I’m finishing my first year at a TT job that is not going to work out in the long run (reasons included rurality and lack of colleagues in my field.) I wish to conduct a very discreet job search this fall and would like advice on the following:
Are my LORs from grad school (graduated 2005) suitable for the application package? They are dynamite refs from well-known scholars.
Is it proper to express in letters of application that my search is discreet and that I am happy to provide current campus refs if I advance in candidacy?
Thanks for any advice you can offer. I can’t confide in anyone on campus, as everyone and their dog and cat would know within 10 minutes.
LORs from 2005 are fine. You might have a problem somewhere down the line from a request for discretion (you could be a coke-addict and sex-pervert trying to cover for yourself, no?) but it might not come up at all, and you’ll certainly get to an interview stage before it looks suspicious.