For over two years, I have been writing articles on the Succinct Research Blog and other online publications. This work has come from my sincere desire to help all up-and-coming archaeologists further their careers in cultural resource management archaeology and historic preservation. My blog post topics come from discussions I have with other archaeologists about topics that are relevant to our profession. So far, thousands of individuals have visited the blog, read articles, and some of you have even left comments. I sincerely thank all of you readers.
I am always trying to do as much as I can. Writing things based on conversations I’ve had in my own personal life can be limiting because I may not be discussing topics that are relevant to your life. That’s why I’m asking for your help. I’d like to know what I can talk about, research, write an eBook on, or otherwise discuss that would help further your career.
What do you want to learn about?
In case you didn’t know, here’s what I’ve already been talking about
Managing this blog is a labor of love. At this point, I’m addicted. I love talking about the things that rarely get said out loud– controversial topics that come from mundane conversations. Here are some of the things I’ve focused on in the past:
Job Search– Succinct Research and the Succinct Research Blog was created because I got laid off from my job during the Great Recession and had to scramble to find a new one. It didn’t take long for me to get another job in CRM, but it too much longer for some other people I knew. Once I found employment, I decided to pay it forward and help some of my friends find work. That was over 2 years ago and I’m still helping people find jobs in cultural resource management.
If you’re looking for a job right now, I strongly recommend you check out the Free Job Search Toolkit page. You will find several free eBooks, slideshows, and links to resources that will help your job search. If you’re not currently on the market but know you will be in the upcoming months (as in next summer), I recommend you check out the Personal Branding for Archaeologists series. The final blog post in this series has a free eBook that will help you create an online persona that will show future employers what you can do. I also wrote a case study describing exactly how I helped a good friend find a job in archaeology in a place where neither he nor I had any professional connections. Check it out here: http://www.succinctresearch.com/how-to-get-a-job-in-archaeology-part-4/
You can also find a lot of great information about how to write a resume and cover letter that will actually get you an interview if you purchase my eBook Resume Writing for Archaeologists. Over 400 people have downloaded the book and dozens of them have thanked me for writing it because it really helped them land a job interview.
Finally, send me an email or comment below if you’d like some advice (WARNING: I only have time to help people that are serious about finding an archaeology job. I expect you to follow my advice if it is given.)
Networking– Connecting with other people in our field is at the heart of professional networking, but we should also remember to offer assistance to other folks whenever feasible. The internet has made networking easier than ever before. Creating a brand for yourself is a great way to tell others what you’ve been up to and what you can do. Projects are the new Resume. The Personal Branding for Archaeologists blog series is loaded with great information about how you can leverage the internet to spread the word about your abilities and experience.
Networking is one of the major reasons why I’ve been blogging on this website for over two years. Feel free to tell me what else you would like to know about professional networking and I’ll do my best to help you out.
Archaeological Crew Chief Info– I really learned about cultural resource management and being a field archaeologist when I landed my first job as a crew chief. There is something about being in charge that accelerates your learning and forces you to take responsibility for your work, even if it’s only of a small crew.
Unfortunately, there are not very many sources of information for crew chiefs, field directors, project managers, and everyone else between field tech and principal investigator. Check out the Archaeological Crew Chief section of the Succinct Research Blog if you want to learn more about the profession or join discussions about relevant topics to mid-level supervisors in cultural resource management archaeology.
Graduate School– Most archaeologists that want to have a career after their back and knees are exhausted complete a graduate degree program. It’s almost a rite of passage in our industry. In 2013, I went back to school for my PhD even though I already had a Master’s because I truly want to change the way archaeologists are trained in college. There really should be no reason for an archaeological field tech to be training a PhD on how to do cultural resource management. There is also no reason why colleges are not doing a better job of preparing graduates for the workforce once they graduate.
I’m in graduate school and hope to teach graduate students. Please, give me some suggestions of how I can help you get into grad school, survive grad school, and make graduate school better.
Continuing Education– Most things are not learned in school, especially CRM archaeology and historic preservation. Here is a headquarters for learning all types of skills that are not commonly taught: Travel hacking, grant writing, crowdfunding and other topics.
Health and Safety– Improving occupational safety is one of my own personal crusades. I know way too many old field archaeos that can barely lift a 20 pound box because they worked themselves too hard in their youth and their companies did not have health and safety plans that prevent workplace injuries. Few archaeologists have training in occupational safety and the field of archaeology is not conducive to safety regulations because our work tasks are so variable.
I have come to the conclusion that cultivating a culture of safety and creating functional risk management strategies are the best ways we can prevent accidents and injuries in the field. What do you think about workplace health and safety? What would you like to know? We all need to work together to prevent the inadvertent shortening of our careers and reduced quality of life due to a life of archaeology fieldwork.
What else would you like to hear about? What else do you want to know? How can I help you further your career in archaeology, cultural resource management, or historic preservation?
Write a comment below or send me an email.
Check out Succinct Research’s most recent publication Blogging Archaeology. Full of amazing information about how blogging is revolutionizing archaeology publishing. For a limited time you can GRAB A COPY FOR FREE!!!! Click Here
“Resume-Writing for Archaeologists” is now available on Amazon.com. Click Here and get detailed instructions on how you can land a job in CRM archaeology today!
Small Archaeology Project Management is now on the Kindle Store. Over 300 copies were sold in the first month! Click Here and see what the buzz is all about.
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