network this month!

Attend an info session Tuesday June 12th at 3pm PDT / 6pm EDT. Attend on zoom here:
https://zoom.us/j/5272755568

Events in June: We have 1) regular work sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2) bimonthly check-ins, 3) on June 21st, we have a research workshop presentation focused on “Directives in the Workplace” featuring discussion of application of research along with brainstorming for how to use this as the basis for consulting work, 4) finally on June 26th we will be reading Daniel Goleman’s book Focus. In this bookclub discussion, we will explore the neuroscience of this essential skill so important to our personal, professional, and societal flourishing.

These events are designed for Career Linguists to create some space for reflecting on how we can pull forward linguistic thinking in solving new challenges: maybe it’s taking on new responsibilities or new challenges at work, launching a side business, or exploring deepening a sense of purpose and meaning in our engagement with work.

For students, recent grads, or a career-changers: this community can guide and support you as you identify connections between your academic and professional interests, seek challenges that speak to you, and make progress towards whatever might be your next step professionally.

Screenshot 2018-01-23 17.26.23

join the CL Mighty Network here: https://career-linguist.mn.co/

Want to learn more? Learn more about the Career Linguist Network at the info session Tuesday June 12th at 3pm PDT / 6pm EDT. Attend on zoom here:
https://zoom.us/j/5272755568

What people are saying about the CL Network:

The Career Linguist network has been enormously helpful as I transition from an academic position into consulting. It is inspiring to have a place to connect with people doing interesting and varied work outside academia. The Working Sessions have been particularly helpful and a great way for me to get to know others in our field as we work independently on a specific task for a set period of time. Anna is supportive, encouraging and the perfect facilitator. She has helped me understand the difference between a “task” and a “project” which has helped my work flow tremendously. I will definitely continue to attend when I can!

Kristy Cardellio, Ph.D.
St Petersburg, FL

I find the CL network a group of interesting and engaging career-minded individuals that are invested in not only working on their own area of expertise but also curious to hear about and provide support, if applicable, to their fellow members. The women who participate weekly in the work sessions I have attended act as a team of accountability partners that seem to keep me on track and allow me to mutually provide support for them. Anna Marie Trester, our host, is always engaging, providing a gentle guidance that allows us to focus on the work at hand in a structured group environment, using our stated intention to propel us effortlessly through our chosen assignment for each session. Because we are using the pomodoro method, of 20 minute intervals, it seems to take some of the pressure off, allowing me to concentrate on this chunk of work, rather than stressing over the full project. In the past few weeks of attending the CL work sessions, I have managed to accomplish more of my project than I have alone in a much longer time frame. I thoroughly enjoy this process and am grateful to Dr. Trester for creating such an inviting, congenial, interactive environment for peers to accomplish their goals.

Diane Quinn
New York, NY