When you order food, try to make it something bite-sized, quickly eaten - you won't have a lot of time in between questions - and something that isn't likely to stain.
Be very, very careful with alcohol - you're never not being interviewed.
Debrief yourself - take notes between meetings (and prepare for it by having a version of your schedule you can access quickly and has room for notes - and try to keep people straight.
You don't know the backstory.
Don't share anything you don't want the entire committee to know, unless you have specific reasons to trust an individual's confidence.
Bring a small sewing kit and medicines necessary for small inconveniences - ibuprofen, antacids, imodium - in a pillbox; keep both with you if at all possible.
Relax a little. They're trying to impress you, too. You may not be their first choice, but they may still have to offer you the job, and by that point you will be their top remaining choice, and they'll want you to say yes.
I was told years ago that in this position that I should drink if they drink though (obviously not to excess but I'm not a light weight so I don't see this being a problem). A grad school friend light years ahead of me was on the market and in the early stages of pregnancy, didn't drink, and schools noticed.
I'm a veteran of campus interviews. It's a marathon, baby, not a sprint. Pace yourself. Save your voice. Save your ENERGY. Keep a water bottle handy and some throat lozenges.
And Jonathan is right...you're also checking them out. Remember that.
One trick I like to use - when I'm tired or just plain out of answers - ask lots of questions.
Those awkward Dean meetings? Just load up on questions. Let the Dean talk. You'll learn a lot, and get a breather before the all-awkward dinner with EVERYONE who wants a free meal out of your visit.
The alcohol question is VERY VERY hard.
Normally, in my regular life, if I was at a nice restaurant for dinner, I'd have a bottle of beer or a glass of wine.
My favorite trick for this occasion is to simply let the committee make up your mind for you. When you're asked for you drink order, defer, tell the server you need more time to look over the menu, and let everyone order first. If 75% order booze, you're likely safe...unless the 25% includes the chair, the Dean, and the chapel priest!
No, skip all that. Just don't get your booze on. That's safest. Of course your future colleagues might think: "Weenie," but you can drink them under a table next year to make up for it.
Aside from possible consequences of the fact that I don't drink, I'm also worried about how potential colleagues in this situation will react if/when I need to make a special request for vegan food. I've met a considerable number of people who seem to feel my veganism is an attack on their ethics, which is not really the impression I'd want to leave in a job-interview situation.
A professor once aptly described the meal-sharing part of the job interview to me as really being a test of a candidate's social status, an opportunity to figure out if he/she is really "one of us."
I have to chime in strongly on the issue of drinking. Before I left for my first job interview, my advisor told me not to drink any alcohol. On the first day of the campus interview, I was having dinner with the chair, who asked me off-hand what I had been told about campus interviews. I reiterated the drinking advice, and he looked at me dead-pan and said “if you don’t drink, we won’t like you.” I helped myself to two glasses of wine, and got the job.
I have now been on four campus interviews (and gotten three t-t job offers), and I was plied with alcohol on every single one of them. At two institutions, my mid-day faculty interviews were held at bars over a beer. At a prestigious private institution in New York, one senior faculty member told me he would be voting against a job candidate because when the candidate was brought to a bar, they ordered Earl Grey tea. At another interview, a senior faculty member offered me a joint after my talk (that I did decline).
Drinking is very socially important in my field and I think most of us are moderate (if not heavy) drinkers. And part of getting a job is about “fit.” And a number of faculty members seemed to be testing that as heavily as they were evaluating my academic qualifications: “is this chick a teetotaler or someone who will be fun at the Christmas party?” So if everyone is drinking, I think you better damn well drink. It could be important. Just know your limits.
Re drinking I would say "do what they do, but less". If they're all drinking (and I mean ALL), have ONE beer and nurseit. You need a clear head. Ask lots of questions. You're interviewing them too. But the most important advice is that the interview is not over until the wheels leave the tarmac. They can relax at sooner but you really can't.
Re veganism, can you order vegan without saying why? You ADORE lentils, so pleased they're on the menu! You simply prefer your coffee black. Don't ask if it's fair trade.
At some level, they have to know who you are, or it's just going to be more trouble down the road. A little 'go-along/get-along' is one thing, but you need to be reasonably honest about yourself. If you're vegan, and they can't deal with that, they're not going to deal with you appropriately after they hire you, either. For all you know, more of the committee will be offended if you order the steak.
