This article provides a narrative response to a precariousness labour situation. The question it attempts to answer is: how does one cope with the precariousness and injustices of contemporary employment without becoming pessimistic or hopeless? The piece, based on the author's personal experience, argues that we can tell and write our career…

In this article, the author shares lessons learned from her experiences as a nursing faculty member and a nursing leader. The most important thing the author has learned about leadership development is that it is a continuous process. The author recognizes that her family, peers, education, job changes, supervisors, and mentors have all influenced…

This article presents an interview and gives an account on the achievements of Ben Soria, Superintendent of the Yakima School. Soria relates that the greatest influence on his professional career is his father, who only had a 4th-grade education and taught him that he could be whatever he worked hard to be. Soria's metaphor of choice as the…

Third in a series of professional memoirs by leaders in higher education, Earl J. McGrath, Director of Liberal Studies at the University of Arizona, recounts personal influences on his professional development. Of special importance were his experiences as Commissioner of Education, as a researcher and writer, and in the founding of Eisenhower…

A new principal looks back on the experiences of her first year as an administrator. She stresses the importance of seeing situations from other people's points of view, taking blame for one's own decisions, and using humor, when appropriate. (WD)

Outlines the benefits of being both a teacher and practitioner of technical writing. Provides two detailed examples of teacher/practitioners who have used their dual training to advantage in both areas. (SRT)

Presents an excerpt from an interview with editorial cartoonist Pat Oliphant that was conducted upon acquiring Oliphant's materials for the Library of Congress. Highlights include early influences and childhood; role models; political interests; employment experiences; the current state of journalism; and the importance of this collection. Several…

The question of whether the study of English is good preparation for business distracts attention from the more critical question of whether business is a good place to continue to study English. Three projects undertaken by a Ph.D. in Old and Middle English working for a freight railroad suggest that there are possibilities. As part of his job,…

Competencies derived from experience; skills; knowledge; values; or other distinguishing qualities and motivations can contribute to a person's job performance. Counselors can use competency-based behavioral interviewing to allow a candidate to demonstrate certain skills they have used in the workplace. By using such past experiences, an employer…

This essay explores the need for higher education institutions to broaden their conceptions of the talent and experience required of those who assume managerial responsibilities. Colleges and universities are clinging to a parochial set of notions about the job descriptions and skills needed by those who would manage the enterprise of higher…

Describes the protocol surrounding the job search process at the Modern Language Association (MLA) as a means of maximizing the chances that a candidate will find it comfortable, civil and fair. (TB)

Gives advice (based on first-hand experience in the aerospace industry) on content, format, writing style, and enhancement techniques that can make successful resumes. Gives examples and how-to tips for producing traditional and out-of-the-ordinary resumes. (SR)

Examines how information processing theory provided a way to retrieve and structure an individual's 25 years of practical public school administration experience. Describes the resulting framework of "knowledge boxes" including: declarative knowledge, procedural knowledge, conditional knowledge, and enabling knowledge. Organization of…

Examines the relevancy of alternate graduate degrees in library support staff positions from the experiences of a library acquisitions manager. Discusses job duties; degree requirements; library appeal as a workplace; problems with overqualification; individualization of the job; and changes that could make support staff positions more…

Four aspects of the process of an individual's socialization into a new organization are examined: characteristics, stages, content, and practice. Socialization is defined as the process by which an individual comes to appreciate the values, abilities, expected behaviors, and social knowledge essential for assuming an organizational role and for…