Anyway, it's almost time to flush the hours of wasted effort on the the 2011-2012 job market down the toilet. I wouldn't wish being on the job market right now on anyone, because it has been absolutely brutal. Unless you are already tenured and are angling for a better position and/or raise. If that's the case, go fuck yourself. Or tell me what school you are leaving, I'll apply there next year.
I applied to every type of institution I could think of, which I think fits well on the Bristol stool chart (in no particular order). Some institutions sent me instant rejection letters, I'm still waiting on others - for jobs that would start in 3 months (if they made an offer). I did have some phone interviews, months ago. I have no idea where things are at or what is happening in those searches. Apparently all have agreed that this is how we do things in this business. You get no information until you do (or don't).
I can't even email and ask, according to the Crampicle job forums. The rule is to never, ever contact the search committee. They'll contact you. Otherwise you come off as a desperate piece of shit. But, you know, that's how most of us feel anyway.
I did manage to snag some additional research funding though, so I won't be on my ass next year. Another postdoc year. I wasn't excited or depressed when I was offered the contract, just numb. I feel the same way when a rejection letter comes in the mail. "Which school was this again? Shit, I submitted that application in September."
So, I'll have to wait a few more months to finally flush this horrible year down the drain. If I wait long enough, I'll have about a month off before a new batch of jobs appears. I can't speak for other fields, but I have numerous friends that will all be coming off their own postdocs next year. Bad enough to be on the market, but now I'll be competing against some really excellent individuals that I actually know and like. There really is only one way to adequately describe my feelings right now.
Shit.
I don't know about post of the week, but that has to be the illustration of the week (but I'm not sure whether it's Bison's or a CM production). I don't think I'll ever think about R1, R2, etc. the same again, and Type 7 is an inspired connection to one of the posts below.
ReplyDeleteBison, I'm sorry it didn't go better, but glad to hear you'll have a job next year. The job-hunting routine really is incredibly wearing, and time-consuming. How does one measure that sort of lost productivity, I wonder? Does anybody measure it?
I eventually stepped off the job-hunt merry-go-'round at a time when my personal life was unsettled, and I just couldn't handle one more thing, and am mostly glad I did. At some point, I may try again, but for the moment I'm thinking that it makes more sense to work on publishing, so that I actually have some chance of success if and when I do try. The time and energy expended on searching, and the (un)likelihood that they'll lead to anything, are a real consideration, not one to be brushed off with "that's just the way it is," I think -- at least not if the hunt is going to go on year after year after year.
So what's next for you? Definitely get back on the merry-go-'round, at least for one more year? Pursue other options? Both? Neither? Take a breather and think about it all?
Hey thanks Cassandra, the Bristol chart was a product of my own twisted mind and photoshop.
DeleteI'm giving things one more year. I'll make sure CMers get to come along for the ride.
I'm sick of saying, "I just have to wait and see." but it seems to be my new mantra. At this point, it's my only response to inquisitive, non-academic relatives.
Love the poop chart. I had a similar experience this year. 30+ applications, one conference interview, then a rejection after months of waiting. Meanwhile my relatives are all ready to offer up advice from the business world like "you need to follow up with a phone call to show you're really interested." They don't know that in this market EVERYONE is really interested in ANY job. In my field, even the alpha ivy-leaguers are applying to jobs in the middle of nowhere that their predecessors would have scoffed at ten years ago.
DeleteI've gotten the exact same advice from well meaning relatives. I have to explain it's just not done.
DeleteI do think the buyers market mentality is going to bite some institutions in the ass in a few years. That awesome research rock star you hired? Yeah, they are probably going to bolt as soon as they can.
Meanwhile, the materials I'm asked to provide for the non-Harvards of the world continues to grow and grow: letters of reference, teaching philosophy, research philosophy, CV, cover letter, personal diversity statement, and other assorted nonsense. No wonder the SCs are so busy! They have to read all that crap.
The academic job search system is a bust. I'm chair of a search committee now, and I'd love to be able to tell applicants whether or not they stand a chance as soon as they apply. I can tell within 5 minutes of receiving an application (complete or not) if we might be interested, but I'm not permitted to contact candidates unless they are to be interviewed or the search is finished. It is common courtesy in my book to tell people right away that they won't be interviewed, but the human resources people have made it very clear that my ass will be filleted if I do. I only want to request detailed information from people who have a chance at landing the job, but I have to ask everyone who applies for all of that shit in the name of "equal treatment." Hell, we even have to ask everyone interviewed the same questions with absolutely no deviation. The whole system sucks eggs.
ReplyDeleteIt's so weird how systems are different that way, yet they all swear it has to do with labor law. Unless there are some state/provincial subtleties I'm not aware of, I find it hard to believe that in some states, you get the "We're not interested in you" letter or postcard within a couple of weeks of applying, yet others say they have to wait till the search is over or never even send you anything. I could understand it if someone were still in the hunt as it were, meaning maybe you'd get an interview if someone backed out, but if someone is just not making the cut, it's far kinder to get that information out ASAP.
DeleteI was chair of my department's search committee (small SLAC) not too long ago and the HR guidelines were similarly constraining. It's the damned University lawyers. Their fear that the University will get sued has reached the pathological. Or may be they are just to lazy to really examine the risk and instead shove the problems in our lap, giving us these retarded rules. As chair, I made a point of emailing a nice rejected letter to every candidate at the end. It wasn't required, but could do no less: I remembered how I felt when Scumbag South East State College never ever got back to me. Still hate them for this.
Delete@Vanfur, take it from me, all your job seekers were thankful for your individual attention. The silent rejections are extremely disrespectful to the applicants. It's worse in this day and age when you can have an adminicritter enter all the emails and fire off a form email. My estimation is that would take less than half a day. You went above and beyond.
DeleteBison, I am sorry this is happening to you. I know how it feels, after months of chronic anxiety, to be relieved to find that one's been allowed to prolong the agony for another year. It's somewhere between being a medieval serf and a drug addict.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a postdoctoral scientist entirely supported by soft money, I estimate that about 50% of my time was spent hustling the next grant or job. I'd say at least 80% of this was met with rejections, so about 40% of a young scientist's most productive years these days are completely wasted.
That's just a crude estimate of only the time spent. The emotional roots run much deeper. Anytime I hear anyone wondering why it's been a century since there's been a scientist as creative as Einstein, I think I know the answer.
Most brilliant graphic, ever! You deserve a job simply for that graphic alone. I'd copyright that! :o)
ReplyDeleteHang in there, Bison. Do you at least enjoy your research?
ReplyDeleteIt breaks my heart to be on hiring committees.
I do enjoy some aspects of my current job. Without saying too much, I'm working on a huge grant and came onto the project in the middle of things. It's a bit of a mess in places. But I have some other stuff that's all mine and it's great.
DeleteAnd don't feel bad about doing your job - I certainly understand the ways that search committees have to function.
O Bison. It took me 5 years of agony to get a real job. And that was BEFORE the big crash, in the smaller crash of the mid-1990s. So I have no advice except not to let the academy fuck with your life for too long. Graphic Of the Week (GOW!).
ReplyDeleteAww, I feel all warm and fuzzy from all the CM love. Thanks gang!
ReplyDelete