You don't know what these people's issues are (most of the time: sometimes you can get inside information that's worthwhile, but it's very, very rare). You can avoid being ostentatious about political and personal issues, but you shouldn't try to be vanilla, either. You just don't know what they'll respond to, so you may as well be yourself.
There are ways around drinking. One of the disadvantages I had in finding a job was step children. You are tied to a location if you can't move your spouse away from his children or your step children away from their mother. But in terms of not saying "oh, yeah, well I'm not going to join you because I'm a category 5 alcoholic and if you get one drink in me, I'll turn your department into an episode of Jersey Shore", it turned out to be an advantage. All of my interviews were close and I could schedule them for lunch-ish times. During the settling in "let me just catch my breath here" moments I made reference to afternoon work-related things that had to be taken care of. If and when an informal meal component was brought up, I could make a substance-dependent sounding request for coffee and not look too well adjusted for them, but not blow my cover either.
What kinds of questions should we ask the deans and provosts? I haven't spent all that much time with a provost, honestly. I know you need to ask about the requirements for tenure, but what other things do they handle I should ask about? Thank you in advance.
Noriver: Asking about tenure isn’t always the best option since standards differ by department and a provost is unlikely to know the details as well as the chair of a department. I never actually knew what I was supposed to be talking about with the dean/provost either. During one interview, I actually decided to ask: “so what exactly are you guys looking for in a candidate during this phase of the interview? Is there anything in particular that sets off red flags for you?” The dean was actually a pretty casual guy and this led to a very interesting conversation. Otherwise, you can always ask “how is the “x” department viewed within the university as a whole? What role do they play?” It is a little more canned, but it works in a pinch.
Bubba: My entire discipline is filled with functional alcoholics. But we are a fun bunch.
Remember that if after all your effort you get rejected for the position, there is a high probability that it was needed for somebody's spouse, child or friend. Often, campus visits are done just for the sake of appearances, but nobody is planning to offer the position to any of the people who compete for it.
Get drunk before the interview. There is so much randomness involved. Having served on hiring committees, I guarantee you that most of them are not of one mind. Don't blame yourself.
Many people, especially in SLACs that don't like to continually search for people, have as a consideration how long they think the job candidate will stay if hired. Technically when you're hiring someone you can't predict that, or even consider it. But I'm telling you, that's what some people on the committe are thinking. "Jesus, I hope this person doesn't bail after a year because I can't stand the thought of having to hire again."
Don't give off any whiff that you might just be "trying the place out." When you're out for lunch or being more "social," ask about the town. Ask about the housing. Ask about the schools, etc. Ask about the schools even if you don't have kids. Ask about housing market. Ask where you can get a copy of the local paper. Give the committee every indication that you are moving to their town (not Sexytown, 70 miles away), and you plan to plant yourself and your current or future family there forever and ever, world without end.
No one can ask you if you're married. This doesn't mean you can't let SLIDE that you're married, and that your husband/wife is portable and as eager to arrive as you are. Hiring committees love portable spouses. Do this even if your spouse is about as portable as a three-story anvil.
If you currently have a job somewhere else, no you're not "taking a leave of absence and putting your stuff in storage." You're quitting and moving down for realz.
If you have to teach a class, try to teach the class. Don't read your scholarship to the class. Try to teach them. Even if the students are glazed over the committee will appreciate it.
Try to figure out who is going to be most responsible for your hire. There's always one person. Always. Usually the senior person in your area. To him or her, the rest of the committee will defer. (Unless there's open warfare in the department, in which case, you're on your own.) To that person, listen more than you talk, ask a lot of questions about their "experience" with the students, their responsibilities, their scholarship, and give every tacit indication that you are going to view that person as a mentor, not someone with whom you will compete.
If they have no scholarship and you have tons, don't mention yours unless asked. If they have tons and you have little, be familiar with what they have achieved.
At the campus visit stage, you are looking to "fit in". Everyone is going to be good. Stealth interviewees will suss out the tenor of the department (will marriage be an advantage, or not?) and respond as if they are the perfect person for the job.
@Stella Thanks! That's all pretty great advice. I'm off to one next week that I'd move to now if I could and providing everything goes well when I'm actually THERE next week would love to stay forever. I don't think it will be hard to reek of that for a day and a half!
When you order food, try to make it something bite-sized, quickly eaten - you won't have a lot of time in between questions - and something that isn't likely to stain.
ReplyDeleteBe very, very careful with alcohol - you're never not being interviewed.
Debrief yourself - take notes between meetings (and prepare for it by having a version of your schedule you can access quickly and has room for notes - and try to keep people straight.
