tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post8465357777346035613..comments2023-10-15T04:23:50.187-04:00Comments on College Misery: Nilla in New York With Some Job Misery.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-89430846060799341162015-06-30T12:49:18.935-04:002015-06-30T12:49:18.935-04:00My institution is also a bit off the beaten path, ...My institution is also a bit off the beaten path, and that sounds right to me. I don't think Nilla messed up. If my own search committee experience is any indication, what they're really asking is, "so you're not going to quit six months into your three year contract?" Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15711314415244801354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-45840397593634290142015-06-30T12:28:12.046-04:002015-06-30T12:28:12.046-04:00The nature of the job does make a big difference i...The nature of the job does make a big difference in the appropriateness of the question, absolutely. I left that out, mostly because it's not a question I've ever asked for a short-term position. I've never been on a committee for a 3-year position, but I think I'd consider it more like a tenure-track appointment than not. It's a long time to have someone around.Jonathan Dresnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04356112719229675996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-4781737612643568862015-06-30T00:39:26.957-04:002015-06-30T00:39:26.957-04:00Maybe it wasn't you, it was them. Maybe the pr...Maybe it wasn't you, it was them. Maybe the provost read some book he picked up in an airport and it said interprofessional gerbil genomics is the next hot thing.Ogre Proctor Hephttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17428431147495287413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-11720336932366476382015-06-29T23:43:17.281-04:002015-06-29T23:43:17.281-04:00That clip is very appropriate for our discussion. ...That clip is very appropriate for our discussion. Immediately after being hired, he has to deal with some nasty, dirty, unpleasant ghost trap thing. That's just like starting your job teaching a freshman gen ed course.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-48077275285881513572015-06-29T23:23:38.073-04:002015-06-29T23:23:38.073-04:00Humans are too subtle. Cats and dogs are much more...Humans are too subtle. Cats and dogs are much more straightforward in these interactions: cats openly try to kill each other, and dogs sniff each other's ass, and everybody knows where they stand and can get on with life.<br /><br />I ask this "why do you want to [work|attend] here" question of prospective colleagues and students for much the same reasons. All previous comments by Ogre Proctor Hephttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17428431147495287413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-84449985634456484532015-06-29T17:35:52.197-04:002015-06-29T17:35:52.197-04:00It seems to me that this is a really good (crucial...It seems to me that this is a really good (crucial, in fact) question for a tenure-track job, and a silly or irrelevant one for anything up to and perhaps including a one-year full-time position (with perhaps some variability depending on whether the one-year is a sabbatical fill-in position, with a full range of teaching from gen ed to major, or just another Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-69626010538957342562015-06-29T16:21:05.849-04:002015-06-29T16:21:05.849-04:00As others have said it's a invitation to expla...As others have said it's a invitation to explain why you'd be a good fit. Preferably why you'd be a better fit then anyone else they might be talking to.<br /><br />But when your are a Direction State U (like, say, my department) the real answer from any candidate you can actually <i>get</i> is "Because I need a job and you're offering one". Anything more than that—dmckeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18052641757203089416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-53707669733576586082015-06-29T15:51:58.959-04:002015-06-29T15:51:58.959-04:00I think you're supposed to tell the committee ...I think you're supposed to tell the committee about your background and experience. I don't think you gave the wrong answer, though maybe you didn't deliver the answer as well as you could have. Nice campuses are important. Nobody wants to work in a dump. That's a good thing to add.<br /><br />It's a question that can weed out applicants who give the wrong answer. "IAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-28951354169310831182015-06-29T15:12:18.770-04:002015-06-29T15:12:18.770-04:00I had a similar experience last year. The *one* co...I had a similar experience last year. The *one* college that wanted an interview told me they didn't have any other professors of early hamster lit and that I was at the top of their pile. And that I'd be in charge of creating their early hamster lit curriculum if I were hired. They were so excited.<br /><br />And then they never called me again. I have no idea what I did wrong. I'm Snarky Writerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04196509615328045888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-29487303439865422352015-06-29T15:03:07.187-04:002015-06-29T15:03:07.187-04:00It's a fairly common question in my experience...It's a fairly common question in my experience (on both sides) though I'm not sure it has the probative value we interviewers think it has. It's supposed to give the candidate a chance to show off the background research they did, talk about how your research fits the general trends of the department (or fills a notable gap), how your teaching will enhance the program as it exists (noJonathan Dresnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04356112719229675996noreply@blogger.com