Also, keep in mind that even knowing every detail about the other candidates will not help you figure out your odds--the whole thing is such a crap shoot. Which I'm sure everyone has figured out by now...but it would suck worse to be saying, when it's all over, "I can't believe they hired him...he doesn't even have any good pubs." You just can never know why they made the decision they made, unless you have an insider to give you the real scoop.
you asked why someone would accept a post-doc position at this point in the year. in my case, i was offered a chance to spend a year working closely with someone i admire on a funded project i helped write the grant for. since my chances of landing an assistant professor job seem to be somewhere between slim and none, i jumped at the post-doc chance.
i really can't speak to overall protocol, but my adviser did tell me that it would not be unethical to accept an interview and then negotiate the post-doc year. i also know my department has hired people under similar circumstances.
Hi, Does anyone have any advice on how best to give a talk that will be delivered to the general campus - to undergrads, soc dept members, and members of other depts? Many thanks!
A few general pointers: First, find the "common denominator" in your research, that aspect which everyone can at least relate to. Start from there, even if that isn't the main point. Second, be a little more "mickey mouse" (than you would for a purely soc talk) when covering theory or literature that will be unfamiliar to most of the audience. Don't make too many assumptions about what your audience already knows/understands. Third, if you are including more technical or jargony stuff (which may be important to flex your sociological muscle), then make sure you also bring it back full circle for the non-soc people. i.e. "This is a fancy way of saying x, y, z." Fourth, I personally would try to use more anecdotes from the data to illustrate any abstract concepts. Finally, keep in mind that those other people are there for the same reason as the soc people: to see if you should be hired. So, it's more important to be articulate, engaging, and on top of your stuff. It's not a bad thing if people leave saying "well, I'm not sure I understood the entire talk, but I certainly thought it was an interesting idea/topic."
Hey....anyone know about Marshall, St. Norbert, Cal State Sacramento, and UNF? Good/Bad? Anyone else heard from them? What are they interested in that may not be mentioned in thier job ad, and strengths and weaknesses?
I talked to CSU Sacramento at the ASA and liked them a lot. It is an unusual job - it's the most diverse of the CSU campuses in terms of race, ethnicity and age. The mean age of students is 25, so they are especially interested in knowing that you're interested in (and understand the needs of) non-traditional aged students. The load is 3-3 for the social psych and 2-3 for the methods job (bc of lab time). They also told me that tenure review is 70% teaching, 15% research and 15% service.
Thanks 3:23....that was very helpful and useful! I will be sure to mention my experience with teaching diverse populations should I receive a campus visit....
I have a fly-out scheduled for early next month at a university with a strong teaching focus. As part of my interview, I am expected to give a 30-minute teaching presentation to an upper-division gen ed class "outlining a theory, pertinent research findings, and implications for practice".
I am wondering how others have handled these teaching presentations in the past. Is there an expected format for such presentations? I'd like to deliver a presentation that is more interactive (i.e., asking questions to engage students in discussion) but am not sure if the standard protocol is a straight lecture. I'd appreciate any thoughts/feedback on this. Thanks!
Ask the SC chair (i) how large the class will be (i.e., how many students); and (ii) what they are covering a couple weeks before you (so you have a sense of whether they have any background sociological knowledge). That should give you enough information to determine how to structure your teaching demo. Last year, I used a combination of straight lecture (you have to convey information, after all) and group work to make sure everyone was interacting and talking. It seemed to work fine. Good luck with your interview!
A random interview tip - I have TWICE in my career been on interviews where I was housed in a charming inn located right next to railroad tracks. With multiple trains coming through in the middle of the night. Next week, I leave for another interview - I'm packing earplugs.
Oh yes, earplugs and sleeping pills are essential! I was once housed in a *dorm*! I hated dorms as an undergrad and they were exponentially worse as a grownup.
I think it worked in my favor though - when I told the faculty (who didn't know the chair arranged for this) they were mortified and felt so bad for me. Who knows if they would have been as kind were I to have had a good night of sleep?
I've had three different schools give me only a couple of days to decide. I found it really obnoxious and very stressful! Luckily I had other interviews coming up, so I was able to say no to them. But looking back, I would have said yes to one of them had I had more time!
they typically ask a very general question about your research. they just want to here that you are doing something and that you are articulate. they tend to be more involved in the "big picture" of the university or division, so ask them questions about the important directions the university is moving, where do they see the university in the next 5 to 10 years...those type of "mission" and "vision" questions seem to go over pretty well in my experience. sometimes they also want to know how you can give to their community outside of the dept. think about connections you can make to wm and gender studies, international studies, first year experience programming, etc...
at some places, you will also have to meet the provost or president. they usually get the same questions from me.
Re: deans- Assume that they haven't read anything about you except maybe your CV. One dean asked me about my next project. I launched into details, and he was confused-- he need me to give him more of a "sound bite" about the type of scholar that I am, and then something about my future research. In other words, you can and should repeat some of the statements that you polished in your cover letter, teaching statement, etc. These deans often see a ton of candidates (in some ways, it seems like mostly a performance by the university and a big waste of their time, though it can make you, as a candidate, feel kind of important.)
I have an upcoming interview. I know it's not legal of them to ask me if I'm married/have children but I don't want to feel awkward trying to hide this information if a casual conversation happens to touch on these issues. On the other hand I have two kids- one very young and if I tell them I'm afraid they will think that I will not be a productive scholar. What's the norm? How to handle this? PS. I'm female.
About partners/kids/personal life: I'm a woman, and honestly, I've always brought this stuff up (appropriately) in interviews. My partner is also a woman, so I basically out myself by talking about her and the kids. I'm sure certain types of departments would hold it against me, but I've been offered every job I've interviewed for save for one. One of my criteria is that a place be family friendly (in all senses of the word)so if they held my partnership/parenthood/sexuality against me I wouldn't want to be there anyway (plus, tenure would be a b****!)....
I've been asked to go to a dinner with the committee and other faculty the day before my interview. What should I expect besides them monitoring table manners? What to wear?
dress comfortably but professionally. they'll expect you to talk about bit about your research. they'll expect you to ask some questions about the department. track down their cvs beforehand, so you can ask something intelligent about their work and the classes they teach. basically, these dinners are a chance for them to see if you are normal and a friendly person they'd like to work with and perhaps even hang out with from time to time. my biggest advice is have a sense of humor and ask them about non school things like wheres a fun place to go rock climbing or whatever you're into.
Dinner with faculty the night before your job talk is part of the interview. Expect them to grill you about your work, next project, what you might want to teach, etc. They are also trying to determine how articulate you are and what kind of a colleague you will be. Most faculty want to work with friendly, socially adept people. You should also be prepared with intelligent questions for them about their department, students and university. Whatever you do, don't drink too much or at all. I limited myself to a glass of wine or less and only if others were drinking. Dress nicely--one step down from a suit.
About the dinner with faculty & committee members: how much detail are you expected to know about each person? And also, if you start asking more questions related to lifestyle (eg, fun things to do in the area or good places to live), doesn't it give off the impression that perhaps you are too eager? I always struggle with having to balance between wanting to keep my cool (ie, not being overly eager) but yet at the same time, expressing my interest. I've had a couple of phone conversations/interviews now where I felt as though I was "too eager" upon reflection afterwards. Does sounding too eager and excited give off the impression that you don't have any other options (which is not the case in situation...I just come off as sounding eager and excited whenever I get nervous). Any thoughts on this?
Re: Family issues. I have a child, and I've done a few interviews. I bring this up selectively, depending on the vibe of the department. At one school, I very casually mentioned my baby. No one brought the topic up again, and I took that as a bad sign-- not the kind of place I want to work. Sometimes people give you an in-- e.g. "do you want to know about the local schools?" Another school where I interviewed had a faculty party that included kids while I was there. That was lovely! I think having a child has helped me in some circumstances-- schools believe me when I say want to live in college town (which is true).
I understand how it can be weird to withhold the information, because talking about kids can be a great way to bond with people and for them to get to know you. (And besides, our children are a major part of our lives!) It's also really nice to be able to talk to people about daycare, schools, etc.
sounding eager is a good thing. sounding over confident is quite another...and probably not a good thing.
if you are dealing with junior faculty at dinner, i believe it is important to come across as a real person in addition to being a competent, productive academic.
these dinners are your time to listen carefully as the junior faculty are likely to give you subtle (or not so subtle) hints about the political terrain of the dept and university. during a recent interview, i learned quite a lot at the dinner. this really helped me put my own observations within a larger context.
Does anyone have any experience or advice about handling a hostile or aggressive one-to-one meeting during your on campus visit? I have seen (and heard about) challenging questions during the job talk, but recently heard about someone who was treated very rudely "behind closed doors." Is that something we should expect?
9:03-- I experienced an exceptionally hostile one-on-one in a context of otherwise extremely warm and positive meetings. I think that how much this matters is going to depend on whether this was about me or if this is someone who is hostile in general. I wasn't prepared for it and I lost my temper a bit but I also steadily stayed on topic and talked about my expertise and research. That said, I was glad to have that meeting end.
I had a passive aggressive/hostile experience with one person at a university where everyone else was perfectly nice. This person basically told me I had been "seduced" by my field site, which is not true. In retrospective, I think this person was threatened by me.
I think the people who are nasty tend to be individual personalities-- we all can imagine who in our own departments say inappropriate things!
I also think that it's a good idea to try to use nasty remarks/criticisms as useful information. The person who says inappropriate things might just be voicing a perception that many people have but are too polite or uninvested to tell us. So, I've tried to use this person's comment as a clue into how I could present myself a little differently.
Re: conversations at dinner and seeming too eager.... SCs like the idea that you might deign to actually consider an offer, should they like to give you one. Seeming disinterested - which includes asking NO questions about the town/city where the school is, what it's like to live there, etc - might be a flag for the SC that you are not actually attempting to envision yourself there. Conversely, you can infer some things from SC members' behavior. I went on an interview once for a position that included responsibility for internships. I did a lot of research on potential opportunities in that city. During my job talk, no one asked me a single question about it. Immediate red flag (turns out they had an inside candidate and my interview was a mere formality they had to engage in). But speaking from the SC point of view, throw us a bone. If you're coming to campus for an interview, it's the culmination of a very long process of meetings, deliberations, and maybe some conflicts. You're there because you're at the top of the pool. The SC wants you to give it your all; they want to be impressed - they want to want you. By the time you're in the top 3 - being invited to campus - they're not looking for reasons to dump you from consideration. Studied disinterest can come across poorly and I've seen SCs say, 'X just didn't seem to connect with anyone. She didn't seem to be interested in the campus/the students/us/the job.'
i agree. SCs really want to like and connect with candidates. it really makes them frustrated to bring people in who show no real interest in what's happening in the dept, university or community. i've heard people our SCs comment on the lack of interest and excitement displayed during interviews (including phone interviews).
re: Conference presentations during the job market year
Some of us still have conference presentations to do in the near future - this advice is for you.
If you're giving a conference talk (even a roundtable!) during the year that you're on the market, be sure to do a good job and to not do anything too risky (unless you can do it well). It is very likely that SC members will come to your talk just to check you out.
This was not obvious to me during the ASA. I used my roundtable to generate discussion on a particularly problematic concept rather than to give a good presentation of my work. There was a SC member sitting right next to me. Needless to say, I never got a call back there. I took this to heart and at my next conference, I gave a stellar talk. There was a SC Chair at that talk. I at least made the long-short list at that place.
I still kick myself about my blown ASA opportunity. That was stupid. Please, benefit from my idiocy and give good conference talks when you're on the market.
Keep in mind that departments are also trying to sell themselves to you! So, you should be prepared with some questions for them about what their lives are like living where they do and working for the college/university. If there's an activity, interest, facility or resource that's important for you to have in your life to be productive, you should feel ok asking about it at some point during your visit -- usually in more informal contexts (over meals or meetings with students). For some folks that's education, child care, and parental leave; for some it's employment oppourtunities for a significant other; for some it's recreational stuff, like gym facilities, competitive basketweaving tournaments, or the local music/arts scene.
Asking about quality of life issues is a way to signal that you're interested and serious about the position.
I'm flying out for an interview next week, and I'd like to solicit your opinions about how much background research a candidate should conduct on the current faculty. Do you think that a deep knowledge of each faculty member's research could be perceived as kissing up or too eager? Hmmm...
I think it's nice if you can show that your research is relevant to what individual faculty do when you meet one-on-one. In other words, it's best if you can use their research to spark a conversation about a topic of mutual interest, or some way that you overlap. Then you're showing that you and the faculty can have conversations about relevant topics. Who doesn't want a colleague like that?
Job talk question: have the ones you've seen begun with a "Hello, and thank you for being here" sort of thing? Is there a standard for thanking people - the dean or the SC, or the audience? Or do you just jump right in?
If you have a phone interview and it goes well, but then they ask for a follow-up phone interview, what do you think they will be asking? What do you think is the purpose?
i think it means they've selected you as a finalist and want to take the opportunity to give you more information about the school and position to gauge your interest before deciding who to bring out.
Re: what to say at the beginning of the talk. I just say thanks for having me, and then I launch into my talk. I think that more than that might seem over the top.
I like to personally thank a couple folks if applicable, especially somebody like the department admin if s/he helped you a lot getting set up or the search committee chair. Maybe a bit corny sometimes, but those are generally thankless tasks and people really deserve to be thanked for them. Don't know if it affects people's impression of you either way, but I don't know if that really matters.
I'm applying at a school where my father worked in a professional position on staff (not on the faculty). Some of the emeriti in the soc department are family friends. how much of this, if any should I say in my cover letter? (beyond expressing my interest in the geographic area due to family connections)
If I were you I wouldn't put any information about your family connections to the area or to the department. Your letter should focus on your professional qualifications for the job and your "fit" for it as a scholar and teacher. During a phone interview you might want to hint at the fact that in addition to your strong interest in the institution for x, y, z (academic/professional) reasons, you have strong ties to the area/institution. During a campus visit would be the time to discuss the specifics of those ties. This is at least the advice I was given by mentors and colleagues. On the other hand, if one of those family friends was in a position to write you a letter of recommendation or do more casual advocacy with his/her former colleagues, that would be a good way to mark your application.
I respectfully disagree with the last post. I will not give you advice but tell you what i did.
I applied for one job that is in my hometown. I of course focused on how the dept. seemed a great fit for academic reasons, but I also made clear that I would love to return home and do research that is locally informed. I mentioned that I had even taken classes as an undergrad in that U.
I got the interview- and it's a pretty good school- and on the phone and on campus everyone already knew I was a local girl and was so excited and wanted to talk about it.
