Making it onto the initial "longlist" of prospective candidates for a position always gives my job search a shot of adrenaline. But it's only momentary, and then the waiting game begins.
My academic career spans nearly 15 years, so there have been plenty of times when my job search followed a somewhat timely version of longlist, shortlist, campus interview, and offer. But there have been other times -- like now -- when I have found myself not on the shortlist, but not quite out of the running either.
I left a tenured position in the arts to go back to graduate school and earn a Ph.D. in cultural studies. With my Ph.D. almost in hand, I am back on the market for a tenure-track job. Although I've successfully snared one campus interview this spring, most of my nibbles -- five institutions to be exact -- leave me ambiguously between the preliminary longlist and the all-important campus interview. Call me impatient, but the last two months of my job search seem to replay nearly the same scenario over and over again. It goes something like this:
I get the call from University X asking the obligatory, "Are you still interested in the position?" Although my first instinct is to scream into the phone, "Hell Yes! I'm swimming in debt, paying for groceries with a credit card, and my family has no health care," I pause and politely offer, "Very much so."
The search committee member quickly continues, "We'll be contacting your references soon and then get back with you to schedule a phone interview." I manage to double-check that the search committee has correct contact information, and inquire about the timetable for the search process. The answer, albeit ambiguous, is almost always, "We're trying to speed this process up. ... You should hear something from us soon."
I suppose it's the use of "soon" that rankles. "Soon," to me, means before long (i.e., soon after reference calls are made). Or better yet, "soon" means in a prompt manner (i.e., we'll advise you of your status sooner rather than later). Even in the wildest stretch of my imagination, it is difficult for me to consider "soon" as a period of time that extends well over five weeks from the initial call.
While I understand that search-committee assignments frequently burden already overworked faculty members, and that some of these members are only remotely interested in the position they are looking to fill, the time lag for candidates is extremely frustrating. As is the constant rerun of this scenario -- knowing on the one hand that your application is still under consideration while on the other, the next step toward a job offer has yet to be taken.
Having made it this far, I've discovered, requires both a degree of celebration and a dose of humility. For example, one of the institutions where I'm in longlist limbo involves a large university department that advertised two available positions -- one the tenured chairmanship of the department, the other a tenure-track assistant professorship. Because I have never held the rank of full professor, I felt it would be presumptuous, if not foolish, to apply for the chairmanship. Therefore, I applied for the assistant professor job.
Nearly two weeks after screening of candidates was to begin, I received a call from the search committee conveying its serious interest in my application. (Yes, I was still interested!) The call then took a different turn: "We're so interested in you that we'd like you to apply for the chair position. Are you interested?" Throwing humility to the wind, I briefly gushed and explained my reluctance to apply for that job at the outset. The search committee encouraged me to quickly resubmit a letter of intent for the chairmanship. I did so that very evening. Now five weeks later, I've heard nothing. Nor have my references.
Speaking of references, I believe in all honesty that they often have a better sense of where my application stands at a particular institution than I do. Until the longlisted actually get their conference call opportunity, we're frequently in the dark regarding the unspoken qualifications the position demands. Position announcements we read in The Chronicle are only cursory attempts at defining what a particular department needs, and more importantly, wants in its new hire.
One of the important lessons I've learned in this ambiguous process is to periodically check in with those faculty members whose recommendations might well make the difference in my move from longlist to short. Informing your references that calls may come in, is necessary, but insufficient. Following up with them, getting a sense of the institution's vision and needs is equally important.
I recently saw my entire doctoral residency flash before my eyes when one of my faculty colleagues and references informed me that he was unable to give me a phone reference because the caller had failed to clearly leave the name of the institution or her number on his answering machine. Days later, my colleague received a more audible message, and promptly returned the call, leaving an urgent message to convey his interest in supporting my application. Although he was never contacted again by this institution, I remain on their longlist of candidates.
I've also had the equally mysterious experience of being asked to submit (immediately, if not sooner) additional materials as a longlisted candidate. In my discipline, this frequently means not only published articles, but also videotape portfolios of teaching and choreography. Although costly and cumbersome, I quickly, and happily for that matter, furnished these materials nearly two months ago. Need I say, no response.
One might assume that "hearing nothing" means, for all intents and purposes, rejection. However, this is not the case. Upon phoning a search committee chairman recently, I found that, although I had heard nothing from this particular institution, I was in fact shortlisted, ready to be scheduled for a conference call interview and subsequent campus interview. Only after I called was this clear.
Now, taking my own advice and checking in more often with my references, I can calm down a bit, although I do believe my being longlisted to such an extent makes those providing recommendations for me a little overly optimistic about my job prospects. Also, sharing these frustrations and insights with you makes this arduous process somewhat more livable.
Recently, I asked a dear and trusted colleague what she felt I could assume about the strengths and weaknesses of my application and the nebulous nature of the longlists on which I find myself. She got right to the point: It's the fit, stupid. Searches, she reminded me, involve so much more than what appears on the surface. And for the most part, it is completely out of the candidate's control.
Hiring departments face issues of balance, in terms of gender, ethnicity, and expertise, as well as issues of competition. Who else has applied? Is there a strong, internal candidate? Are there retirements in the near future that must be taken into consideration? And if a particular department is way behind in the hiring process, isn't it possible that the entire search will be postponed?
Hearing her words, I realize I have assumed far too much about the control I have in this process. And my years of experience and previous rank may even complicate matters further. For now, all I can really do is wait, assume nothing, and hope for a good "fit."