You don't know the backstory.
Don't share anything you don't want the entire committee to know, unless you have specific reasons to trust an individual's confidence.
Bring a small sewing kit and medicines necessary for small inconveniences - ibuprofen, antacids, imodium - in a pillbox; keep both with you if at all possible.
Relax a little. They're trying to impress you, too. You may not be their first choice, but they may still have to offer you the job, and by that point you will be their top remaining choice, and they'll want you to say yes.
I was told years ago that in this position that I should drink if they drink though (obviously not to excess but I'm not a light weight so I don't see this being a problem). A grad school friend light years ahead of me was on the market and in the early stages of pregnancy, didn't drink, and schools noticed.
ReplyDeleteIs that still true-ish?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI'm a veteran of campus interviews. It's a marathon, baby, not a sprint. Pace yourself. Save your voice. Save your ENERGY. Keep a water bottle handy and some throat lozenges.
ReplyDeleteAnd Jonathan is right...you're also checking them out. Remember that.
One trick I like to use - when I'm tired or just plain out of answers - ask lots of questions.
Those awkward Dean meetings? Just load up on questions. Let the Dean talk. You'll learn a lot, and get a breather before the all-awkward dinner with EVERYONE who wants a free meal out of your visit.
The alcohol question is VERY VERY hard.
Normally, in my regular life, if I was at a nice restaurant for dinner, I'd have a bottle of beer or a glass of wine.
My favorite trick for this occasion is to simply let the committee make up your mind for you. When you're asked for you drink order, defer, tell the server you need more time to look over the menu, and let everyone order first. If 75% order booze, you're likely safe...unless the 25% includes the chair, the Dean, and the chapel priest!
No, skip all that. Just don't get your booze on. That's safest. Of course your future colleagues might think: "Weenie," but you can drink them under a table next year to make up for it.
Aside from possible consequences of the fact that I don't drink, I'm also worried about how potential colleagues in this situation will react if/when I need to make a special request for vegan food. I've met a considerable number of people who seem to feel my veganism is an attack on their ethics, which is not really the impression I'd want to leave in a job-interview situation.
ReplyDeleteA professor once aptly described the meal-sharing part of the job interview to me as really being a test of a candidate's social status, an opportunity to figure out if he/she is really "one of us."
I have to chime in strongly on the issue of drinking. Before I left for my first job interview, my advisor told me not to drink any alcohol. On the first day of the campus interview, I was having dinner with the chair, who asked me off-hand what I had been told about campus interviews. I reiterated the drinking advice, and he looked at me dead-pan and said “if you don’t drink, we won’t like you.” I helped myself to two glasses of wine, and got the job.
ReplyDeleteI have now been on four campus interviews (and gotten three t-t job offers), and I was plied with alcohol on every single one of them. At two institutions, my mid-day faculty interviews were held at bars over a beer. At a prestigious private institution in New York, one senior faculty member told me he would be voting against a job candidate because when the candidate was brought to a bar, they ordered Earl Grey tea. At another interview, a senior faculty member offered me a joint after my talk (that I did decline).
Drinking is very socially important in my field and I think most of us are moderate (if not heavy) drinkers. And part of getting a job is about “fit.” And a number of faculty members seemed to be testing that as heavily as they were evaluating my academic qualifications: “is this chick a teetotaler or someone who will be fun at the Christmas party?” So if everyone is drinking, I think you better damn well drink. It could be important. Just know your limits.
Re drinking I would say "do what they do, but less". If they're all drinking (and I mean ALL), have ONE beer and nurseit. You need a clear head. Ask lots of questions. You're interviewing them too. But the most important advice is that the interview is not over until the wheels leave the tarmac. They can relax at sooner but you really can't.
ReplyDeleteRe veganism, can you order vegan without saying why? You ADORE lentils, so pleased they're on the menu! You simply prefer your coffee black. Don't ask if it's fair trade.
ReplyDeleteAt some level, they have to know who you are, or it's just going to be more trouble down the road. A little 'go-along/get-along' is one thing, but you need to be reasonably honest about yourself. If you're vegan, and they can't deal with that, they're not going to deal with you appropriately after they hire you, either. For all you know, more of the committee will be offended if you order the steak.
ReplyDeleteYou don't know what these people's issues are (most of the time: sometimes you can get inside information that's worthwhile, but it's very, very rare). You can avoid being ostentatious about political and personal issues, but you shouldn't try to be vanilla, either. You just don't know what they'll respond to, so you may as well be yourself.