In my thinking, they spend so much time and money on a search. if a person seems qualified AND has personal connections that make them think you may want to stay, then they may get more excited about you versus someone else who may simply come because the dept is good but perhaps seeks to move in in a couple years.
I recently went through a similar type situation. I included only one sentence in my letters about my connections to the area. Then in the phone interview I mentioned more. That seems to solidify their interest in me.
To some degree I think all these connections can work against the candidate. If they think you are a sure thing if given an offer, then what motivation do they have to give you a competitive salary and other benefits? In my experience you can get a really crumby offer with no negotiation.
I think SCs may want to know if you have ties to a city/town or a particular school, because then they can relax (a little) about trying to sell you on the place. I don't see why that should undermine your later negotiations (unless you made it clear that you'd only ever work for them). One of the thing many academics give up or exchange for being a professor is influence over what region, city, state, or even nation they get to live in. Many trade in a great place for a better job (and vice-versa).
In terms of negotiating once they make you an offer, my advice is to negotiate hard but in good faith. Everything is negotiable, within reason. Find out what the new assistant professors have gotten recently at that school and its peers. Then ask for a little more. If you don't ask for it, they won't know to give it to you.
General interviewing question: when you do a teaching demonstration, should you thank the class for letting you come in? Any general advice about these demonstrations?
Re: teaching demo (or any other presentation that is part of this process), I would say that you definitely want to be cordial and personable. Thank them for the invitation or something like that. Try to imagine yourself as an undergrad in that classroom and aim to do what you would have liked to see in this kind of presentation.
8:55 Why would it NOT be appropriate to assume that negotiation is OK? Negotiation means having a discussion in order to come to an agreement -- it doesn't mean conceding to demands (for either side). Why should the market be based on fixed price??
Sure, some departments have less leeway than others. But departments make adjustments and concessions all the time (even crappy ones like mine!). Things to negotiate: salary, tenure clock, course load (reductions or increases for extra $), teaching schedule/distribution, summer money (for research or teaching), office space (window?) and equipment (desktop computer, laptop, digital recorders/cameras), travel $, outside speaker invitations, research/teaching assistant(s), service (committee work). You should ask for whatever you think you need to do be productive in the job. The time to ask for those things is before you formally accept the offer (which happens before you sign a contract). Get it in writing.
some departments will not negotiate. i recently had experience with one that refused to negotiate anything.
sure, we'd like to think all departments are open to negotiation, but realistically, some won't.
of course, you should always ask for better offers (within reason), but my point is you may find that some departments won't negotiate -- either because they've offered all they can or because the chair refuses to drag out the process.
This may be a strange question to ask..., but I will be leaving for an on-campus interview this weekend and am so paranoid about leaving something that I should definately bring with me on the trip. Could anyone tell me a list of things that I should make sure to bring with me? -- Thanks.
I don't have time to contribute a full list right now, but here are a few things that might slip your mind: 1. Extras of anything indispensible that might get a hole in it, easily get lost, etc. (contacts, pantyhose, jump drive with presentation) 2. Things to repair other things (sewing kit, first aid kit, manicure set, tide pen) 3. gum or mints 4. snacks to hide in your briefcase
9:44, For starters: 1) a backup means of presenting your findings, in case Plan A fails (i.e., Powerpoint and overhead transparencies); 2) a bottle for water; 3) a few granola bars; 4) info on departmental faculty, with pictures if possible
Other stuff that I took/found useful (even for a short trip): 1) phone charger 2) pepto bismo pills, bean-o, advil 3) business cards (if you already have them) 4) I also brought a copy of my cv and writing sample, just in case 5) a list of q's to ask others (near the end, I ran out of stuff to ask about because my brain was wiped)
-copies of your CV and syllabi -general information on the dept graduate and undergrad curriculum, as well as university core curriculum (they're impressed when you have a sense of this before hand) -ibuprofen or tylenol and a sleep aid (You will probably get a headache and you almost definitely will not sleep well.)
Remember the FAA rules about liquids in your carry-on bag... You might want to wait until you've gotten past security to buy that bottle of water!
i'd add bring along some blank transparency sheets if you are using overheads...
at the last minute you might find something you want to change...most hotels will have printers, but not necessarily transparencies... and you might be SOL in locating a Kinko's.
What's your experience about thank you e-mails/letters? I sent thank you e-mails after my on campus interview and the responses that I received are, well, somewhat neutral....like "I'm pleased to meet you...good luck with your job search".
Is this standard or am I right in thinking that I didn't get the job??
Hmm. It's hard to say. You could be right. I, however, always send such neutral replies, because you never want to give the candidate the wrong idea (even if you are pretty sure they'll be picked). I follow them up with much more enthusiastic notes once the candidate gets the offer. So, again, hard to say--but I wouldn't read too much into it.
really, it would be inappropriate to reply with anything but a neutral response. it is after all a committee decision/recommendation. no one person should be conveying any information that could be misconstrued either way... the fact that you are looking for signals in these e-mails only reinforces this point...
This certainly does not contradict the above statements, but I have had a different experience. I wrote thank you emails to some folks I met with at one institution. One response was similar to yours above, but the chair and one other prof. emphasized how great it would be if I wound up there and that they were trying to decide quickly.
At both another place and the one just mentioned, several said my talk went great...
But I had another interview where I did not get such positive responses. Whether that means I was less liked, or simply that they were more tight lipped, I don't know.
Some other good things to pack: * A small toothbrush and tube of paste or at least a little bottle of mouthwash-- sometimes those lunches can be heavy.
* I like Calms Forte for helping me fall asleep. You can get it at health food stores/Whole Foods type places, and it doesn't make me groggy.
* I copy the faculty bios and pictures into a word document and print it out. That way, I can review it in the bathroom between meetings.
* Ask ahead if you need to bring your own laptop, or if the school has the equipment already. That way, it's one less thing to lug around all day.
i interviewed for a job a couple years ago at a dream school and as i was leaving a member of the faculty said something like "i really enjoyed your visit -- we will see you next year." and then i didn't get the job. so it might actually be preferable to get neutral responses -- it really is the responsible thing to do until the decision is actually made.
In happy news, I just learned I have two phone interviews at acceptable-to-me schools. Here are my questions:
1) How often do you update your letter-writers about progress on the job market? (I don't want to annoy them, but want to share good news.)
2) At what point can I reach out to the folks at the Ideal-Place that I haven't heard from and say, "Hey, I'm interviewing...do I still have a shot at Ideal-Place?"
If you are very close with your advisor, I'd probably keep him/her informed with the minute details of your job search. For the others, I'd wait to notify them until you get some fly-outs. The one exception is if you know one of your letter-writers knows someone at the school where you are doing a phone interview--at that point it couldn't hurt to let them know and ask them to personally contact their friend.
As for contacting other schools, I don't think you should do that until you get another offer. At that point, you could feel free to make such a phonecall/email.
Related...at what point should you tell your letter writers that every place you applied has scheduled interviews and therefore they're going to have to write you letters all over again next year? I am worried that their letters will be much less positive if they think I "failed" on the job market once already (actually I realized back in Sept. that I wasn't ready and stopped applying then).
Can people share their experiences with going on the market twice?
11:28 Don't think you have failed. Just because you haven't found your match this year doesn't mean that you have failed. Please stop thinking like this.
Your professors understand this process. They will try harder to place you next year.
Don't be apologetic. That would show insecurity on your part.
I think we all worry about going on the job market multiple times, but the reality of academic life in 2007 is that almost no one will get *one* job, immediately out of grad school and then stay there the rest of their lives. That's a model better that may have fit Talcott Parsons, but doesn't work today. One bit of useful advice an advisor gave me once was that the job market is a "queue" ~ those with the sole-authored ASR articles near the front, the rest of us in line behind them.
I disagree on waiting to tell your letter writers about your progress. You really don't know most of the time when some of these people will know someone at a school who has shortlisted you. If you just send a quick and unobtrusive note to let them know, they can talk you up where appropriate. However, I am pretty close to all of my letter writers and consider all three to be close advisors. I'd feel strange telling the "technical" advisor and not the others.
I agree with 1:21 that we shouldn't think about one's first (or even second) post-PhD job as where we'll stay for an entire career. Isn't it surprising how normative faculty (and SCs) are when they discuss this? Stability is not the norm in most job sectors, and it surely isn't the norm in the Tenure System (which sometimes seems like it's designed to move folks out as opposed to up), yet, oh, how we cling to this idea!
Don't give up on this year yet! People (really good people) get TT offers in April and May. Don't stop looking at job announcements, keep working on building the CV, staying ready to talk up your work, etc.
Hello, sociology friends! Can I get some advice on what information it is important to find out when you are on the phone scheduling an interview visit?
It's looking like I won't have to do this quite yet, but how, exactly, does scheduling an interview work? Do they ask you what the soonest you can come down is? Or do they give you options? How much lead time can you expect?
In my experience, when they call they have at least 2-3 different options for days that you choose from.
Other things to clarify: -If you're going to be booking the flight, make sure you know the nearest/preferred airport. Also, find out what the earliest time for your return flight should be (what time interview ends, plus enough time for transportation to the airport).
-Many schools will also have you do a teaching demo (with or in place of job talk). Clarify how long, what level the class is, whether they have any preferences for content. (They will usually tell you to teach something where you feel the strongest, but it's always good to ask.)
Regarding teaching demos, don't just assume you will be allowed to pick what you want....I have two interviews back to back and both have told me what they want me to teach!
I have a phone interview next week, and I haven't done anything like this before. I have been told that all members of the SC will be involved, and each will ask one question, and that all interviews are conducted the same way with the same questions. So I am under the impression there will not be a lot of back & forth -- a question will be asked, I'll ramble on, then the next question will be asked. Anyone with phone interview experiences care to share what happened? Thanks!
yes, i've had several phone interviews that worked like this. i suggest googling phone interview or academic job interview, as you can find list of typical questions. these will give you some idea of what to prepare in advance. i always go into an interview with some general ideas of points i want to make and with a set of syllabi, teachin philosophy, research agenda in front of me...
expect to talk a lot. each time i end feeling like i've talked the whole time, and to some degree, that's what is expected. also, be ready to ask them a question or two.
i think the big thing is to signal to the SC that you have done your homework and know some facts about the school, department, etc. and that you are interested in them. good questions can signal both.
I have had about 8 phone interviews so far so I feel like I am getting to be an expert at this....and I have had good and bad experiences...and a couple have turned into invites for campus interviews. I had one interview where they sent me the questions in advance and I was TOTALLY prepared with excellent answers. However, I had had a number of phone interviews prior and got used to the back-and-forth communication. Well, this one was simply ask first question, done. Answer second question, done. etc. and it threw me off sooooo bad and it was so awkward for me that I felt horrible. I even appologized at the end for being nervous and that I was nervous because I really was interested in the school. However, my answers were good...
I have not heard from that school, but they also havent been listed on the wiki as interviewing either so who knows.
The only other interview that went badly for me was my first because I was so nervous.
My suggestion is to prepare answers to questions....and when you begin to feel like you are babbling, stop. Once you answer a question, stop. That is where you begin to mess up when you ramble. If they want you to elaborate they will ask you to or ask for an example, etc.
Hope that was helpful, and I would be glad to remark more about what kinds of questions were asked....even if it is helping the "competition"....
I'm preparing for phone interviews in the coming weeks, so did the Google search suggested by someone a few posts back wondering about what questions they might ask. Here are a couple of useful links that I found which others might find useful:
A compiled list of several links (a couple of dead links, but mostly worthwhile): http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~jbeebe2/IntvQs.htm
And this one is from the top of the compilation list above; it is dated, but good:
Yes thank you everyone for your suggestions. ( asked the original question about phone interviews.) The advice about cutting yourself off when you start babbling is really smart, I tend to talk myself into corners sometimes. Well if I learn anything useful from doing the interview, I'll pass my reflections/suggestions on.
A couple of weeks ago I got a call from the admin at a school—one of my top choices—inviting me for an interview. A couple of days later—after I’d purchased my ticket and received an initial itenary—I got an email from the admin that read “This is a major apology. I, in my meeting, wrote down the wrong name. I am sorry to let you know that you are not on the list to be invited for an interview.” In a follow up phone call, the admin explained something about having the files in the wrong order (leading me to assume I was a first alternate). What made matters worse was that no one from the dpt contacted me to apologize. I’ve let the matter drop, but a nagging thought sits in my mind: was there something going on behind the scenes? Is it possible that the dpt head doesn’t even know this happened (and does that matter)? If they end up needing to contact alternates, will the admin attempt to cover up and just say I’m not interested? Any advice re how to proceed and make sense of this would be appreciated! (I was able to cancel my ticket so that’s not an issue)
That is horrendously horrible! I am so, so sorry that happened to you. I don't have any advice, I'm afraid...although it does seem very odd that an admin person would call you to schedule the interviews in the first place. I've always been called by either the SC Chair or the Dept. Chair.
Horrible indeed. Puts you in a weird position. If you feel the need to follow-up I don't think it would be at all inappropriate to contact the SC chair to ask for clarification. After all, it does not seem that you would want your career to rest in the hands of this admin person! Then again, between the disorganization and the fact that this was delegated to an admin person, you may want to reconsider working at this place!
I recently had a campus visit. They department paid for my flight and hotel in advance. They told me to get a cab from the airport to the hotel. Is it appropriate that I ask them to reimburse me for my cab expense? Nobody said anything about it during my visit. I feel a little shy about asking for money. But the hotel wasn't short distance from the airport. I ended up paying a total of $100 and as a poor grad student I could use that money.
You should absolutely ask about getting reimbursed for the cab! In the two fly-outs I've had, I've turned in receipts for cab fare -- and meals in the airport. In one case, they reminded me to submit these (including the meal receipts). In the other case, I just sent the receipts and the reimbursement was no problem.
I know this topic was dropped a bit ago, but I'm chiming in late.
I was a grad student member of an SC years ago (with equal voting rights and responsibilities as the other members). I distinctly remember one candidate who was extremely dismissive of my presence on the committee (didn't take my questions seriously, ignored me during meals, job talk, etc). This was extremely evident not only to myself, but to the other SC members and we unanimously excluded this candidate based on her behavior. I learned a lot from that experience - and when I went on to interview, was always certain to consider grad students as integral members of the academic department.
Going back to the cab reimbursement issue, a school that I am interviewing with, landed up booking me from an airport that is really far from my place (I indicated the airports accessible by public transport and they probably got confused). I have to take a Supershuttle to get to the airport and it will cost me around $80 round trip. Would it be appropriate to ask for reimbursement in light of the fact that they made an error in booking?
