BCNM Grad Chat: Preparing for an Uncertain Academic Job Market, Part 1 - Crafting Competitive CVs and Cover Letters
A Workshop for BCNM Graduate Students enrolled in the New Media DE and Graduate Certificate
with Rachel Hynson, Ph.D.
Online by Zoom
Register for the Zoom itself
Registration form for the workshop and to express interest in one-on-one coaching
In a saturated market, you want your academic job documents to stand out—while still adhering to precise genre conventions. In this workshop, Rachel Hynson, Ph.D., will offer a transparent overview of the state of the humanities and social sciences job market and introduce the CV and cover letter formats popularized by Karen Kelsky. Using models derived from her decade-plus experience editing materials for job market candidates, Rachel will demonstrate how to succinctly situate your research in broader scholarly conversations, craft a memorable teaching paragraph, and purposefully tailor letters for each position. You should leave the workshop confident in your ability to draft a competitive CV and cover letter—and with a to-do list of tasks to make your job materials more robust.
In addition to this workshop, Rachel will be hosting five slots for one-on-one coaching with individual new media graduate students. Express your interest to be coached in the registration form, and priority will be given to those entering the job market this and next year.
This is part 1 of a professional development series in 2026-27 for BCNM students on the academic and non-academic job markets. Upcoming grad chats will include workshops on publishing, preparing other academic job market materials, and engaging the non-academic job market.
About Rachel Hynson
Rachel Hynson, Ph.D., is a developmental editor and publication coach at et al. Scholars, where she works with qualitative scholars to navigate academia’s unspoken expectations and publish their research. She has 12+ years’ experience in academic editing and founded et al. Scholars in 2023 to support people who have struggled to find belonging in academia.
Rachel received their Ph.D. in Latin American and Caribbean History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2014) and was a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at Dartmouth College. For six years, they were Director of the Creative Connections Consortium, a Mellon-funded initiative at Middlebury College to support the hiring of humanistic faculty from underrepresented groups at liberal arts colleges. Rachel’s book, based on their dissertation, was published with Cambridge University Press (2019).
Rachel edits in the humanities—from book manuscripts to those sensitive departmental emails that require client-editor confidentiality—and coaches clients through corralling intransigent manuscripts and navigating the norms of academic publishing. Her workshops and presentations demystify the norms of academic writing. Rachel lives in central North Carolina with her partner and cat.
Accessibility
This event will be held online, via Zoom. We strive to meet all access and accommodation needs. Please contact (raphaelcohen [at] berkeley.edu) with requests or questions.
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