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Post by checkin on Nov 18, 2011 12:35:01 GMT -5
With winter break approaching, where are you at in your job search? I hope a few stories can build some much-needed camaraderie.
I'll go first: I am applying widely, but I'm best suited for a research-oriented position. So far, I have experienced deafening silence. I am trying to refocus on postdoc proposals, but it's more difficult to ignore the total lack of interest than I imagined it would be. One of my friends seems unlikely to get a potential offer that was very desirable and is dealing with a different sort of disappointment.
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Post by bummed on Nov 18, 2011 12:56:55 GMT -5
Like your friend, I was lucky enough to get an interview somewhere really nice, and it seems clear with each passing day that the offer must have gone to someone else. That is a new dimension of disappointment in this process for me. I tried not to get my hopes up, but ultimately failed. I still have maybe 10 applications out, and will certainly keep applying, but still, I'm bummed out.
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Post by drbearjew on Nov 18, 2011 13:17:05 GMT -5
I'm 45 applications in right now.
I made two short lists at very good R1s, but have not been asked to interview. Positions I thought I had a good shot at I've seen make their list of candidates without me on them, and each time it happens it makes me question how I'm packaging myself.
This year is a very competitive market - there are a number of really really strong candidates out there. That, coupled with the number of people with jobs looking to relocate makes it even more competitive. But, I do believe I will get a job. I've done everything I was told I was supposed to do to get one - I've published good things, I've presented at multiple conferences, and I have a strong teaching record. I have to believe that my commitment to the process will secure my outcome.
Best of luck to all of you, and I hope the holiday season treats you well.
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Post by veteran on Nov 18, 2011 14:07:33 GMT -5
I am 60+ applications in.
I have had 9 phone interviews and 2 fly outs. Interest has come from all over... R1's and R2's, even a SLAC. The two flyouts told me they will be making hiring decisions prior to winter break...so I am on pins and needles.
I am feeling very blessed but I've been down this road before. This is my 3rd time on the market. Last year I had 5 on-campus interviews, the year before 2. Never had an offer. After last year, I really started questioning what the hell was wrong with me and the thought started to creep into my head that maybe I am a shitty interview or that I just give something off in person that doesn't come across on paper or on the phone. Either that or I am the ultimate bridesmaid.
Whatever the situation, I am feeling confident but I know that the only thing that matters is an offer. An interview is just an open door. You still have to walk through it.
Best of luck to all.
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Post by blarg on Nov 18, 2011 16:06:21 GMT -5
I've applied for 35 positions. Thus far, I've had one on-campus interview (SLAC--decision on offer to be made in a couple of weeks, I'm told), one conference interview (equivalent to a phone interview) at an R1ish school, and will be having a phone interview soon for a large public 4-year school. (I think... they might be moving straight to on-campus interviews... either way, I'm on the short list).
It's enough to feel not-hopeless but not so much that I feel like I'm going to have options and negotiating power. I surmise at this point that there is no telling which departments/kinds of schools will be interested. One of my bites wasn't a big surprise as I fit the ad pretty spot on. But the other two (including the on-campus interview) were a bit of a surprise. I applied on a whim to both with few expectations. So all this talk about fit my be true, but you can't always determine fit based on the wording of the ad. Sometimes they have something else in mind. Basically, throw that shit against the wall and see what sticks, y'all.
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Post by ouch on Nov 18, 2011 19:44:51 GMT -5
This is my 3rd time on the market. Last year I had 5 on-campus interviews, the year before 2. Never had an offer. Wow, that is sobering. I just found out an offer was extended to another candidate after my first campus interview and I am heartbroken. That could really happen 7 more times? God I hope it gets easier to bear after the first couple of times.... I give you credit for your resilience.
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Post by veteran on Nov 18, 2011 20:03:13 GMT -5
This is my 3rd time on the market. Last year I had 5 on-campus interviews, the year before 2. Never had an offer. Wow, that is sobering. I just found out an offer was extended to another candidate after my first campus interview and I am heartbroken. That could really happen 7 more times? God I hope it gets easier to bear after the first couple of times.... I give you credit for your resilience. Thanks "Ouch". Believe me though it doesn't get easier, rather it gets worse with each one especially when you aren't even told you're not their choice and rather you hear about it here or just figure it out after a month or two. After the last interview last year I was a wreck for a week or two. I would say, however, that my experience is far from typical. Although, I have talked to some people who had numerous interviews before finally getting an offer. The thing that sucks the most is that it is just so hard to make it past each level of this process...long list, short list, phone interview, on-campus interview. Our odds are like 1 in 150 for each job at the start and to get down to a 1 in 3 chance and not make it just hurts so much. It's like every time it happens someone just snatches my dream right out of my hands. Nevertheless, I continue on because there is nothing in this world I'd rather do than be a professor. It's been my dream for a long time and I'll be damned if I give up now. So if anything feel better about yourself b/c at least your not me :-) and like drbearjew (see above) I know that I've done the things I am supposed to, as I am sure you have. So keep your chin up because it will happen if you keep plugging away!