It's almost ALWAYS appropriate to get reimbursed. Save ALL receipts, for subway and even cofee and snacks bought along the way (some schools explicitly told me to do this and I carried the practice to success with schools that did not say it explicitly). If they don't offer, ask secretary for an addressed envelope and later mail in all receipts.
If they want to be stingy, then they can decide later not to reimburse. But send everything.
I agree. Never hurts to submit receipts. Typically departments are granted a set amount of funds for each candidate. So long as people find reasonable airfare, depts usually have plenty of money to cover expenses such as cabs, food, etc. I'd expect the search chair to bring up the issue. If not, I'd ask the dept admin assistant.
HELP! I fly out tomorrow for an interview and have yet to receive an itinerary and I was told I would be picked up at the airport but have no other info....Any suggestions? I have no idea what to expect, who to look for, or how I will find them.....
Email and ask the chair and, if you know, the chair of the search committee and the admin. Give them your cell phone number if you have one. Good luck!
Does anyone have advice about what to do when you have an offer and you're being pressured by a school to make a decision before you're ready? I've asked for what I think is a reasonable extension, and I'm worried about push-back.
They should give 2 weeks if you ask. Some may give 2 more if needed. Beyond 2 weeks, you are probably going to have to make a decision. Recently had a school give me 2 days and a non negotiable offer. Really sucked, so I had to turn them down even though the job wasn't too bad. Just couldn't commit since I had other interviews scheduled.
Some good advice over at here for grant writers, and job seekers (be sure to read the comments to see the relevance for job candidates): http://scatter.wordpress.com/2007/11/27/get-a-theory-would-ya/
Sometimes lack of information/communication is a sign of department disarray, and sometimes it's just an oversight (perhaps this week related to the recent holiday?). Minimally, you should expect to be informed (ahead of time) of WHEN you will present your job talk &/or guest teaching. If not, you should ask for the information.
In any case, remember that the job market is supposed to be a matching process. Just as you try to "sell" yourself to depts, depts should be trying to "sell" themselves to you. If that's not happening, it's worth it to try and figure out what's going on.
Re: deadlines for decisions. I received one offer and told them that I wanted to finish off my currently scheduled interviews. They granted this, which was a 3 week decision period. When one of my interviews was pushed back, I contacted the school with the offer and explained my scenario. After talking I had to be honest and tell them that an answer by my deadline would have to be a no, and so they gave me the extra time. I don't think this is the norm (I'm certainly extremely grateful), but the advice I got was simply "it doesn't hurt to ask for more time". I've also found many schools are particularly responsive when I'm being most honest (i.e. they know that I'm not just keeping them in my pocket...).
Re: Deadlines.....From everything I hear two weeks is standard. Does this hold true around the holidays? My question is if you receive an offer around December 15th, is it unrealistic to expect the deadline for a decision to be pushed back until the 7th or so of January?
Here is my reasoning: I would think this is reasonable since there is a good week of holidays which prohibit traveling to check the school out further, having to devote most of your time to computing grades and prepping for the upcoming semester where you currently teach, and the fact that you may have a break in interviews due to the holiday so you have interviews scheduled for the first week of January....
This is my main concern, I know that I may have a couple of interviews at the start of January and those schools cannot move it forward because of the school break.....
After your campus interview is it reasonable to expect the department to let you know where they are at the process or whether they have made an offer to somebody else? What is the standard?
I have recently interviewed somewhere and I saw on the Wiki that they have already made an offer to somebody else. Nobody contacted me from the department to let me know about this.
I'm confused. It doesn't seem professional to me. In my own top-10 department (where I once served as the student member of the SC committee) we always tell all the candidates we interview where we are at the process. We say, "we like you but we like this other person better so we will make an offer to him/her first". I really think that if you bring in someone to interview them for a faculty position in your department, you should have the decency to let them know that you decided to hire someone else. No?
7:16 - Yes and no. There's always a good chance that this person won't accept the job, and they don't want their second choice to 1) know that they are second choice or 2) accept a job elsewhere. Also, some schools have official HR guidelines that don't allow them to speak to the other candidates until the deal is sealed with someone else.
I think it's a rare case where the SC just doesn't care about your needs or feelings, but this is a complicated process with conflicting interests.
I'm also a faculty member, and I concur with the above posters. Although in the age of the wiki, departments (and HR) need to rethink their policies on this. If I were you, I'd email the search chair and inquire (if it's been at least 3 weeks since your interview). In my experience, if you do that they will usually tell you straight. You might also get an idea if you are their second choice.
7:16: 7:40 here - Yes, I'm a faculty member (also currently on the market). I also agree with 4:37 that if it's been a few weeks you can give the search chair a call and inquire. It's likely that they'll tell you what's up if they can.
What if you know you were their final candidate? I'm in that position - knew I was the last person, and that they would be deciding pretty soon after I left. Do people still think it's best to wait two to three weeks, or would it be okay to get in touch in a week or so? Thanks!
Remember, notification doesn't happen as soon as the search committee makes a decision. HR regs often require deans and administrators to sign off on hires before candidates can be notified (delaying the process). As Tom Petty said: The waiting is the hardest part.
To all those waiting for answers, I highly recommend puzzling as a wholesome way to pass the time. It helped me survive my first job search (ok, puzzling while drinking shots of tequila makes it a little less wholesome, but to each their own).
Having witnessed a dozen of search processes in different institutions, I can say that I'm a big fan of "not calling". If they want you, they will call you. Much like dating ;)
On the other hand, if you have an offer from another school who needs an answer, it is generally okay to call the school you're waiting on and see if they'll give you any update...
So what happens when you actually get an offer? I am assuming that the SC chair calls you with the good news and then lays out the terms of the offer. Or do they send you an official letter? Thanks...
I think usually 40-45 minutes is good, this leaves enough time for questions. In my experience (from both sides of the fence), it is almost impossible to give a talk that is *too short*. This is something to ask the SC about RE norms in the dept before your interview.
RE content: don't present your whole dissertation! In my R1 dept we expect theory, methods, results, implications for the equivalent of 1 paper/chapter (we want to know that you can edit yourself to make a coherent presentation, we don't want to hear everything you have ever done). Sometimes candidates also present a slide at the end BRIEFLY outlining their broader research agenda, which can be good in case someone wasn't crazy about the topic of your talk but might be intrigued by other upcoming/current projects.
1:33 RE offers: Usually the dept. chair calls you (not the SC). S/he will want to discuss the terms of the offer before drafting a letter (they would rather find out what you want before putting it all on paper). So it is a good idea to think about "extras" you might ask for before this call happens (e.g. course releases pre-tenure, research needs like an extra computer or site licenses for software, moving expenses that will cover your spouse, five kids and horse). Often several discussions happen via phone before a letter is drafted.
Usually they tell you the details verbally, and then you negotiate before they send you a written offer. All the terms usually have to be approved by the Dean and Provost, so it's easier to negotiate before things are in writing. This also buys you time to deal with other places (hopefully). I would recommend listening to the details, and saying something like, "I'm so excited that you have offered me the job! I'm going to discuss the terms with my advisors immediately, and I will get back to you as soon as I am able." Don't accept on the spot, or seem to accept the terms on the spot! I would take some time to go over everything, especially if you are comparing more than one offer, and definitely get advice from your advisors. They told me to ask for things I hadn't even thought of. Just my two cents!
I find myself on the fence about a liberal arts college (3-3 load) or research u (typically 2-2). I may not get to choose, but still want to figure this out for myself. Any advice about Qs to ask a liberal arts college in terms of resources for research as well? I have an interview soon and really want to publish in addition to teaching, but since I don't have pubs yet (only 1-2 things under review) I'm not competitive to research u's yet. Anyone else wavering between liberal arts colleges and research u's? Or is there really such a divide? (I'm not someone who would love a pressure-cooker, top-20 kind of research u anyway, though I want to publish my diss as a book, etc)....
I hear you, 11.20, and I'd love to hear what other have to say about this. From what I understand, many SLACs expect relatively high research productivity and are willing and able to offer resources to do so. So I'd say ask them about it just as you would a R1 school.
What gets me about R1 vs SLAC (vs any school) is the students. I think I'd like to work with grad students, which, well, only exist at 120 or so of the hundreds of schools that offer sociology programs.
So that's what is so interesting about this blog. Everyone talks about teaching as if it's hardly a part of the job. I understand many people (and unis) privilege and prefer research to teaching, but face it--you'll actually have to teach to keep your job, too.
The SLAC I just interviewed at had me meet with the admin in charge of research to lay out various funding sources and the univ's perspective on research. There is a large R1 nearby so I made sure that I would be able to access those resources (ILL). Certainly ask about software packages that you may need. I have not interviewed anywhere with grad students (which is not a problem for me) and I have found that schools always want to know how I would include undergrads in my research. So, even if a school lacks grad students, think of those really top undergrads that would serve as great assistants to simple data collection/entry or even analysis, lit review, and write-up. It's obviously not the same, but it's a nice option.
RE: negotiations. I was told at one place that salary was NOT negotiable, but that there were a number of other items that could be negotiated. This includes teaching loads, various (seemingly trivial) office supplies, housing issues, parking spots, summer pay, travel and research money, etc.
I refused an offer via email. I would have preferred to do it over the phone, which would have been fitting for the interaction I had had with the school; however, it was a weekend...
In the email I did not explain why I turned down the position. Only that I regretted having to do so, and I commented on what a lovely place it would have been to work (which is entirely true).
I try not to be disingenuous in these sorts of matters, instead aiming to honor and respect them in the same way that they honored (and flattered) me.
Re: December 7, 2007 11:20 AM poster, "I find myself on the fence about a liberal arts college (3-3 load) or research u (typically 2-2)".... I have a few observations. Everyone I know complains about their teaching "load," regardless of how weighty that "load" actually is. Friends at a 2-3 SLAC who get a 100% salaried pre-tenure sabbatical (and 80% salary for a year post-tenure) complain about not having enough time. Mind you, this is a small school with an average class size of 14. So when someone's teaching their 2 course "load," they could have around 30 students...and still complain about teaching! Moral of the story is that regardless of how much better academic labor can be compared to other forms of labor, it is, nonetheless, -labor.- Figuring out which balance of labor will thrill and satisfy you is the trick. If you truly enjoy students ("young people," right?) and truly enjoy the performative nature of doing some Socratic Method classroom tricks with them, a 3-3 will be fine. If you dread teaching, or find it an annoying disruption of a day you could otherwise spend writing something for an (academic) audience, then it makes sense to minimize the amount of it you have to do. But you also need to consider how many total preps are involved. What's your course rotation? The same five preps every year? Or five plus another three over the subsequent year? Are all the preps/courses lower-level, upper-level, required, or elective? Do you only 'get' to teach at times the tenured faculty hate (and so will you)? These are things to consider beyond the basics of 'load.'
What is the etiquette for cancelling an interview - due to accepting a position elsewhere - for which the hosting department has already purchased airline tickets? This hasn't happened yet, but I want to be prepared.
Hi. I'm a social psychologist. The psych wiki is no where near as active as this one, so I hope you don't mind that I post a question here. Here's my situation: I have a job offer from A. I interviewed recently at B, and I have an interview first week of Jan at place C. Place A has a high teaching load and the faculty aren't particularly engaged in research--though they told me that they have high expectations for grants and publication for me. Place B is my dream job. I think I'm ranked 2nd. I've contacted the dept chair to no avail, then I contacted the SCC, and he congratulated me on my offer, but didn't give me any indication of where they are at in the process. Place C would be a better institution than the place where I have an offer.
question: Place A contacted me 12/12 and has given me only one week to decide! WTH? I can't afford to be on the market another year and am scared that if I turn down place A and don't get another offer that i'm going to have to leave academia all together. I've been teaching 12 courses per year to survive, and been publishing a major article every year, but I just can't keep this up. I'm tired and nearly bankrupt. Any suggestions??
RE: Cancelling an interview. Actually, in my limited experience as a faculty member and job market participant in years past, I have found this to be a pretty common occurrence.
Call or email the search chair as soon as you get the other offer (if you the first job) and explain that you are going to accept the other position. Apologize for the inconvenience and thank them for the interest. Committees generally understand the complexity of the job market.
1. Does Place A know that you have other interviews? If not, inform them that you would like to honor your other commitments and that you'd be happy to have an answer by {insert end date of last interview}. When I was in this situation, I was very honest and told them that completing my interviews was important and that if I had to decide by the initial deadline, then the answer was going to have to be no. They responded very well and gave me the extra time.
2. Does Place C know that you have an offer? If not, let them know that you would like to have a better sense of your status at their school.
It's always nerve-wrecking to be in that situation. If it's possible that other places may still call, and you were really not pleased with Place A, then I personally would take the gamble. Good luck to you!
Re: Canceling an interview Remember that the money for the ticket is coming from the university/college, not from any individual people. So while the committee members will be disappointed, they do understand and can simply move on to the next candidate on their list.
Any thoughts on whether it would be appropriate/inappropriate to ask for a "transition" day when traveling internationally for an interview? i have been an invited for a campus interview and was told that the interview will likely involve a casual dinner with colleagues on the arrival day. after 10 hours of traveling and a 7 hour time difference, that sounds a bit daunting. would it be horribly tacky to ask if i could arrive a day early? would i need to offer to pay for the extra day of hotel?
Question: if a committee meets, lets say, Monday and decides they want to extend an offer...whats the soonest they can actually call the candidate to offer the position? Don't they have to go through an approval process? And will it be held up at this time of the year?
I ask because I got the impression they may offer the position and want an answer rather quickly but I have interviews for another month that I want to go on....and so I am trying to figure out timeline! Thanks!!!!!
What are the red flags to warn a candidate that the competition is an inside candidate? I guess nothing can be done about it, but I'm trying to figure out whether I'm in that position. I have an interivew coming up right after the break.
I don't know - but for the two schools I got offers from, I was their last candidate. One contacted me about nine days later but the other one contacted me two days later, although I think I was the first choice candidate for both schools. Of course, the schools were different - school 1 was a bigger private R1, and school 2 was smaller, public, and a teaching oriented institution. But at least here are two data points for you to muse over! Good luck. :)
5:45 here, at the conclusion of my interview they were very inquisitive about how likely i would be to accept the position and gave me the impression they would likely offer. I explained that I was highly interested but had interviews scheduled through the end of January (Jan 31st and in fact have 6 interviews in the two weeks preceeding that but didnt want them to know that because then they may think there was more competition).
I also explained that I felt more favorably towards their dept than I had anywhere else I interviewed thus far and could easily see myself there and happy...
