Perhaps it would be useful to reiterate what may
already be obvious. It is true that job prospects are
miserable. It is also true that professors need to be honest
with graduate students about this fact. Advice should not end
here, however. In a situation such as this, professors should
feel a moral and professional responsibility to provide their
graduates with an extraordinary amount of assistance in beefing
up their CVs. Graduates have a tendency (as I know from my own
experience) to become immersed in their research to the extent
that they miss opportunities for fellowships, conferences, and
publication. A good advisor is always keeping his eye out for
these opportunities and letting his students know about them.
It is possible to get a full-time teaching position,
even in today's job market (and even for those of us who don't
come from Harvard or Yale!) More than ever, however, we need
solid professional advice about how to get that article
published, how to present a paper at a conference, and how to
grab that fellowship. Without assistance from one's advisor,
there is some reason to despair.
Ed Lengel
University of Virginia