Job Search: What I’ve Learned

A couple of days ago I informally accepted the offer from UConn (via e-mail to the department chair). The official letter arrived yesterday, so now I can sign on the dotted line. I ended up negotiating a 1/1 load for my first year, which is probably unheard of for someone in my position, and which will be very helpful for when the book comes out. (I want to do my best to promote it.) All in all, I feel like I’ve won a lottery.

The insanity of the search is finally over (although last night I dreamt I was assigned to teach Piano II class! And no, I don’t play piano). Here's what I've learned.

I’ve learned that patience is a virtue.

I’ve learned that patience is a virtue I don’t have.

That the whole process is trying and the outcome is impossible to predict.

That each college/search committee has its own process. UConn, for example, didn’t do MLA or phone interviews. On the other hand, some search committees had two rounds of phone interviews before selecting their finalists. One place interviewed at MLA, but didn’t plan to do on-campus interviews.

That colleges that express interest early on might all ultimately reject you. I had lots of early responses from California colleges. It seemed we were bound to end up there. Yet in the end, none of them panned out.

That silence doesn’t always mean you’ve been rejected. One university I applied at was silent through the whole process – no updates, no interviews. And yet, when I got the rejection letter, I learned that my application was in the finalist group.

That there’s a wealth of information about the job search on the Chronicle of Higher Education website, particularly in its discussion forums. (I only discovered it after getting the offer. ) There’s also, it turns out, a wiki page where people anonymously post info about specific colleges/job searches. It’s organized by discipline.

I’ve learned that it might be a good thing that I didn’t know about the forums. Some of what I did is apparently considered “a red flag.” For example, bringing along your partner when you travel to an on-campus interview. Some people do it (though sometimes in secret). Others see it as being presumptuous. Hell, some even take off their wedding bands, just so their marital status doesn’t influence the search committee’s decision. Unaware of the controversy, I brought Movie Dictator along (I wanted him to see the area) and I was open with the search committee about it (they invited him to the dinner afterwards). Was I making a mistake? Who knows. Maybe. In the end, I did get the job. Also, a friend of mine (in another field) did the same last year, and also got the job. So I guess you never know.