They let me know that if they offered they would want a decision rather quickly, and I told them that I would hope that the information about my other interviews (or projected timeline) wouldnt restrict them from offering the position as I would very seriously consider it.
And I have had great contact since then with them....but I know they are meeting this week to decide so it makes me nervous!
How would you handle this...I really want to visit the rest of the schools (and have actually promised one that I would visit prior to accepting any other offers).
7:03, think about what you would lose/gain by accepting the offer now vs. going on the other interviews. If you truly feel favorable toward this school, you get a good offer, and you could see yourself happy there, then why turn down an offer just to go on more interviews. If its not your dream schools, and you want to hold out hope for one of the others where you have interviews, then just don't accept the offer. If you were to rank the schools, the location, and the overall quality of life at all of the places, what comes out on top? From my perspective, it makes sense to base decisions about offers on that.
I got an offer about a week or so ago via phone but havent received an offer in writing. My question is if I am asking for more time to make the decision, does the time I have start from when they told me i had an offer or from when i receive it in writing? They told me a date already and said they would work on getting me more time. Any advice?
Tyically you don't get official letters/contracts until all negotiations are done. If you need something in writing to use with negotiations with other schools, then have the chair write up the details of your current offer in an email. From my experience, people will use an email from the search chair or dean.
Re: Inside candidates--I was interviewing for a position with an insider candidate. My advice is to go in and just give them your best performance. Even with an inside candidate, you should think of your job talk and interview as an opportunity to make a good impression on fellow sociologists with whom you may potentially some day collaborate; at least that was the way I approached my situation. In the end, I did not get the offer (it went to the insider). However, I did hear that several of the senior faculty were very impressed with my research/talk and had it not been for a couple of heavy weights advocating for the inside candidate, I would have received an offer. Of course, my "source" could have just told me this in order to make me feel better. So who knows. Like many people on this blog have mentioned already, when you're at the stage where you've received an campus interview, the actual interview is mostly about fit and internal factions within the department and less about you per se (unless of course, you bomb your job talk). Still, it does suck to know that there's already an inside favorite. ..but screw that--just go and knock their socks off! :-)
Well, I got a job over the person who was the very definition of an inside candidate, so just don't worry about it! There's no point-- you can't do anything!
And you could instead find out that you didn't get the job not because they chose an inside candidate, but because the department thought hiring nobody they interviewed was better than hiring you. That hurts more.
On the other hand, I'm sure I'm one of many who's hoping this is exactly the decision of some of the departments that have made an offer and are waiting. Maybe they'd bypass the other people they already interviewed and give me another look?
I had a bizarre experience one year of being the inside candidate in one job and competing against a -very- inside candidate at another job. I was offered both jobs, and without even having to get tough, was offered more money to stay where I was (which I decided to do). You just never know, and like the previous poster, you also never know who you might run into later. I've had some really lovely contacts with people I met because they interviewed me for jobs (that I did or didn't get - immaterial in some ways).
the other lesson that 'market grizzled' offers here is that the 'inside candidate' that you are competing against may also be looking elsewhere. just because someone is a VAP where you are looking doesn't necessarily mean that they are the best fit for the new hiring line OR that their preference is to stay put. i have been a VAP where a TT slot came up and while i applied, there were plenty of other jobs for which i was a better fit. always interview and never assume!
Here is a newbie question. What is the function of a VAP? Why would departments create a VAP and why would someone take a VAP?
I was offered a VAP at a place where I interviewed. The place could not extend me a regular job offer (it is complicated) but they offered me a VAP instead and said that they may have a regular faculty opening next year, with the implication that I would be considered.
Is this how VAPs generally work--positions explicitly created to allow candidates entry into a regular faculty position. Or is it just a glorified teaching position?
VAPs are typically really temporary full-time positions (and yes, teaching only). Oftentimes they are sabbatical or leave replacements (I once applied for a three-year VAP that was filling for someone who had become a Dean on a three-year term). I think that VAPs are preferable to using adjuncts to fill these voids, since you usually get the same benefits (and often the same pay) as the tenure-track people.
Sometimes departments create VAP positions to accommodate spousal hires.
Sometimes if a department ends up with a vacancy (a faculty member leaving) they may use a VAP to fill for a year while they do a search for the tenure-track line, in which case there's a chance you'd be in the running.
I have also heard of departments hiring a VAP and hoping to show the need to turn that into tenure-track (what I think you're being offered), but I think this is more rare than the other situations. And if you read enough of the chronicle forums, you should realize that getting hired from VAP to tenure-track is not at all a guaranteed deal.
As for why someone would take a VAP... I took one for some full-time teaching experience while I was ABD and not ready for the t-t market. It was also nice to get a real salary for that year, even if I had less time to work on my diss.
I think the experience helped me on the market, and it definitely helped me in my first year on the tenure-track, because I had gotten a whole lot of stupid mistakes out of the way at my VAP job!
in general, the more coherently and confidently you can present and defend your talk without relying on materials, the better impression you will make. reading is an absolute no-no. everyone in the room is quite literate and doesn't need to attend your job talk for that. powerpoints should be used only for crucial information (this varies widely according to the type of work you do and the forms of data you may want to present). you want the focus on you, not the slides.
I don't agree that "reading is a no-no" as 1/26 put it. I think that creates an unrealistic expectation for job candidates. I think that monotonous reading from a paper is inappropriate but reading a well-rehearsed speech is the norm. I've witnessed at least a dozen job talks and given two myself and for the successful talks, all were readings from a written document. In fact, the one "practice" time I tried to just use an outline, I was told it was too informal and it appeared that I wasn't taking the event seriously. That said, don't read a journal article, rewrite it into a presentation.
When faculty at a small liberal arts university all get together and ask you about your teaching, what do they ask?
a friend told me: 1- how would you teach a specific class? 2- how would you encourage discussion? 3- are there service learning opportunities that complement your syllabi? 4- what's new/special about what you bring to specific classes?
Re Job Talks. When I did my practice job talk, I tried to memorize as much of it as possible, and just refer to an outline for what I couldn't memorize. It was OK, but people who watched thought my voice was rather monotone, probably because I was concentrating so hard on repeating what I had memorized! For my actual job talk, I wrote out a script, but practised it enough times so that it was mostly committed to memory. I had the script in front of me so I could refer to it when I needed it, but I was able to go for several minutes at a time without looking at it. This made my talk much more animated, and I was less nervous because I had the words in front of me.
well, to each her/his own, i guess. i respect that we all have different impressions of what job talks should be conveying (just as some departments will also have different goals and instructions). when i attend job talks and consider potential colleagues, if one doesn't know their own work well enough to be able to articulate it in a rehearsed talk i find it hard to imagine how they will be an effective teacher.
I think this is a false comparison between one's style of job talk and teaching ability. Job talks are much more stressful events. Memorizing a talk makes me feel much more confident. While it may not give a better impression than someone who can speak eloquently off-the-cuff, it's certainly better than *my* version of extemporaneous speaking. At the same time, I have always been very comfortable teaching, so I haven't had the same problems. And teaching shouldn't be all about lecturing, so one's speaking style is less of an issue. As a teacher, most of my class time is taken up by class discussion and group work, not lectures.
To 1.28pm I just returned from an interview at an SLAC. From what I remember about the teaching questions, they asked axplicitly: How would you teach about your dissertation? What is your worst teaching experience? What classes can you/have you taught? What would I know after X class? Why is that important? There was also a question about pedagogy and another one about the learning environment, but I can't remember exactly.
Re: job talks - also be prepared for various set-ups in the room. There might be a lecturn, or not. You might be able to see your computer, or not. And you might be standing really close to the front row (where they could see your notes) or the screen (where you might block your visuals). You want to know your talk well enough that you can handle the unexpected without being thrown.
for those of us who are interviewing while visibly pregnant:
I practiced my job talk in my (boring) maternity suit. But I did not practice walking around a campus all day long. Imagine my surprise when those stupid maternity pants wouldn't stay up! Someone suggested that I try suspenders. It was too late for this interview but I'll be getting some before the next.
Anyway, I hope this helps for anyone out there who might not think of such a thing.
How long does it generally take candidates to hear back about job offers from the point at which a decision is made by the search committee? Which buraaucratic channels must the offer first traverse before reaching the candidate?
1:07...depends on the school. I got one offer only two days after my interview. I have never seen it take more than one week once the department has made the decision. Even then, they give you some sort of indication that you "will be hearing from them soon." If its a very long wait, the more likely case is that they have offered the position to someone else and are waiting for his/her decision.
RE length of wait for offer after dept makes decision: in my case it took a few weeks after the department made a decision (the paperwork got lost on the dean's desk). So, it can take awhile.
I highly doubt paperwork THAT important would get lost on a Dean's desk. Thats probably just what they told you. Departments that want to make a hire communicate with the Dean to make sure its all going to go through. They don't just send a packet via inter-office mail and then wait for a few weeks...
Regardless of the reason given for a delay, the point of 10:12's comment is that it can take quite a while to hear back. My impression is that lots of important stuff (including entire positions) can fall through cracks at some schools.
One school didn't offer me the position because I "didn't have enough experience," which I took as meaning that I was too young. It doesn't change the fact that I wasn't offered the job.
One place called me the day after I left to offer me a position. Another called on a Monday (I left on a Friday evening). In both cases, the schools conveyed the fact that they had moved really fast, and had also done a lot of the red tape stuff before I even arrived. At two other places (where I was the final candidate interviewed), it took a week or so before I heard from them, but both told me that they weren't pursuing my candidacy anymore - I assume they were waiting to hear back from their #1's, and then had to decide what to do when they were turned down.
I've heard two different responses from my faculty advisors. One person thinks it's when you arrange to have your 9 month salary spread out over 12 months so you can more easily transition into your new job. Another faculty person thinks it when you bargain for more money in a start-up package with the argument that you'll be working in the summer anyway.
Summer salary is NOT spreading your 9-month pay over 12 months. That is just a pay option offered at many if not all schools, that makes sense if you aren't sure you can raise your 3 months of summer salary yourself (or if you don't think you can save enough to survive in the summers).
Summer salary is what you ask for when you are hired, to "cover" your summer months (even if you are being paid over 12 months). At some places, you can get up to 2/9ths of summer salary, and at others, you are allowed to earn three full months.
Summer salary is also what you earn through grants, once you run out of whatever your school offers.
So, summer salary is a great way to earn way more money (up to 30%) than you would with your regular salary! That's why it's so nice when you can get it, especially early on--it can help you do things like buy a house.
One tip re: summer salary- if you only can negotiate one or two months of summer salary (ie. 1/9th or 2/9ths pay), it can help a lot to get it the summer before you arrive on campus. Finances get really tight around that time, esp. b/c it's harder to maintain an RA/Teaching job while you're moving.
I think you are being highly unfair to international students. First, most international students who get in have a masters degree, and some have even taught abroad, while many American students come straight out of college. Second, international students are a minority, at least in my department, and further, professors tend to dismiss much of dicussion of international issues as unimportant. Second, given that the U.S. is the center of world science (and political power), it is not surprising that there are many internationals wanting to come here. We are coming from the whole world, so we are many more. Third, international students often study and bring knowledge about foreign countries but get severely penalized for this on the job market, because their field is defined as "too narrow" (the same with American students studying other countries). They also get penalized in interviews for not "fitting" with the "culture" of the department, which requires "american" ways of socialization. And no, we are not going back to our countries, because we need to contribute to the distorted view that Americans have of our countries, which affects how our countries are treated in international politics
I was considering starting the 2008-2009 blog. Did people care whether we stuck with blogspot or not? Has someone already done this?
Note: my interest in doing this is a combo of curiousity and planning. I'm putting together some stuff for my department, and wanted to provide the link for the next blog (but found none). I managed to get a job this past year, so I would be merely a lurker on the site.
399 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 399 of 399I would be pissed if any candidates asked who was interviewing (that's gauche, in my opinion). I would certainly not reveal who the others were.
Even if you asked, I'm not sure they're legally allowed to give out that information about another person.
Also, keep in mind that even knowing every detail about the other candidates will not help you figure out your odds--the whole thing is such a crap shoot. Which I'm sure everyone has figured out by now...but it would suck worse to be saying, when it's all over, "I can't believe they hired him...he doesn't even have any good pubs." You just can never know why they made the decision they made, unless you have an insider to give you the real scoop.
5:19 -
you asked why someone would accept a post-doc position at this point in the year. in my case, i was offered a chance to spend a year working closely with someone i admire on a funded project i helped write the grant for. since my chances of landing an assistant professor job seem to be somewhere between slim and none, i jumped at the post-doc chance.
i really can't speak to overall protocol, but my adviser did tell me that it would not be unethical to accept an interview and then negotiate the post-doc year. i also know my department has hired people under similar circumstances.
Hi,
Does anyone have any advice on how best to give a talk that will be delivered to the general campus - to undergrads, soc dept members, and members of other depts?
Many thanks!
A few general pointers:
First, find the "common denominator" in your research, that aspect which everyone can at least relate to. Start from there, even if that isn't the main point.
Second, be a little more "mickey mouse" (than you would for a purely soc talk) when covering theory or literature that will be unfamiliar to most of the audience. Don't make too many assumptions about what your audience already knows/understands.
Third, if you are including more technical or jargony stuff (which may be important to flex your sociological muscle), then make sure you also bring it back full circle for the non-soc people. i.e. "This is a fancy way of saying x, y, z."
Fourth, I personally would try to use more anecdotes from the data to illustrate any abstract concepts.
Finally, keep in mind that those other people are there for the same reason as the soc people: to see if you should be hired. So, it's more important to be articulate, engaging, and on top of your stuff. It's not a bad thing if people leave saying "well, I'm not sure I understood the entire talk, but I certainly thought it was an interesting idea/topic."
Hey....anyone know about Marshall, St. Norbert, Cal State Sacramento, and UNF? Good/Bad? Anyone else heard from them? What are they interested in that may not be mentioned in thier job ad, and strengths and weaknesses?
I talked to CSU Sacramento at the ASA and liked them a lot. It is an unusual job - it's the most diverse of the CSU campuses in terms of race, ethnicity and age. The mean age of students is 25, so they are especially interested in knowing that you're interested in (and understand the needs of) non-traditional aged students. The load is 3-3 for the social psych and 2-3 for the methods job (bc of lab time). They also told me that tenure review is 70% teaching, 15% research and 15% service.
Thanks so much, 2:32. Very helpful! And I agree with the suggestion to include a lot of quotes, stories, etc. I appreciate it ...
Thanks 3:23....that was very helpful and useful! I will be sure to mention my experience with teaching diverse populations should I receive a campus visit....