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Post by academic oblivion on Nov 18, 2011 20:40:33 GMT -5
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Post by junior on Nov 19, 2011 9:55:31 GMT -5
I've been doing OK so far this year - several campus interviews, mostly at places I would really like to be. My fingers are crossed that my in-person aura is a good one (although I definitely have imposter syndrome when meeting with some of these awesome CV people). Like veteran, this is my 3rd year on the market but, unlike veteran, this is the first year I'm getting real bites. I said over the summer that if the 3rd time wasn't a charm, I was going to get out. If anything, it has showed me that this process can be weird and flukey and suggests that, in their speed up time-to-PhD completion rates, many grad schools are pushing people to hit the market too early for their own good.
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Post by eltri on Nov 19, 2011 12:12:41 GMT -5
3rd time on the market as well. My stats are: 1st time (ABD): applied to 8 positions, 4 were cancelled, 1 on campus interview 2nd time (ABD): ~50 applications 2 phone interviews 4 on campus interviews 2 offers, one a tt position that I declined, and a postdoc (that I accepted) Now, 3rd time (postdoc): 35 applications 3 short lists 1 on campus interview at an R1
So, at least in my case, the postdoc hasn't made life particularly easier. There seems to be a total shift in interest. I've been much more competitive at r1s (this is my first r1 interview), but this is also the first year that I've had zero bites from teaching places.
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rrr
Full Member
Posts: 113
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Post by rrr on Nov 20, 2011 15:59:31 GMT -5
^^ A speed up in PhD completion rates might not help everyone going for an academic job, but let's be honest - it is more humane to push people out if a department knows that not everyone will be able to get an academic job. Non-academic employers can understand 6 years spent on a PhD better than they can understand 10 years.
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Post by questions on Nov 20, 2011 19:28:54 GMT -5
Eltri
Just curious, do you regret not taking the TT position when it was offered to you? Also, why didn't you take it?
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Post by eltri on Nov 20, 2011 20:33:39 GMT -5
No, I do not regret not taking the position. I likely would not have taken it even if I didn't have a postdoc offer in hand. It was a teaching institution in distress, if you will, where teaching loads were creeping up. But the main reason I did not take it was because it was a very low salary in a high cost of living area where my spouse would have limited opportunities, which meant either doing the "long distance" thing or having her unemployed. Add to that the fact that there was zero moving support or start up money and it was an easy decision. My ego aside, my spouse and I would simply be better off if I just kept adjuncting locally than trying to have a long distance marriage or supporting the both of us on that one salary. Especially since given the teaching load it would be very hard for me to then move elsewhere.
Unfortunately, I only learned just how much financial trouble the institution was in during negotiations.
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Post by employed on Nov 22, 2011 10:43:17 GMT -5
I'm in the second year of a TT position that isn't terrible, but is in a terrible geographic location. So, I've been applying selectively.
I've applied for about 20 jobs, and had no nibbles, phone interviews, or anything else, except one request for additional materials that went nowhere.
Good news for me is that I have a job. Bad news for me is that I have to survive another winter teaching 4 classes at a middling LAC.
Good news for you is that the rest of you are obviously better positioned than I. Bad news for you is that there won't be one more position open due to my departure.
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Post by me on Nov 22, 2011 15:16:40 GMT -5
I have applied to about 45 schools... found out that I made a few short lists at 50/50 schools and some r1s ...they amounted to nothing. Have done two phone interviews and landed two on-campus visits at lacs! Just finished one and have another in two weeks. I am excited but simultaneously terrified that neither will offer me a position...
As for type of job - seriously - in this market, I am just lucky to have some prospects! Good luck to everyone out there.
Reflecting on Thanksgiving, I am thankful to have others out there with whom I can commiserate. I am taking a thanksgiving break from the board and hopefully taking a deep breath this weekend (aided by significant amounts of champagne). Happy Thanksgiving all.
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