virtual academic job market writing retreats
summer 2023
Summer 2023 Retreat Dates
Summer 2023’s retreats will take place in two parts. Part 1: All registered participants will attend a two-day job market summit on Saturday, June 3rd and Sunday, June 4th to learn about the overall structure and timeline of the academic job market in addition to the art and science of writing the five standard job market application documents—the cover letter, CV, and research, teaching, and diversity statements. Part 2: After attending the two-day summit in June, retreat participants will return to their everyday lives and incorporate what they’ve learned to draft their job market materials and return for one of the following three-day intensives during the month of July to workshop and receive constructive feedback on their draft materials:
Option 1 - July 12th thru 14th (Wednesday-Friday)
Option 2 - July 17th thru 19th (Monday-Wednesday)
Option 3 - July 24th thru 26th (Monday-Wednesday)
On our registration form, you will rank your availability and preference for each retreat option. Each retreat will host 6-12 attendees each. Based on interest and demand, we will confirm your retreat date selection and participation via email after receiving your completed registration form. Please be mindful of your individual needs and schedules when ranking the retreat date options. Click “Register Now” below to access our registration form. Please direct any questions you may have about the registration process to write@writingsynergy.com.
What is it like to work with Writing Academic Synergy?
Press “Play” on the video to hear some of our writers describe their experiences working with us to prepare for the academic job market.
Retreat Cost of Attendance
The cost of attendance offers a market-friendly rate for 5 days total of intensive job market training, consultation, and community-building. We strongly encourage attendees to use institutional forms of funding to cover the cost of attendance. For example, in some cases, travel and other research funds can be used to support professional development opportunities like a virtual job market retreat. We encourage you to inquire with your local student affairs officer, graduate division, professional organizations, and faculty mentors as to whether funds can be used accordingly. Please contact us at write@writingsynergy.com if you would like support in initiating this conversation with your institutional gatekeepers. You will receive a receipt and certificate of retreat completion for your personal records and reimbursement purposes.
If you are interested in our retreats but the cost of attendance would pose a severe hardship on your finances, contact us at write@writingsynergy.com to discuss the possibility of alternative forms of payment (e.g., need-based rate and/or sliding scale) for your participation in a job market retreat. We do have capacity to support those experiencing financial hardship. Please be mindful and honest in reaching out for financial assistance. Our primary purpose is to serve the community and assist academic writers on the job market. However, we do ask for your consideration in determining a fair form of compensation for the time, energy, and care we put into designing our retreats as a communal and affirming space for attendees.
What can writers expect from Writing Academic Synergy’s academic job market retreats?
Press “Play” on the video to hear from our Founder and Director, Dr. Michael W. Moses II, to learn what writers can expect from our summer academic job market retreats.
At Writing Academic Synergy, we are an academic writing collective disrupting the old by building the new. We reclaim our relationship with writing, unpack academia’s hidden curriculum, and write new worlds and possibilities.
Process-oriented | Community-driven | Mindfulness-centered | Growth-minded
don’t endure the Academic job market alone
Ever wonder about what it means to be on the job market and how to best position yourself as the right person for the job?
Have you struggled with balancing your personal and academic voice in your writing?
Does the thought of being on the job market evoke fear and intimidation?
Writing Academic Synergy provides virtual job market writing retreats that enable you to embrace the process, confidently thrive, and learn the unwritten rules of academia amongst a supportive community of writers committed to new worlds and possibilities.
Our Team
Founder & Director
Dr. Michael W. Moses II
Associate Director
Dr. Christina Zavala
We designed our job market retreats with the interests and needs of advanced doctoral students, postdoctoral scholars, and non-tenure-track appointees from historically underrepresented communities in mind.
fostering community and Process-oriented writing support
Register.
Complete an intake form to begin the registration process for a summer retreat.
Prepare.
Develop your draft application materials, come as you are, and ask all the questions you have about the job market.
Attend.
Participate in a virtual writing retreat for comprehensive overviews of the job market process, receive substantive feedback on your materials, and develop an actionable plan to move forward in your process.
Thrive.
Boost your confidence to balance the demands of your search process in healthy and mindful ways and successfully transition into your next academic position.
Preparing for the job market with Writing Academic Synergy is wholistic and affirming.
Retreat attendees will benefit in the following ways:
Learn about the academic job market process from beginning (e.g., searching for positions) to end (e.g., negotiating offers)
Receive substantive feedback on your draft application materials (i.e., CV, cover letter, and research, teaching, and diversity statements)
Workshop and receive access to application materials
Attend office hours for additional consultation from the lead facilitator
Engage in mindfulness practices to manage market-related stress
Prevent procrastination by dedicating time early in the market cycle to refine your materials
Join a community of scholars committed to creating socially just worlds
Build confidence to make the best decision for you and thrive in your next professional endeavor
Searching for academic jobs does not have to be an intimidating process. As academic writers, many of us enter the last year of our graduate programs with minimal preparation for the academic job market. We often feel anxious, wondering: What are search committees looking for in applicants’ CVs and cover letters? What exactly does a research statement look like? Should I negotiate if I receive an offer? Many job-market resources, ranging from blogs to academic consulting companies, frame the market process as something to be feared. They often suggest that graduate students and postdoctoral job seekers are doing it all “wrong,” prescribing a one-size fits all approach that rarely accounts for the unique paths, intellectual agendas, and personal backgrounds many underrepresented scholars bring to their job searches. These approaches to the job market do little to combat the ill-effects of a hyper-competitive academy and miss an opportunity to center asset-based and mindfulness approaches that can empower applicants to find the right position for their personal and professional needs.
At Writing Academic Synergy, we offer virtual academic job market retreats to aid your job search. We provide support by encouraging job seekers to bring their full selves as strengths to leverage in their search process. By equipping you with the “rules of the game,” our retreats will not only enhance your knowledge of the academic enterprise but also develop your confidence and abilities to thrive and prioritize your individual needs. Because the market process recreates the status quo of isolation and hyper-competition, our retreats center on principles of community and synergy to allow for an interactive and interdisciplinary learning environment to build with one another and create new possibilities for our academic futures. Our coaching aims to empower you to own the job market process rather than have the process own you. The search for your next academic position should be an enjoyable one of intellectual self-discovery and walking in your individual truth. Our virtual retreats are designed to serve you and your needs by providing intensive training and consultation.
We’d love to work with you this summer at one of our virtual academic job market retreats.
ready to Write at a writing academic synergy JOB MARKET retreat?
the shoulders upon which
we stand
Click “Inspiration” below to learn more about the many writers, particularly women of color, whose work has made our work at Writing Academic Synergy possible. Our “Inspiration” page offers an abbreviated list of quotes, resources, and books that have shaped Writing Academic Synergy. We hope they help our community of writers reclaim their relationship with writing, unpack academia’s hidden curriculum, and write new worlds and possibilities for us all.
