Dear Reader,
I’ve got three quick things for you: Heated Rivalry, JenBot, and a program update.
Scroll down for more info on what’s relevant to you, or you can stop reading right now 😀
—
First: Heated Rivalry (the TV show).
Last week, I posted on LinkedIn asking for PhD-ish takes on Heated Rivalry. What folks picked up on, wondered about, or otherwise found interesting given their academic backgrounds, professional expertise, or lived experience.
I loved the responses… and I want more!
Folks replied about language, immigration, identity, power, Canadian culture, queerness in sport, narrative structure.
Ahhhhh. (I have no history PhD hot takes but I do have a Big Problem with what too many reviewers are saying about the draw of the show, given the realities of my own life.)
And so, just for fun, I’m co-hosting a live Zoom discussion about Heated Rivalry with Kristi Lodge, PhD, from Incipit Careers.
If you’re a fan of the show (or become one over the next couple weeks!) and enjoy thoughtful conversation with PhD-ish folks, please join us.
👉 Register to attend (free, live only) on Thursday, 12 Feb, starting at 7pm EST / 4pm PST.
—
Second: JenBot.
I’ve been working (on and off) for the past few months on a chatbot.
It’s a guided reflection tool for PhDs who feel unsure about what to do next to actually make progress toward getting their next right job.
Very short version:
- It’s not a quiz, a job board, or a personality test.
- It is a structured conversation to help you make sense of what’s going on, what matters most to you, and what to try next.
- At the end, you’ll get one or two concrete next steps that (hopefully) will feel right for where you’re at and what you want to achieve.
- That’s what I want to happen, anyways.
I’m now at the point where I need feedback from the sorts of people I wrote this for. What’s useful, what’s confusing, where it flows well, and where it doesn’t.
(I’m still figuring out whether I can get this to be what I want it to be. The only way to know is to let thoughtful PhDs actually use it and tell me what they think. If it’s a bust, so be it; let’s find out.)
If you’re potentially interested in testing JenBot (for lack of a better name), reply to this email and I’ll send you the details.
Note: It’s a custom GPT so you’d need a ChatGPT account (free or paid) to use it.
—
Finally, a quick note for program members.
If you’re in the PhD Career Clarity Program, our next monthly live workshop is happening this Friday at 12pm ET.
“Recruiter Reach-Outs, Screener Calls, and Early Interviews: Preparing for Productive Hiring Conversations.”
This is inspired by a recent live small group discussion—some of you were there!
We’ll talk about what these early conversations are actually for, how to prepare without over-performing, and how to interpret what’s happening on the other side of the call.
Details are in the usual place (Community Events section, where you’ll also find details about Monday co-working, our small group discussions, and scheduled workshops in February and March).
If you’re not in the program but are curious about it more generally, you can read about it here: PhD Career Clarity Program.
Or, watch this overview of my approach and intro to the program.
—
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think, about any of the above.
Cheers,
Jen
P.S. Want to explore working with me? Visit my Services page to learn about options, or reply to this email and let me know what you want my help with!
Jennifer Polk, PhD
Free Webinar Job search advice for professors, postdocs, and other PhDs ready to leave academia