I have a fly-out scheduled for early next month at a university with a strong teaching focus. As part of my interview, I am expected to give a 30-minute teaching presentation to an upper-division gen ed class "outlining a theory, pertinent research findings, and implications for practice".
I am wondering how others have handled these teaching presentations in the past. Is there an expected format for such presentations? I'd like to deliver a presentation that is more interactive (i.e., asking questions to engage students in discussion) but am not sure if the standard protocol is a straight lecture. I'd appreciate any thoughts/feedback on this. Thanks!
4:40 --
Ask the SC chair (i) how large the class will be (i.e., how many students); and (ii) what they are covering a couple weeks before you (so you have a sense of whether they have any background sociological knowledge). That should give you enough information to determine how to structure your teaching demo. Last year, I used a combination of straight lecture (you have to convey information, after all) and group work to make sure everyone was interacting and talking. It seemed to work fine. Good luck with your interview!
A random interview tip - I have TWICE in my career been on interviews where I was housed in a charming inn located right next to railroad tracks. With multiple trains coming through in the middle of the night. Next week, I leave for another interview - I'm packing earplugs.
Oh yes, earplugs and sleeping pills are essential! I was once housed in a *dorm*! I hated dorms as an undergrad and they were exponentially worse as a grownup.
I think it worked in my favor though - when I told the faculty (who didn't know the chair arranged for this) they were mortified and felt so bad for me. Who knows if they would have been as kind were I to have had a good night of sleep?
-Mel
Thanks 5:38! Your comments were very helpful!
6:33 That's hilarious! (in retrospect only, of course.) Did you have to shower in a shared bathroom and everything?
Does anyone know if UMass had their Nov 5 meeting? Are they interviewing senior folks or are they going back to their junior pool?
What is the norm for the amount of time candidates have to respond to an offer?
No, thankfully I had my own shower. Whew.
That said, it was the first big snowstorm of the year so the undergrads were outside my window having snowball fights all night.
Good times. Seriously good times.
-Mel
I think the shortest amount of time for a decision (that is ethical) is two weeks.
You can usually stretch that to at least four if you have other interviews to go on. But expect them to pressure you a bit.
so a matter of days is not customary? just wanted to check my "reality" by comparing to others. seems unrealistic to me.
I've had three different schools give me only a couple of days to decide. I found it really obnoxious and very stressful! Luckily I had other interviews coming up, so I was able to say no to them. But looking back, I would have said yes to one of them had I had more time!
Can anyone describe what to expect from an interview with the dean? What are they likely to ask? What should/may I ask?
Thanks.
they typically ask a very general question about your research. they just want to here that you are doing something and that you are articulate. they tend to be more involved in the "big picture" of the university or division, so ask them questions about the important directions the university is moving, where do they see the university in the next 5 to 10 years...those type of "mission" and "vision" questions seem to go over pretty well in my experience. sometimes they also want to know how you can give to their community outside of the dept. think about connections you can make to wm and gender studies, international studies, first year experience programming, etc...
at some places, you will also have to meet the provost or president. they usually get the same questions from me.
Thanks a lot, 7:23.
Re: deans- Assume that they haven't read anything about you except maybe your CV. One dean asked me about my next project. I launched into details, and he was confused-- he need me to give him more of a "sound bite" about the type of scholar that I am, and then something about my future research. In other words, you can and should repeat some of the statements that you polished in your cover letter, teaching statement, etc. These deans often see a ton of candidates (in some ways, it seems like mostly a performance by the university and a big waste of their time, though it can make you, as a candidate, feel kind of important.)
7:23 and 1:00 - Wow - thanks, that's really helpful!
partners and kids....
I have an upcoming interview. I know it's not legal of them to ask me if I'm married/have children but I don't want to feel awkward trying to hide this information if a casual conversation happens to touch on these issues. On the other hand I have two kids- one very young and if I tell them I'm afraid they will think that I will not be a productive scholar.
What's the norm? How to handle this?
PS. I'm female.
Anyone have any inside news about USC? Do they at least have a long/short list? Thanks!!
About partners/kids/personal life: I'm a woman, and honestly, I've always brought this stuff up (appropriately) in interviews. My partner is also a woman, so I basically out myself by talking about her and the kids. I'm sure certain types of departments would hold it against me, but I've been offered every job I've interviewed for save for one. One of my criteria is that a place be family friendly (in all senses of the word)so if they held my partnership/parenthood/sexuality against me I wouldn't want to be there anyway (plus, tenure would be a b****!)....
I've been asked to go to a dinner with the committee and other faculty the day before my interview. What should I expect besides them monitoring table manners? What to wear?
if you're applying to more remote places having a family may be an advantage. The attractiveness of the place may be due to it's being family friendly
dress comfortably but professionally. they'll expect you to talk about bit about your research. they'll expect you to ask some questions about the department. track down their cvs beforehand, so you can ask something intelligent about their work and the classes they teach. basically, these dinners are a chance for them to see if you are normal and a friendly person they'd like to work with and perhaps even hang out with from time to time. my biggest advice is have a sense of humor and ask them about non school things like wheres a fun place to go rock climbing or whatever you're into.
Dinner with faculty the night before your job talk is part of the interview. Expect them to grill you about your work, next project, what you might want to teach, etc. They are also trying to determine how articulate you are and what kind of a colleague you will be. Most faculty want to work with friendly, socially adept people. You should also be prepared with intelligent questions for them about their department, students and university. Whatever you do, don't drink too much or at all. I limited myself to a glass of wine or less and only if others were drinking. Dress nicely--one step down from a suit.
About the dinner with faculty & committee members: how much detail are you expected to know about each person? And also, if you start asking more questions related to lifestyle (eg, fun things to do in the area or good places to live), doesn't it give off the impression that perhaps you are too eager? I always struggle with having to balance between wanting to keep my cool (ie, not being overly eager) but yet at the same time, expressing my interest. I've had a couple of phone conversations/interviews now where I felt as though I was "too eager" upon reflection afterwards. Does sounding too eager and excited give off the impression that you don't have any other options (which is not the case in situation...I just come off as sounding eager and excited whenever I get nervous). Any thoughts on this?
Re: Family issues. I have a child, and I've done a few interviews. I bring this up selectively, depending on the vibe of the department. At one school, I very casually mentioned my baby. No one brought the topic up again, and I took that as a bad sign-- not the kind of place I want to work. Sometimes people give you an in-- e.g. "do you want to know about the local schools?" Another school where I interviewed had a faculty party that included kids while I was there. That was lovely! I think having a child has helped me in some circumstances-- schools believe me when I say want to live in college town (which is true).
I understand how it can be weird to withhold the information, because talking about kids can be a great way to bond with people and for them to get to know you. (And besides, our children are a major part of our lives!) It's also really nice to be able to talk to people about daycare, schools, etc.
sounding eager is a good thing. sounding over confident is quite another...and probably not a good thing.
if you are dealing with junior faculty at dinner, i believe it is important to come across as a real person in addition to being a competent, productive academic.
these dinners are your time to listen carefully as the junior faculty are likely to give you subtle (or not so subtle) hints about the political terrain of the dept and university. during a recent interview, i learned quite a lot at the dinner. this really helped me put my own observations within a larger context.
Does anyone have any experience or advice about handling a hostile or aggressive one-to-one meeting during your on campus visit? I have seen (and heard about) challenging questions during the job talk, but recently heard about someone who was treated very rudely "behind closed doors." Is that something we should expect?
9:03--
I experienced an exceptionally hostile one-on-one in a context of otherwise extremely warm and positive meetings. I think that how much this matters is going to depend on whether this was about me or if this is someone who is hostile in general.
I wasn't prepared for it and I lost my temper a bit but I also steadily stayed on topic and talked about my expertise and research. That said, I was glad to have that meeting end.
I had a passive aggressive/hostile experience with one person at a university where everyone else was perfectly nice. This person basically told me I had been "seduced" by my field site, which is not true. In retrospective, I think this person was threatened by me.
I think the people who are nasty tend to be individual personalities-- we all can imagine who in our own departments say inappropriate things!
I also think that it's a good idea to try to use nasty remarks/criticisms as useful information. The person who says inappropriate things might just be voicing a perception that many people have but are too polite or uninvested to tell us. So, I've tried to use this person's comment as a clue into how I could present myself a little differently.
Re: conversations at dinner and seeming too eager.... SCs like the idea that you might deign to actually consider an offer, should they like to give you one. Seeming disinterested - which includes asking NO questions about the town/city where the school is, what it's like to live there, etc - might be a flag for the SC that you are not actually attempting to envision yourself there. Conversely, you can infer some things from SC members' behavior. I went on an interview once for a position that included responsibility for internships. I did a lot of research on potential opportunities in that city. During my job talk, no one asked me a single question about it. Immediate red flag (turns out they had an inside candidate and my interview was a mere formality they had to engage in). But speaking from the SC point of view, throw us a bone. If you're coming to campus for an interview, it's the culmination of a very long process of meetings, deliberations, and maybe some conflicts. You're there because you're at the top of the pool. The SC wants you to give it your all; they want to be impressed - they want to want you. By the time you're in the top 3 - being invited to campus - they're not looking for reasons to dump you from consideration. Studied disinterest can come across poorly and I've seen SCs say, 'X just didn't seem to connect with anyone. She didn't seem to be interested in the campus/the students/us/the job.'
i agree. SCs really want to like and connect with candidates. it really makes them frustrated to bring people in who show no real interest in what's happening in the dept, university or community. i've heard people our SCs comment on the lack of interest and excitement displayed during interviews (including phone interviews).
re: Conference presentations during the job market year
Some of us still have conference presentations to do in the near future - this advice is for you.
If you're giving a conference talk (even a roundtable!) during the year that you're on the market, be sure to do a good job and to not do anything too risky (unless you can do it well). It is very likely that SC members will come to your talk just to check you out.
This was not obvious to me during the ASA. I used my roundtable to generate discussion on a particularly problematic concept rather than to give a good presentation of my work. There was a SC member sitting right next to me. Needless to say, I never got a call back there. I took this to heart and at my next conference, I gave a stellar talk. There was a SC Chair at that talk. I at least made the long-short list at that place.
I still kick myself about my blown ASA opportunity. That was stupid. Please, benefit from my idiocy and give good conference talks when you're on the market.
Keep in mind that departments are also trying to sell themselves to you! So, you should be prepared with some questions for them about what their lives are like living where they do and working for the college/university. If there's an activity, interest, facility or resource that's important for you to have in your life to be productive, you should feel ok asking about it at some point during your visit -- usually in more informal contexts (over meals or meetings with students). For some folks that's education, child care, and parental leave; for some it's employment oppourtunities for a significant other; for some it's recreational stuff, like gym facilities, competitive basketweaving tournaments, or the local music/arts scene.
Asking about quality of life issues is a way to signal that you're interested and serious about the position.
Hi all,
I'm flying out for an interview next week, and I'd like to solicit your opinions about how much background research a candidate should conduct on the current faculty. Do you think that a deep knowledge of each faculty member's research could be perceived as kissing up or too eager? Hmmm...
I think it's nice if you can show that your research is relevant to what individual faculty do when you meet one-on-one. In other words, it's best if you can use their research to spark a conversation about a topic of mutual interest, or some way that you overlap. Then you're showing that you and the faculty can have conversations about relevant topics. Who doesn't want a colleague like that?
Job talk question: have the ones you've seen begun with a "Hello, and thank you for being here" sort of thing? Is there a standard for thanking people - the dean or the SC, or the audience? Or do you just jump right in?
Thanks in advance.
If you have a phone interview and it goes well, but then they ask for a follow-up phone interview, what do you think they will be asking? What do you think is the purpose?
My guess would be a tie-breaker. Maybe you sounded nervous the first time and someone thinks it will be better the second time around?
i think it means they've selected you as a finalist and want to take the opportunity to give you more information about the school and position to gauge your interest before deciding who to bring out.
Re: what to say at the beginning of the talk. I just say thanks for having me, and then I launch into my talk. I think that more than that might seem over the top.
Re: Beginning the job talk--
I like to personally thank a couple folks if applicable, especially somebody like the department admin if s/he helped you a lot getting set up or the search committee chair. Maybe a bit corny sometimes, but those are generally thankless tasks and people really deserve to be thanked for them. Don't know if it affects people's impression of you either way, but I don't know if that really matters.
Brown rejection was for Org Studies.
I'm applying at a school where my father worked in a professional position on staff (not on the faculty). Some of the emeriti in the soc department are family friends. how much of this, if any should I say in my cover letter? (beyond expressing my interest in the geographic area due to family connections)
If I were you I wouldn't put any information about your family connections to the area or to the department. Your letter should focus on your professional qualifications for the job and your "fit" for it as a scholar and teacher. During a phone interview you might want to hint at the fact that in addition to your strong interest in the institution for x, y, z (academic/professional) reasons, you have strong ties to the area/institution. During a campus visit would be the time to discuss the specifics of those ties. This is at least the advice I was given by mentors and colleagues. On the other hand, if one of those family friends was in a position to write you a letter of recommendation or do more casual advocacy with his/her former colleagues, that would be a good way to mark your application.
I respectfully disagree with the last post. I will not give you advice but tell you what i did.
I applied for one job that is in my hometown. I of course focused on how the dept. seemed a great fit for academic reasons, but I also made clear that I would love to return home and do research that is locally informed. I mentioned that I had even taken classes as an undergrad in that U.
I got the interview- and it's a pretty good school- and on the phone and on campus everyone already knew I was a local girl and was so excited and wanted to talk about it.
In my thinking, they spend so much time and money on a search. if a person seems qualified AND has personal connections that make them think you may want to stay, then they may get more excited about you versus someone else who may simply come because the dept is good but perhaps seeks to move in in a couple years.
I recently went through a similar type situation. I included only one sentence in my letters about my connections to the area. Then in the phone interview I mentioned more. That seems to solidify their interest in me.
To some degree I think all these connections can work against the candidate. If they think you are a sure thing if given an offer, then what motivation do they have to give you a competitive salary and other benefits? In my experience you can get a really crumby offer with no negotiation.
I think SCs may want to know if you have ties to a city/town or a particular school, because then they can relax (a little) about trying to sell you on the place. I don't see why that should undermine your later negotiations (unless you made it clear that you'd only ever work for them). One of the thing many academics give up or exchange for being a professor is influence over what region, city, state, or even nation they get to live in. Many trade in a great place for a better job (and vice-versa).
In terms of negotiating once they make you an offer, my advice is to negotiate hard but in good faith. Everything is negotiable, within reason. Find out what the new assistant professors have gotten recently at that school and its peers. Then ask for a little more. If you don't ask for it, they won't know to give it to you.
