Wiki Norms and Rumor mill expectations

[mores]

It seems to me that the assumption this year is that everything on the wiki is incorrect. In general, I expect most of us are honest and just trying to be transparent. The other issue that bothers me is the assumption that somehow your application was lost and they will still contact you. It is not really important to know how people were contacted... it is only important to know that you were not contacted so you can cross a school off your list and move on... maybe I am alone on this. I am not trying to be snarky but I assume people are being honest and when I haven't been contacted, I assume I am not longer being considered.

[with you]

I agree. The level of snowflakery on the boards this year is really incredible. I'm starting to see more of the 'inside hire' nonsense too as the rejections start coming out.

[yeah but]

Sure, I don't think it's necessary to always ask for a follow-up, like "can someone confirm this??" But... as someone who doesn't read the wiki, I'm totally ok with people posting that info here as well.

Also, I'd like to comment that I am pretty pumped about the general level of civility and helpfulness on these boards. We put the political scientists and the economists to shame with how nice we are to each other. Let's keep it up.

[ohh]

For me personally, there is unhelpful information, helpful information on these boards. And I don't know if what is not helpful to me helps someone else with their decisions, anxiety, whatever.

Help! I'm saying "help" too much!

Anyhow, I think that some of the "flakiness" is people finding a space where they can vent, let out anxiety, whatever, with a lot of other people in the same situation. So I see the boards as providing an emotional, cathartic release that is part of the job attainment process.

[rrr]

I'm all for people venting, but I also question what is up with people who, for example, after a 10/15 closing date school, ask on the 16th if there's any news yet.

I mean, at least give it a week already. I'm sure search committee members are plenty busy with other things, like their own classes and research. Why is there such an expectation of instant gratification?

For those of you who are super anxious, maybe it would be better to just keep applying to other jobs or channel that energy into your papers or materials. Also, move your completed applications in your Excel or whatever tracking system into a different page/folder so that you're not constantly looking at them all the time. It is better to detach some from this process.

[raig]

Years ago somebody on these boards wrote "You never get any good news from the rumor mill." That is only going to come from the institutions to which you've applied.

This sets up an interesting paradox. If I ask "has anyone heard from school X..." then I am stating that I haven't been contacted. The best response I can hope for is no response at all, because that will mean I haven't missed some cut. So I ask for information, praying that there isn't any.

Somebody needs to start a "Zen and the Job Market" thread to help everybody chill out and learn to cope with the lack of definitive information. Do all you can to present yourself well in the application materials, but once you have submitted them you just need to let the committees do their jobs and contact you if you have piqued their interest. Until you have heard that a school has actually made a hire, you only know two things:

• They haven't offered you the position, and
  
• They haven't rejected your application
  

Embrace the state of uncertainty. Turn it into a gift rather than a burden. Learn how to manage your emotions and your life in a world that you cannot control; that's a basic human experience that you now share with most of the world's population.

Even if you had complete information, omniscience is still not omnipotence and until you receive word that they want to hear more from you there's absolutely nothing you can do at this point to change what those search committees will do.

[eh]

Be gentle. Information that searches have moved on IS useful as the market moves along and you suddenly have to make difficult personal choices. For at least three jobs I've applied for, there was incorrect information on the wiki stemming from requests for materials and discussion here helped straighten it out.

But yes, save inquiries about searches for when you are still in the running and the search has been closed for awhile.