There are ways around drinking. One of the disadvantages I had in finding a job was step children. You are tied to a location if you can't move your spouse away from his children or your step children away from their mother. But in terms of not saying "oh, yeah, well I'm not going to join you because I'm a category 5 alcoholic and if you get one drink in me, I'll turn your department into an episode of Jersey Shore", it turned out to be an advantage. All of my interviews were close and I could schedule them for lunch-ish times. During the settling in "let me just catch my breath here" moments I made reference to afternoon work-related things that had to be taken care of. If and when an informal meal component was brought up, I could make a substance-dependent sounding request for coffee and not look too well adjusted for them, but not blow my cover either.
ReplyDeleteGlabella, please get me in touch with those people. I'm a professor of bourbonology. I need like-minded people.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read the CM Glossary, my first thought was, "Alcohol's not one of the basic food groups for proffies. It is THE basic food group."
What kinds of questions should we ask the deans and provosts? I haven't spent all that much time with a provost, honestly. I know you need to ask about the requirements for tenure, but what other things do they handle I should ask about? Thank you in advance.
ReplyDeleteNoriver: Asking about tenure isn’t always the best option since standards differ by department and a provost is unlikely to know the details as well as the chair of a department. I never actually knew what I was supposed to be talking about with the dean/provost either. During one interview, I actually decided to ask: “so what exactly are you guys looking for in a candidate during this phase of the interview? Is there anything in particular that sets off red flags for you?” The dean was actually a pretty casual guy and this led to a very interesting conversation. Otherwise, you can always ask “how is the “x” department viewed within the university as a whole? What role do they play?” It is a little more canned, but it works in a pinch.
ReplyDeleteBubba: My entire discipline is filled with functional alcoholics. But we are a fun bunch.
Remember that if after all your effort you get rejected for the position, there is a high probability that it was needed for somebody's spouse, child or friend. Often, campus visits are done just for the sake of appearances, but nobody is planning to offer the position to any of the people who compete for it.
ReplyDeleteGet drunk before the interview. There is so much randomness involved. Having served on hiring committees, I guarantee you that most of them are not of one mind. Don't blame yourself.
ReplyDeleteSome of it is cynical advice, but here goes:
ReplyDeleteMany people, especially in SLACs that don't like to continually search for people, have as a consideration how long they think the job candidate will stay if hired. Technically when you're hiring someone you can't predict that, or even consider it. But I'm telling you, that's what some people on the committe are thinking. "Jesus, I hope this person doesn't bail after a year because I can't stand the thought of having to hire again."
Don't give off any whiff that you might just be "trying the place out." When you're out for lunch or being more "social," ask about the town. Ask about the housing. Ask about the schools, etc. Ask about the schools even if you don't have kids. Ask about housing market. Ask where you can get a copy of the local paper. Give the committee every indication that you are moving to their town (not Sexytown, 70 miles away), and you plan to plant yourself and your current or future family there forever and ever, world without end.
No one can ask you if you're married. This doesn't mean you can't let SLIDE that you're married, and that your husband/wife is portable and as eager to arrive as you are. Hiring committees love portable spouses. Do this even if your spouse is about as portable as a three-story anvil.
If you currently have a job somewhere else, no you're not "taking a leave of absence and putting your stuff in storage." You're quitting and moving down for realz.
If you have to teach a class, try to teach the class. Don't read your scholarship to the class. Try to teach them. Even if the students are glazed over the committee will appreciate it.
Try to figure out who is going to be most responsible for your hire. There's always one person. Always. Usually the senior person in your area. To him or her, the rest of the committee will defer. (Unless there's open warfare in the department, in which case, you're on your own.) To that person, listen more than you talk, ask a lot of questions about their "experience" with the students, their responsibilities, their scholarship, and give every tacit indication that you are going to view that person as a mentor, not someone with whom you will compete.
If they have no scholarship and you have tons, don't mention yours unless asked. If they have tons and you have little, be familiar with what they have achieved.
At the campus visit stage, you are looking to "fit in". Everyone is going to be good. Stealth interviewees will suss out the tenor of the department (will marriage be an advantage, or not?) and respond as if they are the perfect person for the job.
@Stella Thanks! That's all pretty great advice. I'm off to one next week that I'd move to now if I could and providing everything goes well when I'm actually THERE next week would love to stay forever. I don't think it will be hard to reek of that for a day and a half!
ReplyDelete