General interviewing question: when you do a teaching demonstration, should you thank the class for letting you come in? Any general advice about these demonstrations?
sometimes depts will negotiate. sometimes they will not. i don't think it is appropriate to assume they will.
Re: negotiating.
I think it depends on how many resources a school has.
My question is, how do you find out what others have been offered recently at that particular school?
Re: teaching demo (or any other presentation that is part of this process), I would say that you definitely want to be cordial and personable. Thank them for the invitation or something like that. Try to imagine yourself as an undergrad in that classroom and aim to do what you would have liked to see in this kind of presentation.
8:55 Why would it NOT be appropriate to assume that negotiation is OK? Negotiation means having a discussion in order to come to an agreement -- it doesn't mean conceding to demands (for either side). Why should the market be based on fixed price??
Sure, some departments have less leeway than others. But departments make adjustments and concessions all the time (even crappy ones like mine!). Things to negotiate: salary, tenure clock, course load (reductions or increases for extra $), teaching schedule/distribution, summer money (for research or teaching), office space (window?) and equipment (desktop computer, laptop, digital recorders/cameras), travel $, outside speaker invitations, research/teaching assistant(s), service (committee work). You should ask for whatever you think you need to do be productive in the job. The time to ask for those things is before you formally accept the offer (which happens before you sign a contract). Get it in writing.
some departments will not negotiate. i recently had experience with one that refused to negotiate anything.
sure, we'd like to think all departments are open to negotiation, but realistically, some won't.
of course, you should always ask for better offers (within reason), but my point is you may find that some departments won't negotiate -- either because they've offered all they can or because the chair refuses to drag out the process.
This may be a strange question to ask..., but I will be leaving for an on-campus interview this weekend and am so paranoid about leaving something that I should definately bring with me on the trip. Could anyone tell me a list of things that I should make sure to bring with me? -- Thanks.
I don't have time to contribute a full list right now, but here are a few things that might slip your mind:
1. Extras of anything indispensible that might get a hole in it, easily get lost, etc. (contacts, pantyhose, jump drive with presentation)
2. Things to repair other things (sewing kit, first aid kit, manicure set, tide pen)
3. gum or mints
4. snacks to hide in your briefcase
9:44,
For starters:
1) a backup means of presenting your findings, in case Plan A fails (i.e., Powerpoint and overhead transparencies);
2) a bottle for water;
3) a few granola bars;
4) info on departmental faculty, with pictures if possible
Other stuff that I took/found useful (even for a short trip):
1) phone charger
2) pepto bismo pills, bean-o, advil
3) business cards (if you already have them)
4) I also brought a copy of my cv and writing sample, just in case
5) a list of q's to ask others (near the end, I ran out of stuff to ask about because my brain was wiped)
I'd add:
-copies of your CV and syllabi
-general information on the dept graduate and undergrad curriculum, as well as university core curriculum (they're impressed when you have a sense of this before hand)
-ibuprofen or tylenol and a sleep aid (You will probably get a headache and you almost definitely will not sleep well.)
Remember the FAA rules about liquids in your carry-on bag... You might want to wait until you've gotten past security to buy that bottle of water!
i'd add bring along some blank transparency sheets if you are using overheads...
at the last minute you might find something you want to change...most hotels will have printers, but not necessarily transparencies... and you might be SOL in locating a Kinko's.
What's your experience about thank you e-mails/letters? I sent thank you e-mails after my on campus interview and the responses that I received are, well, somewhat neutral....like "I'm pleased to meet you...good luck with your job search".
Is this standard or am I right in thinking that I didn't get the job??
Hmm. It's hard to say. You could be right. I, however, always send such neutral replies, because you never want to give the candidate the wrong idea (even if you are pretty sure they'll be picked). I follow them up with much more enthusiastic notes once the candidate gets the offer. So, again, hard to say--but I wouldn't read too much into it.
really, it would be inappropriate to reply with anything but a neutral response. it is after all a committee decision/recommendation. no one person should be conveying any information that could be misconstrued either way... the fact that you are looking for signals in these e-mails only reinforces this point...
This certainly does not contradict the above statements, but I have had a different experience. I wrote thank you emails to some folks I met with at one institution. One response was similar to yours above, but the chair and one other prof. emphasized how great it would be if I wound up there and that they were trying to decide quickly.
At both another place and the one just mentioned, several said my talk went great...
But I had another interview where I did not get such positive responses. Whether that means I was less liked, or simply that they were more tight lipped, I don't know.
Some other good things to pack:
* A small toothbrush and tube of paste or at least a little bottle of mouthwash-- sometimes those lunches can be heavy.
* I like Calms Forte for helping me fall asleep. You can get it at health food stores/Whole Foods type places, and it doesn't make me groggy.
* I copy the faculty bios and pictures into a word document and print it out. That way, I can review it in the bathroom between meetings.
* Ask ahead if you need to bring your own laptop, or if the school has the equipment already. That way, it's one less thing to lug around all day.
i interviewed for a job a couple years ago at a dream school and as i was leaving a member of the faculty said something like "i really enjoyed your visit -- we will see you next year." and then i didn't get the job. so it might actually be preferable to get neutral responses -- it really is the responsible thing to do until the decision is actually made.
just received a rejection letter from University of Maryland, Baltimore County
In happy news, I just learned I have two phone interviews at acceptable-to-me schools. Here are my questions:
1) How often do you update your letter-writers about progress on the job market? (I don't want to annoy them, but want to share good news.)
2) At what point can I reach out to the folks at the Ideal-Place that I haven't heard from and say, "Hey, I'm interviewing...do I still have a shot at Ideal-Place?"
If you are very close with your advisor, I'd probably keep him/her informed with the minute details of your job search. For the others, I'd wait to notify them until you get some fly-outs. The one exception is if you know one of your letter-writers knows someone at the school where you are doing a phone interview--at that point it couldn't hurt to let them know and ask them to personally contact their friend.
As for contacting other schools, I don't think you should do that until you get another offer. At that point, you could feel free to make such a phonecall/email.
Cool, thanks ~ 8:58. That makes a lot of sense.
Related...at what point should you tell your letter writers that every place you applied has scheduled interviews and therefore they're going to have to write you letters all over again next year? I am worried that their letters will be much less positive if they think I "failed" on the job market once already (actually I realized back in Sept. that I wasn't ready and stopped applying then).
Can people share their experiences with going on the market twice?
11:28
Don't think you have failed. Just because you haven't found your match this year doesn't mean that you have failed. Please stop thinking like this.
Your professors understand this process. They will try harder to place you next year.
Don't be apologetic. That would show insecurity on your part.
I think we all worry about going on the job market multiple times, but the reality of academic life in 2007 is that almost no one will get *one* job, immediately out of grad school and then stay there the rest of their lives. That's a model better that may have fit Talcott Parsons, but doesn't work today. One bit of useful advice an advisor gave me once was that the job market is a "queue" ~ those with the sole-authored ASR articles near the front, the rest of us in line behind them.
I disagree on waiting to tell your letter writers about your progress. You really don't know most of the time when some of these people will know someone at a school who has shortlisted you. If you just send a quick and unobtrusive note to let them know, they can talk you up where appropriate. However, I am pretty close to all of my letter writers and consider all three to be close advisors. I'd feel strange telling the "technical" advisor and not the others.
I agree with 1:21 that we shouldn't think about one's first (or even second) post-PhD job as where we'll stay for an entire career. Isn't it surprising how normative faculty (and SCs) are when they discuss this? Stability is not the norm in most job sectors, and it surely isn't the norm in the Tenure System (which sometimes seems like it's designed to move folks out as opposed to up), yet, oh, how we cling to this idea!
11:28 & 12:24
Don't give up on this year yet!
People (really good people) get TT offers in April and May. Don't stop looking at job announcements, keep working on building the CV, staying ready to talk up your work, etc.
--nemo
Hello, sociology friends!
Can I get some advice on what information it is important to find out when you are on the phone scheduling an interview visit?
to ask when you're scheduling an interview:
1. Would you send me a copy of my itinerary when it's ready?
2. Should I buy the plane ticket and be reimbursed later, or will your dept. buy the ticket?
3. How long should my job talk be?
4. With whom will I be meeting?
5. Make sure to say thank you, and express some excitement (but not too much)
It's looking like I won't have to do this quite yet, but how, exactly, does scheduling an interview work? Do they ask you what the soonest you can come down is? Or do they give you options? How much lead time can you expect?
In my experience, when they call they have at least 2-3 different options for days that you choose from.
Other things to clarify:
-If you're going to be booking the flight, make sure you know the nearest/preferred airport. Also, find out what the earliest time for your return flight should be (what time interview ends, plus enough time for transportation to the airport).
-Many schools will also have you do a teaching demo (with or in place of job talk). Clarify how long, what level the class is, whether they have any preferences for content. (They will usually tell you to teach something where you feel the strongest, but it's always good to ask.)
Regarding teaching demos, don't just assume you will be allowed to pick what you want....I have two interviews back to back and both have told me what they want me to teach!
Re: Phone Interviews
I have a phone interview next week, and I haven't done anything like this before. I have been told that all members of the SC will be involved, and each will ask one question, and that all interviews are conducted the same way with the same questions. So I am under the impression there will not be a lot of back & forth -- a question will be asked, I'll ramble on, then the next question will be asked. Anyone with phone interview experiences care to share what happened? Thanks!
yes, i've had several phone interviews that worked like this. i suggest googling phone interview or academic job interview, as you can find list of typical questions. these will give you some idea of what to prepare in advance. i always go into an interview with some general ideas of points i want to make and with a set of syllabi, teachin philosophy, research agenda in front of me...
expect to talk a lot. each time i end feeling like i've talked the whole time, and to some degree, that's what is expected. also, be ready to ask them a question or two.
i think the big thing is to signal to the SC that you have done your homework and know some facts about the school, department, etc. and that you are interested in them. good questions can signal both.
I have had about 8 phone interviews so far so I feel like I am getting to be an expert at this....and I have had good and bad experiences...and a couple have turned into invites for campus interviews. I had one interview where they sent me the questions in advance and I was TOTALLY prepared with excellent answers. However, I had had a number of phone interviews prior and got used to the back-and-forth communication. Well, this one was simply ask first question, done. Answer second question, done. etc. and it threw me off sooooo bad and it was so awkward for me that I felt horrible. I even appologized at the end for being nervous and that I was nervous because I really was interested in the school. However, my answers were good...
I have not heard from that school, but they also havent been listed on the wiki as interviewing either so who knows.
The only other interview that went badly for me was my first because I was so nervous.
My suggestion is to prepare answers to questions....and when you begin to feel like you are babbling, stop. Once you answer a question, stop. That is where you begin to mess up when you ramble. If they want you to elaborate they will ask you to or ask for an example, etc.
Hope that was helpful, and I would be glad to remark more about what kinds of questions were asked....even if it is helping the "competition"....
I'm preparing for phone interviews in the coming weeks, so did the Google search suggested by someone a few posts back wondering about what questions they might ask. Here are a couple of useful links that I found which others might find useful:
A compiled list of several links (a couple of dead links, but mostly worthwhile):
http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~jbeebe2/IntvQs.htm
And this one is from the top of the compilation list above; it is dated, but good:
http://www.otal.umd.edu/~sies/jobquess.html
Thank you all so much for all the excellent advice and the useful links!
Yes thank you everyone for your suggestions. ( asked the original question about phone interviews.) The advice about cutting yourself off when you start babbling is really smart, I tend to talk myself into corners sometimes. Well if I learn anything useful from doing the interview, I'll pass my reflections/suggestions on.
A couple of weeks ago I got a call from the admin at a school—one of my top choices—inviting me for an interview. A couple of days later—after I’d purchased my ticket and received an initial itenary—I got an email from the admin that read “This is a major apology. I, in my meeting, wrote down the wrong name. I am sorry to let you know that you are not on the list to be invited for an interview.” In a follow up phone call, the admin explained something about having the files in the wrong order (leading me to assume I was a first alternate). What made matters worse was that no one from the dpt contacted me to apologize. I’ve let the matter drop, but a nagging thought sits in my mind: was there something going on behind the scenes? Is it possible that the dpt head doesn’t even know this happened (and does that matter)? If they end up needing to contact alternates, will the admin attempt to cover up and just say I’m not interested? Any advice re how to proceed and make sense of this would be appreciated! (I was able to cancel my ticket so that’s not an issue)
That is horrendously horrible! I am so, so sorry that happened to you. I don't have any advice, I'm afraid...although it does seem very odd that an admin person would call you to schedule the interviews in the first place. I've always been called by either the SC Chair or the Dept. Chair.
Horrible indeed. Puts you in a weird position. If you feel the need to follow-up I don't think it would be at all inappropriate to contact the SC chair to ask for clarification. After all, it does not seem that you would want your career to rest in the hands of this admin person! Then again, between the disorganization and the fact that this was delegated to an admin person, you may want to reconsider working at this place!
I am hoping that you were reimbursed for your ticket nonetheless. If not, ask them for it.
I recently had a campus visit. They department paid for my flight and hotel in advance. They told me to get a cab from the airport to the hotel. Is it appropriate that I ask them to reimburse me for my cab expense? Nobody said anything about it during my visit. I feel a little shy about asking for money.
But the hotel wasn't short distance from the airport. I ended up paying a total of $100 and as a poor grad student I could use that money.
Any advice?
You should absolutely ask about getting reimbursed for the cab! In the two fly-outs I've had, I've turned in receipts for cab fare -- and meals in the airport. In one case, they reminded me to submit these (including the meal receipts). In the other case, I just sent the receipts and the reimbursement was no problem.
re: students on the SC
I know this topic was dropped a bit ago, but I'm chiming in late.
I was a grad student member of an SC years ago (with equal voting rights and responsibilities as the other members). I distinctly remember one candidate who was extremely dismissive of my presence on the committee (didn't take my questions seriously, ignored me during meals, job talk, etc). This was extremely evident not only to myself, but to the other SC members and we unanimously excluded this candidate based on her behavior. I learned a lot from that experience - and when I went on to interview, was always certain to consider grad students as integral members of the academic department.
Going back to the cab reimbursement issue, a school that I am interviewing with, landed up booking me from an airport that is really far from my place (I indicated the airports accessible by public transport and they probably got confused). I have to take a Supershuttle to get to the airport and it will cost me around $80 round trip. Would it be appropriate to ask for reimbursement in light of the fact that they made an error in booking?
