Sample promotions application

This is not an exemplar

The document I am sharing is a good draft of my application for promotion to Associate Professor (submitted just prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, with some parts removed). It took me a year to prepare, and did not receive in-principle support from two senior gatekeepers. One said “I can’t see what you’ve done since last promotion”, and the other said “It’s good to be bold but don’t you think you’re being too bold?” In finally accepting the entrenched racist sexism of academia that renders women of colour the cheapest of slaves with only 2% becoming Full Professors, I took a voluntary redundancy and left academia at the end of 2020 after 20 years of dedicated service to the sector. I therefore did not submit a final/revised version, so cannot say if it would have been successful. There are many ways to showcase your professional worth and present the narrative of your achievements, so hopefully this resource helps you find and convey the strength of your voice.

Find a spot somewhere in your application to use these self-promoting words - they love seeing them (and do feel good about what you’ve done too!):

  • Unique

  • Innovative

  • Forward thinking

  • Ahead of the curve

  • Impactful

  • Trail blazing

  • Ground breaking

  • Upward trajectory

  • Inspiring

  • Thought provoking

  • Influential

  • Invited

  • Seminal

  • Landmark

  • Passionate

  • Actively participated/contributed

  • High quality

  • High profile

  • High tiered

  • High value

  • Fostered/nurtured relationships for ongoing collaborations and funding

  • Thought leader/ship

  • Lucrative

  • Prestigious/competitive

  • Inter/nationally renowned/sought after

  • Consistently collegial and professional

Words that make you truly amazing but unlikely to be received well if they don’t translate to big dollars or threaten reputation:

  • Daring

  • Outspoken

  • Controversial

  • Rebellious

  • Committed to truth above all else

  • Honest

  • Ethical

  • Courageous

  • Caring

  • Considerate

  • Kind

  • Thoughtful

  • Friendly

  • Funny

  • Balanced and healthy with use of time

  • A real team-player (not a leach/loafer)

 

Money and reputation

Are the two most important things that universities in neoliberal academia care about, and they want you too as well at all cost. Until “reputation = uncomfortable boundary-pushing” the irony that “reputation = conformity” will evade what they can see.