Post by raig on Jul 11, 2011 13:01:24 GMT -5
As the job market season progresses, we all become increasingly curious, agitated, nervous, etc. about the process taking place on the other end. Many members of this community post questions or answers related to the Search Committee Black Box in the "Status of Searches/Hires" section.
This post has some proposed suggestions for posting queries about job listings. It is by no means definitive, but I'll edit this to reflect any consensus in subsequent responses.
Finally, while this may seem obvious you should always read the information on these boards with a grain of salt close at hand. Everyone is operating with incomplete information, and most of these posts reflect just a portion of reality even if the poster appears to be embedded in the hiring institution. Conflicting status updates are often par for the course.
This post has some proposed suggestions for posting queries about job listings. It is by no means definitive, but I'll edit this to reflect any consensus in subsequent responses.
- Please check all of the previous posts before starting a new thread about a position. Keeping all of the responses in one thread can help us see the progression of the hiring process.
- Most of the "subject field" guidelines for posting job listings apply to this section as well.
socjobs.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=meta&action=display&thread=62&page=1
In particular, don't use a subject line like "Just wondering" but identify the institution you are wondering about. - Create a new thread for each position, don't lump a bunch together as in
"Has anyone heard anything about Duke, Villanova or Vassar?" - As we evaluate the information shared on this site, we often try to determine its relative veracity. A common response to a status update is "how did you hear this?" You can help avoid some unnecessary back-and-forth by stating that you got some information via an email from the SC chair, your advisor passed it to you, you overhead a conversation at ASA, you hacked into the department's private files...
- Avoid character assassination of search committee members or current faculty when sharing information. Some schools/departments have bad reputations -- warranted or not -- but even though this is a rumor mill we should avoid calling out individuals by name unless there is some information present in the public domain.
- Remember that there's a separate section in this forum for venting!
Finally, while this may seem obvious you should always read the information on these boards with a grain of salt close at hand. Everyone is operating with incomplete information, and most of these posts reflect just a portion of reality even if the poster appears to be embedded in the hiring institution. Conflicting status updates are often par for the course.