It's almost ALWAYS appropriate to get reimbursed. Save ALL receipts, for subway and even cofee and snacks bought along the way (some schools explicitly told me to do this and I carried the practice to success with schools that did not say it explicitly). If they don't offer, ask secretary for an addressed envelope and later mail in all receipts.
If they want to be stingy, then they can decide later not to reimburse. But send everything.
I agree. Never hurts to submit receipts. Typically departments are granted a set amount of funds for each candidate. So long as people find reasonable airfare, depts usually have plenty of money to cover expenses such as cabs, food, etc. I'd expect the search chair to bring up the issue. If not, I'd ask the dept admin assistant.
HELP! I fly out tomorrow for an interview and have yet to receive an itinerary and I was told I would be picked up at the airport but have no other info....Any suggestions? I have no idea what to expect, who to look for, or how I will find them.....
Email and ask the chair and, if you know, the chair of the search committee and the admin. Give them your cell phone number if you have one. Good luck!
Does anyone have advice about what to do when you have an offer and you're being pressured by a school to make a decision before you're ready? I've asked for what I think is a reasonable extension, and I'm worried about push-back.
They should give 2 weeks if you ask. Some may give 2 more if needed. Beyond 2 weeks, you are probably going to have to make a decision. Recently had a school give me 2 days and a non negotiable offer. Really sucked, so I had to turn them down even though the job wasn't too bad. Just couldn't commit since I had other interviews scheduled.
Some good advice over at here for grant writers, and job seekers (be sure to read the comments to see the relevance for job candidates):
http://scatter.wordpress.com/2007/11/27/get-a-theory-would-ya/
Re: 5:27 and lack of itinerary
Sometimes lack of information/communication is a sign of department disarray, and sometimes it's just an oversight (perhaps this week related to the recent holiday?). Minimally, you should expect to be informed (ahead of time) of WHEN you will present your job talk &/or guest teaching. If not, you should ask for the information.
In any case, remember that the job market is supposed to be a matching process. Just as you try to "sell" yourself to depts, depts should be trying to "sell" themselves to you. If that's not happening, it's worth it to try and figure out what's going on.
Re: deadlines for decisions. I received one offer and told them that I wanted to finish off my currently scheduled interviews. They granted this, which was a 3 week decision period. When one of my interviews was pushed back, I contacted the school with the offer and explained my scenario. After talking I had to be honest and tell them that an answer by my deadline would have to be a no, and so they gave me the extra time. I don't think this is the norm (I'm certainly extremely grateful), but the advice I got was simply "it doesn't hurt to ask for more time". I've also found many schools are particularly responsive when I'm being most honest (i.e. they know that I'm not just keeping them in my pocket...).
~Benny
Re: Deadlines.....From everything I hear two weeks is standard. Does this hold true around the holidays? My question is if you receive an offer around December 15th, is it unrealistic to expect the deadline for a decision to be pushed back until the 7th or so of January?
Here is my reasoning: I would think this is reasonable since there is a good week of holidays which prohibit traveling to check the school out further, having to devote most of your time to computing grades and prepping for the upcoming semester where you currently teach, and the fact that you may have a break in interviews due to the holiday so you have interviews scheduled for the first week of January....
This is my main concern, I know that I may have a couple of interviews at the start of January and those schools cannot move it forward because of the school break.....
It is really shitty of a school to give you an offer on the 15th and give you two weeks--but it does happen.
After your campus interview is it reasonable to expect the department to let you know where they are at the process or whether they have made an offer to somebody else? What is the standard?
I have recently interviewed somewhere and I saw on the Wiki that they have already made an offer to somebody else. Nobody contacted me from the department to let me know about this.
I'm confused. It doesn't seem professional to me. In my own top-10 department (where I once served as the student member of the SC committee) we always tell all the candidates we interview where we are at the process. We say, "we like you but we like this other person better so we will make an offer to him/her first".
I really think that if you bring in someone to interview them for a faculty position in your department, you should have the decency to let them know that you decided to hire someone else. No?
7:16 - Yes and no. There's always a good chance that this person won't accept the job, and they don't want their second choice to 1) know that they are second choice or 2) accept a job elsewhere. Also, some schools have official HR guidelines that don't allow them to speak to the other candidates until the deal is sealed with someone else.
I think it's a rare case where the SC just doesn't care about your needs or feelings, but this is a complicated process with conflicting interests.
7:40
7:16 here. Thank you it makes sense. Are you a faculty member? Just curious.
yes, please keep in mind that HR really hampers what SCs can and cannot do. at least that's the case at my school.
I'm also a faculty member, and I concur with the above posters. Although in the age of the wiki, departments (and HR) need to rethink their policies on this. If I were you, I'd email the search chair and inquire (if it's been at least 3 weeks since your interview). In my experience, if you do that they will usually tell you straight. You might also get an idea if you are their second choice.
7:16: 7:40 here - Yes, I'm a faculty member (also currently on the market). I also agree with 4:37 that if it's been a few weeks you can give the search chair a call and inquire. It's likely that they'll tell you what's up if they can.
re: when to contact a SC after an interview
What if you know you were their final candidate? I'm in that position - knew I was the last person, and that they would be deciding pretty soon after I left. Do people still think it's best to wait two to three weeks, or would it be okay to get in touch in a week or so? Thanks!
Remember, notification doesn't happen as soon as the search committee makes a decision. HR regs often require deans and administrators to sign off on hires before candidates can be notified (delaying the process). As Tom Petty said: The waiting is the hardest part.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLCJEYLIBQY
-karl
Thank you Karl - I needed that laugh while waiting for an offer from my top choice school and doing my best delaying tactics with my second choice!!
To all those waiting for answers, I highly recommend puzzling as a wholesome way to pass the time. It helped me survive my first job search (ok, puzzling while drinking shots of tequila makes it a little less wholesome, but to each their own).
Having witnessed a dozen of search processes in different institutions, I can say that I'm a big fan of "not calling". If they want you, they will call you. Much like dating ;)
On the other hand, if you have an offer from another school who needs an answer, it is generally okay to call the school you're waiting on and see if they'll give you any update...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz64hWng2vM
waiting isn't the hardest part; that would be when you have nothing to wait for because you landed no interviews!
but good luck to those who are waiting. i hope you all get the news you want soon.
advice re: job talks ~
* how much time is typical?
* any advice about what to focus on?
So what happens when you actually get an offer? I am assuming that the SC chair calls you with the good news and then lays out the terms of the offer. Or do they send you an official letter? Thanks...
8:10: re job talks
I think usually 40-45 minutes is good, this leaves enough time for questions. In my experience (from both sides of the fence), it is almost impossible to give a talk that is *too short*. This is something to ask the SC about RE norms in the dept before your interview.
RE content: don't present your whole dissertation! In my R1 dept we expect theory, methods, results, implications for the equivalent of 1 paper/chapter (we want to know that you can edit yourself to make a coherent presentation, we don't want to hear everything you have ever done). Sometimes candidates also present a slide at the end BRIEFLY outlining their broader research agenda, which can be good in case someone wasn't crazy about the topic of your talk but might be intrigued by other upcoming/current projects.
1:33 RE offers:
Usually the dept. chair calls you (not the SC). S/he will want to discuss the terms of the offer before drafting a letter (they would rather find out what you want before putting it all on paper). So it is a good idea to think about "extras" you might ask for before this call happens (e.g. course releases pre-tenure, research needs like an extra computer or site licenses for software, moving expenses that will cover your spouse, five kids and horse). Often several discussions happen via phone before a letter is drafted.
Good luck all!
Usually they tell you the details verbally, and then you negotiate before they send you a written offer. All the terms usually have to be approved by the Dean and Provost, so it's easier to negotiate before things are in writing. This also buys you time to deal with other places (hopefully). I would recommend listening to the details, and saying something like, "I'm so excited that you have offered me the job! I'm going to discuss the terms with my advisors immediately, and I will get back to you as soon as I am able." Don't accept on the spot, or seem to accept the terms on the spot! I would take some time to go over everything, especially if you are comparing more than one offer, and definitely get advice from your advisors. They told me to ask for things I hadn't even thought of. Just my two cents!
thanks very much for advice re: job talks (i'm the one who asked). that's all useful information.
regarding the job talk: Simplify it!
Remember always that your audience is not necessarily composed of specialists in your area.
When you are done they should know exactly what you argument is, how it is contributing to the literature. They will forget everything else anyway...
I find myself on the fence about a liberal arts college (3-3 load) or research u (typically 2-2). I may not get to choose, but still want to figure this out for myself. Any advice about Qs to ask a liberal arts college in terms of resources for research as well? I have an interview soon and really want to publish in addition to teaching, but since I don't have pubs yet (only 1-2 things under review) I'm not competitive to research u's yet. Anyone else wavering between liberal arts colleges and research u's? Or is there really such a divide? (I'm not someone who would love a pressure-cooker, top-20 kind of research u anyway, though I want to publish my diss as a book, etc)....
I hear you, 11.20, and I'd love to hear what other have to say about this. From what I understand, many SLACs expect relatively high research productivity and are willing and able to offer resources to do so. So I'd say ask them about it just as you would a R1 school.
What gets me about R1 vs SLAC (vs any school) is the students. I think I'd like to work with grad students, which, well, only exist at 120 or so of the hundreds of schools that offer sociology programs.
So that's what is so interesting about this blog. Everyone talks about teaching as if it's hardly a part of the job. I understand many people (and unis) privilege and prefer research to teaching, but face it--you'll actually have to teach to keep your job, too.
The SLAC I just interviewed at had me meet with the admin in charge of research to lay out various funding sources and the univ's perspective on research. There is a large R1 nearby so I made sure that I would be able to access those resources (ILL). Certainly ask about software packages that you may need. I have not interviewed anywhere with grad students (which is not a problem for me) and I have found that schools always want to know how I would include undergrads in my research. So, even if a school lacks grad students, think of those really top undergrads that would serve as great assistants to simple data collection/entry or even analysis, lit review, and write-up. It's obviously not the same, but it's a nice option.
RE: negotiations. I was told at one place that salary was NOT negotiable, but that there were a number of other items that could be negotiated. This includes teaching loads, various (seemingly trivial) office supplies, housing issues, parking spots, summer pay, travel and research money, etc.
~Benny
When turning down an offer is it best done by e-mail or phone? In either case, is one expected to cite a valid reason or leave it unsaid?
I refused an offer via email. I would have preferred to do it over the phone, which would have been fitting for the interaction I had had with the school; however, it was a weekend...
In the email I did not explain why I turned down the position. Only that I regretted having to do so, and I commented on what a lovely place it would have been to work (which is entirely true).
I try not to be disingenuous in these sorts of matters, instead aiming to honor and respect them in the same way that they honored (and flattered) me.
~Benny
regarding Latin American Studies, there's some positions listed in the "ethnic studies" wiki, though there's no info on Santa Cruz on that wiki yet.
Re: December 7, 2007 11:20 AM poster, "I find myself on the fence about a liberal arts college (3-3 load) or research u (typically 2-2)".... I have a few observations. Everyone I know complains about their teaching "load," regardless of how weighty that "load" actually is. Friends at a 2-3 SLAC who get a 100% salaried pre-tenure sabbatical (and 80% salary for a year post-tenure) complain about not having enough time. Mind you, this is a small school with an average class size of 14. So when someone's teaching their 2 course "load," they could have around 30 students...and still complain about teaching! Moral of the story is that regardless of how much better academic labor can be compared to other forms of labor, it is, nonetheless, -labor.- Figuring out which balance of labor will thrill and satisfy you is the trick. If you truly enjoy students ("young people," right?) and truly enjoy the performative nature of doing some Socratic Method classroom tricks with them, a 3-3 will be fine. If you dread teaching, or find it an annoying disruption of a day you could otherwise spend writing something for an (academic) audience, then it makes sense to minimize the amount of it you have to do. But you also need to consider how many total preps are involved. What's your course rotation? The same five preps every year? Or five plus another three over the subsequent year? Are all the preps/courses lower-level, upper-level, required, or elective? Do you only 'get' to teach at times the tenured faculty hate (and so will you)? These are things to consider beyond the basics of 'load.'
Anybody accept the offers from Northern Illinois (theory), American U (theory) or Ball State yet or have info on the status of the searches?
Ball State has made at least one offer. Not sure about the status of the second position.
What is the etiquette for cancelling an interview - due to accepting a position elsewhere - for which the hosting department has already purchased airline tickets? This hasn't happened yet, but I want to be prepared.
Hi. I'm a social psychologist. The psych wiki is no where near as active as this one, so I hope you don't mind that I post a question here. Here's my situation: I have a job offer from A. I interviewed recently at B, and I have an interview first week of Jan at place C. Place A has a high teaching load and the faculty aren't particularly engaged in research--though they told me that they have high expectations for grants and publication for me. Place B is my dream job. I think I'm ranked 2nd. I've contacted the dept chair to no avail, then I contacted the SCC, and he congratulated me on my offer, but didn't give me any indication of where they are at in the process. Place C would be a better institution than the place where I have an offer.
question: Place A contacted me 12/12 and has given me only one week to decide! WTH? I can't afford to be on the market another year and am scared that if I turn down place A and don't get another offer that i'm going to have to leave academia all together. I've been teaching 12 courses per year to survive, and been publishing a major article every year, but I just can't keep this up. I'm tired and nearly bankrupt. Any suggestions??
RE: Cancelling an interview.
Actually, in my limited experience as a faculty member and job market participant in years past, I have found this to be a pretty common occurrence.
Call or email the search chair as soon as you get the other offer (if you the first job) and explain that you are going to accept the other position. Apologize for the inconvenience and thank them for the interest. Committees generally understand the complexity of the job market.
Good luck
Re: 9:31 (Soc Psych)
1. Does Place A know that you have other interviews? If not, inform them that you would like to honor your other commitments and that you'd be happy to have an answer by {insert end date of last interview}. When I was in this situation, I was very honest and told them that completing my interviews was important and that if I had to decide by the initial deadline, then the answer was going to have to be no. They responded very well and gave me the extra time.
2. Does Place C know that you have an offer? If not, let them know that you would like to have a better sense of your status at their school.
It's always nerve-wrecking to be in that situation. If it's possible that other places may still call, and you were really not pleased with Place A, then I personally would take the gamble. Good luck to you!
Re: Canceling an interview
Remember that the money for the ticket is coming from the university/college, not from any individual people. So while the committee members will be disappointed, they do understand and can simply move on to the next candidate on their list.
~Benny
Any thoughts on whether it would be appropriate/inappropriate to ask for a "transition" day when traveling internationally for an interview? i have been an invited for a campus interview and was told that the interview will likely involve a casual dinner with colleagues on the arrival day. after 10 hours of traveling and a 7 hour time difference, that sounds a bit daunting. would it be horribly tacky to ask if i could arrive a day early? would i need to offer to pay for the extra day of hotel?
3:32 again... "'colleagues" is wishful thinking i guess. i meant casual dinner with faculty on the arrival day.
3:32 you can definitely ask... if I were in your situation I would arrive a day early and pay the hotel for one night. Totally worth it in my mind.
Question: if a committee meets, lets say, Monday and decides they want to extend an offer...whats the soonest they can actually call the candidate to offer the position? Don't they have to go through an approval process? And will it be held up at this time of the year?
I ask because I got the impression they may offer the position and want an answer rather quickly but I have interviews for another month that I want to go on....and so I am trying to figure out timeline!
Thanks!!!!!
What are the red flags to warn a candidate that the competition is an inside candidate? I guess nothing can be done about it, but I'm trying to figure out whether I'm in that position. I have an interivew coming up right after the break.
re: 5:45 am
I don't know - but for the two schools I got offers from, I was their last candidate. One contacted me about nine days later but the other one contacted me two days later, although I think I was the first choice candidate for both schools. Of course, the schools were different - school 1 was a bigger private R1, and school 2 was smaller, public, and a teaching oriented institution. But at least here are two data points for you to muse over! Good luck. :)
re: 5:45 am
My R1 gave first choice candidate only two weeks before the dean told the committee that had to move on to the next choice on their list.
5:45 here,
at the conclusion of my interview they were very inquisitive about how likely i would be to accept the position and gave me the impression they would likely offer. I explained that I was highly interested but had interviews scheduled through the end of January (Jan 31st and in fact have 6 interviews in the two weeks preceeding that but didnt want them to know that because then they may think there was more competition).
I also explained that I felt more favorably towards their dept than I had anywhere else I interviewed thus far and could easily see myself there and happy...
They let me know that if they offered they would want a decision rather quickly, and I told them that I would hope that the information about my other interviews (or projected timeline) wouldnt restrict them from offering the position as I would very seriously consider it.
And I have had great contact since then with them....but I know they are meeting this week to decide so it makes me nervous!
How would you handle this...I really want to visit the rest of the schools (and have actually promised one that I would visit prior to accepting any other offers).
7:03, think about what you would lose/gain by accepting the offer now vs. going on the other interviews. If you truly feel favorable toward this school, you get a good offer, and you could see yourself happy there, then why turn down an offer just to go on more interviews. If its not your dream schools, and you want to hold out hope for one of the others where you have interviews, then just don't accept the offer. If you were to rank the schools, the location, and the overall quality of life at all of the places, what comes out on top? From my perspective, it makes sense to base decisions about offers on that.
I got an offer about a week or so ago via phone but havent received an offer in writing. My question is if I am asking for more time to make the decision, does the time I have start from when they told me i had an offer or from when i receive it in writing? They told me a date already and said they would work on getting me more time.
Any advice?
Tell them that you would love to talk timelines but obviously can't until you have something in writing.
I think you absolutely get to count from when you get the offer in writing.
Tyically you don't get official letters/contracts until all negotiations are done. If you need something in writing to use with negotiations with other schools, then have the chair write up the details of your current offer in an email. From my experience, people will use an email from the search chair or dean.
Re: Inside candidates--I was interviewing for a position with an insider candidate. My advice is to go in and just give them your best performance. Even with an inside candidate, you should think of your job talk and interview as an opportunity to make a good impression on fellow sociologists with whom you may potentially some day collaborate; at least that was the way I approached my situation. In the end, I did not get the offer (it went to the insider). However, I did hear that several of the senior faculty were very impressed with my research/talk and had it not been for a couple of heavy weights advocating for the inside candidate, I would have received an offer. Of course, my "source" could have just told me this in order to make me feel better. So who knows. Like many people on this blog have mentioned already, when you're at the stage where you've received an campus interview, the actual interview is mostly about fit and internal factions within the department and less about you per se (unless of course, you bomb your job talk). Still, it does suck to know that there's already an inside favorite. ..but screw that--just go and knock their socks off! :-)
Well, I got a job over the person who was the very definition of an inside candidate, so just don't worry about it! There's no point-- you can't do anything!
And you could instead find out that you didn't get the job not because they chose an inside candidate, but because the department thought hiring nobody they interviewed was better than hiring you. That hurts more.
On the other hand, I'm sure I'm one of many who's hoping this is exactly the decision of some of the departments that have made an offer and are waiting. Maybe they'd bypass the other people they already interviewed and give me another look?
I had a bizarre experience one year of being the inside candidate in one job and competing against a -very- inside candidate at another job. I was offered both jobs, and without even having to get tough, was offered more money to stay where I was (which I decided to do). You just never know, and like the previous poster, you also never know who you might run into later. I've had some really lovely contacts with people I met because they interviewed me for jobs (that I did or didn't get - immaterial in some ways).
the other lesson that 'market grizzled' offers here is that the 'inside candidate' that you are competing against may also be looking elsewhere. just because someone is a VAP where you are looking doesn't necessarily mean that they are the best fit for the new hiring line OR that their preference is to stay put. i have been a VAP where a TT slot came up and while i applied, there were plenty of other jobs for which i was a better fit. always interview and never assume!
Anybody heard news from UT Knoxville Africana/SOC position?
Here is a newbie question. What is the function of a VAP? Why would departments create a VAP and why would someone take a VAP?
I was offered a VAP at a place where I interviewed. The place could not extend me a regular job offer (it is complicated) but they offered me a VAP instead and said that they may have a regular faculty opening next year, with the implication that I would be considered.
Is this how VAPs generally work--positions explicitly created to allow candidates entry into a regular faculty position. Or is it just a glorified teaching position?
VAPs are typically really temporary full-time positions (and yes, teaching only). Oftentimes they are sabbatical or leave replacements (I once applied for a three-year VAP that was filling for someone who had become a Dean on a three-year term). I think that VAPs are preferable to using adjuncts to fill these voids, since you usually get the same benefits (and often the same pay) as the tenure-track people.
Sometimes departments create VAP positions to accommodate spousal hires.
Sometimes if a department ends up with a vacancy (a faculty member leaving) they may use a VAP to fill for a year while they do a search for the tenure-track line, in which case there's a chance you'd be in the running.
I have also heard of departments hiring a VAP and hoping to show the need to turn that into tenure-track (what I think you're being offered), but I think this is more rare than the other situations. And if you read enough of the chronicle forums, you should realize that getting hired from VAP to tenure-track is not at all a guaranteed deal.
As for why someone would take a VAP... I took one for some full-time teaching experience while I was ABD and not ready for the t-t market. It was also nice to get a real salary for that year, even if I had less time to work on my diss.
I think the experience helped me on the market, and it definitely helped me in my first year on the tenure-track, because I had gotten a whole lot of stupid mistakes out of the way at my VAP job!
What salary can one expect from a mid-range private institution in an extremely high cost of living area?
9:44-
I would expect/push for more than $65,000. This seems to be the standard for schools with any sort of funding not in rural areas.
What kind of salary offer can one expect from an R-1 (not highly ranked) in a mid-sized city in the northeast?
re: job talks.
do you read a paper/talk?
or do you speak from an outline?
in general, the more coherently and confidently you can present and defend your talk without relying on materials, the better impression you will make. reading is an absolute no-no. everyone in the room is quite literate and doesn't need to attend your job talk for that. powerpoints should be used only for crucial information (this varies widely according to the type of work you do and the forms of data you may want to present). you want the focus on you, not the slides.
I don't agree that "reading is a no-no" as 1/26 put it. I think that creates an unrealistic expectation for job candidates. I think that monotonous reading from a paper is inappropriate but reading a well-rehearsed speech is the norm. I've witnessed at least a dozen job talks and given two myself and for the successful talks, all were readings from a written document.
In fact, the one "practice" time I tried to just use an outline, I was told it was too informal and it appeared that I wasn't taking the event seriously.
That said, don't read a journal article, rewrite it into a presentation.
the "tell me about your teaching" questions.
When faculty at a small liberal arts university all get together and ask you about your teaching, what do they ask?
a friend told me:
1- how would you teach a specific class?
2- how would you encourage discussion?
3- are there service learning opportunities that complement your syllabi?
4- what's new/special about what you bring to specific classes?
thanks!
Re Job Talks. When I did my practice job talk, I tried to memorize as much of it as possible, and just refer to an outline for what I couldn't memorize. It was OK, but people who watched thought my voice was rather monotone, probably because I was concentrating so hard on repeating what I had memorized! For my actual job talk, I wrote out a script, but practised it enough times so that it was mostly committed to memory. I had the script in front of me so I could refer to it when I needed it, but I was able to go for several minutes at a time without looking at it. This made my talk much more animated, and I was less nervous because I had the words in front of me.
well, to each her/his own, i guess. i respect that we all have different impressions of what job talks should be conveying (just as some departments will also have different goals and instructions). when i attend job talks and consider potential colleagues, if one doesn't know their own work well enough to be able to articulate it in a rehearsed talk i find it hard to imagine how they will be an effective teacher.
I think this is a false comparison between one's style of job talk and teaching ability. Job talks are much more stressful events. Memorizing a talk makes me feel much more confident. While it may not give a better impression than someone who can speak eloquently off-the-cuff, it's certainly better than *my* version of extemporaneous speaking. At the same time, I have always been very comfortable teaching, so I haven't had the same problems. And teaching shouldn't be all about lecturing, so one's speaking style is less of an issue. As a teacher, most of my class time is taken up by class discussion and group work, not lectures.
To 1.28pm
I just returned from an interview at an SLAC. From what I remember about the teaching questions, they asked axplicitly:
How would you teach about your dissertation?
What is your worst teaching experience?
What classes can you/have you taught?
What would I know after X class?
Why is that important?
There was also a question about pedagogy and another one about the learning environment, but I can't remember exactly.
If I can remember more, I will post again.
Hope this helps?
thanks 7:35, that really does help.
Re: job talks - also be prepared for various set-ups in the room. There might be a lecturn, or not. You might be able to see your computer, or not. And you might be standing really close to the front row (where they could see your notes) or the screen (where you might block your visuals). You want to know your talk well enough that you can handle the unexpected without being thrown.
passing on a tip-
for those of us who are interviewing while visibly pregnant:
I practiced my job talk in my (boring) maternity suit. But I did not practice walking around a campus all day long. Imagine my surprise when those stupid maternity pants wouldn't stay up! Someone suggested that I try suspenders. It was too late for this interview but I'll be getting some before the next.
Anyway, I hope this helps for anyone out there who might not think of such a thing.
I interviewed at Occidental, and I haven't heard from them either.
How long does it generally take candidates to hear back about job offers from the point at which a decision is made by the search committee? Which buraaucratic channels must the offer first traverse before reaching the candidate?
1:07...depends on the school. I got one offer only two days after my interview. I have never seen it take more than one week once the department has made the decision. Even then, they give you some sort of indication that you "will be hearing from them soon." If its a very long wait, the more likely case is that they have offered the position to someone else and are waiting for his/her decision.
RE length of wait for offer after dept makes decision: in my case it took a few weeks after the department made a decision (the paperwork got lost on the dean's desk). So, it can take awhile.
I highly doubt paperwork THAT important would get lost on a Dean's desk. Thats probably just what they told you. Departments that want to make a hire communicate with the Dean to make sure its all going to go through. They don't just send a packet via inter-office mail and then wait for a few weeks...
Regardless of the reason given for a delay, the point of 10:12's comment is that it can take quite a while to hear back. My impression is that lots of important stuff (including entire positions) can fall through cracks at some schools.
One school didn't offer me the position because I "didn't have enough experience," which I took as meaning that I was too young. It doesn't change the fact that I wasn't offered the job.
One place called me the day after I left to offer me a position. Another called on a Monday (I left on a Friday evening). In both cases, the schools conveyed the fact that they had moved really fast, and had also done a lot of the red tape stuff before I even arrived. At two other places (where I was the final candidate interviewed), it took a week or so before I heard from them, but both told me that they weren't pursuing my candidacy anymore - I assume they were waiting to hear back from their #1's, and then had to decide what to do when they were turned down.
What is summer salary?
I've heard two different responses from my faculty advisors. One person thinks it's when you arrange to have your 9 month salary spread out over 12 months so you can more easily transition into your new job. Another faculty person thinks it when you bargain for more money in a start-up package with the argument that you'll be working in the summer anyway.
What do you think?
Summer salary is NOT spreading your 9-month pay over 12 months. That is just a pay option offered at many if not all schools, that makes sense if you aren't sure you can raise your 3 months of summer salary yourself (or if you don't think you can save enough to survive in the summers).
Summer salary is what you ask for when you are hired, to "cover" your summer months (even if you are being paid over 12 months). At some places, you can get up to 2/9ths of summer salary, and at others, you are allowed to earn three full months.
Summer salary is also what you earn through grants, once you run out of whatever your school offers.
So, summer salary is a great way to earn way more money (up to 30%) than you would with your regular salary! That's why it's so nice when you can get it, especially early on--it can help you do things like buy a house.
One tip re: summer salary- if you only can negotiate one or two months of summer salary (ie. 1/9th or 2/9ths pay), it can help a lot to get it the summer before you arrive on campus. Finances get really tight around that time, esp. b/c it's harder to maintain an RA/Teaching job while you're moving.
I think you are being highly unfair to international students. First, most international students who get in have a masters degree, and some have even taught abroad, while many American students come straight out of college. Second, international students are a minority, at least in my department, and further, professors tend to dismiss much of dicussion of international issues as unimportant. Second, given that the U.S. is the center of world science (and political power), it is not surprising that there are many internationals wanting to come here. We are coming from the whole world, so we are many more. Third, international students often study and bring knowledge about foreign countries but get severely penalized for this on the job market, because their field is defined as "too narrow" (the same with American students studying other countries). They also get penalized in interviews for not "fitting" with the "culture" of the department, which requires "american" ways of socialization. And no, we are not going back to our countries, because we need to contribute to the distorted view that Americans have of our countries, which affects how our countries are treated in international politics
oh, and most postdocs in the U.S. have citizenship/residency requirements, in case you didn't notice.
For those interested in the College of Staten Island the offer has now been accepted.
I was considering starting the 2008-2009 blog. Did people care whether we stuck with blogspot or not? Has someone already done this?
Note: my interest in doing this is a combo of curiousity and planning. I'm putting together some stuff for my department, and wanted to provide the link for the next blog (but found none). I managed to get a job this past year, so I would be merely a lurker on the site.
Thoughts? ~Benny
I don't think it needs to be blogspot, as long as it is easy to find
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