Question: I'm currently on a year's sabbatical, with three-quarters pay. Sound great? It is, but I'm already dreading my return. I happen to work in one of those "toxic" departments you've so ably described elsewhere. My question: What really happens when a person on sabbatical does not return? Conventional wisdom says I "owe" at least one more year to my current institution, and I have every intention of honoring that. But I do wonder: Would the university take the trouble to sue me if I went elsewhere? Do you have any information on what usually happens in such cases?
Answer: The first thing you need to do is check the details of your contractual arrangement. Your university's policy regarding sabbaticals is probably posted on its Web site. Some institutions explicitly require an employee to return for a year after taking a sabbatical, so accepting the leave amounts to signing on for the return. Others state only that a person must not, "at the time of accepting the sabbatical," have made any other arrangement that would preclude a return.
If you break a contractual arrangement, would a university sue you? We're not lawyers and you'd need to consult one to know for sure, but it seems fairly unlikely. It has happened, however. In the late 1990s, Emerson College sued several professors who had failed to return from their sabbaticals, and those faculty members eventually repaid the salaries they had received on leave. Most institutions, however, resolve these conflicts more quietly.
If your institution requires you to return from a sabbatical, you need to consider how you feel about breaking agreements. If you feel you've been mistreated by your employer, you'll probably view the situation differently than if you feel a debt of gratitude to your department and colleagues.
We hope you would be able to find a graceful middle ground -- accepting a new position with an employer who would be willing to hold it for you for at least a semester, telling your old department about the offer and saying you would be willing to stay on for another semester if they preferred it. Odds are good they would encourage you to leave anyway, because most places aren't eager to keep employees who have made it clear they would rather be somewhere else.
Question: When should I share with potential employers that I am pregnant? My baby is due in the summer, before my new academic position would begin. My husband will be staying home with the baby if I get a job. While I should get through conference interviews without any obvious showing, I expect that when it comes time for campus interviews, it will be obvious. How should I handle this situation?
Answer: Since you don't expect your pregnancy to affect your timing in taking a job, there isn't any need to mention it at conference interviews. When you go to campus interviews and you are obviously pregnant, you should probably bring up the subject yourself; otherwise it could become the issue everyone tiptoes around but no one talks about, since the interviewers really shouldn't raise the issue first.
You can put everyone at ease by saying that, as they can see, you're starting a family and that you want to let them know that you'll be ready to begin a job in September. It's very likely that there have been other pregnant women on the department's faculty, so the situation is not unfamiliar. You may find the interviewers will offer suggestions and describe other faculty members who have had babies in the summer, taken maternity leaves, shared courseloads, etc. Participate in this discussion politely and attentively but move the conversation back to the job itself as soon as you gracefully can.
As the interview goes on there may be a time where you can bring up your organizational skills or whatever else you feel will emphasize your ability and willingness to begin the fall in full gear. If you want to mention your family child-care arrangements, you can, but that's up to you. Don't feel you have to go into the particulars; you can just state that child care will not be a problem.
You want them to remember you primarily as an outstanding candidate for the position, not as the pregnant candidate.
Question: I recently interviewed on campus with a small private college where I would love to work. I gave a talk, after which three faculty members (two in the hiring committee) came up to me, shook my hand, and expressed great interest in my candidacy. The dean also e-mailed me about the enthusiastic support my visit had produced. I felt good about it until the dean called to say no one had been offered the job because the committee could not support one candidate unanimously. I e-mailed the dean and asked if he could give me some pointers as to how I could improve on another upcoming interview at a similar college. (He was the person with whom I had had the most contact and to whom the application letter was to be addressed.) No reply. I have two questions. Was it the wrong move to e-mail the dean? And when the search opens again next year, should I reapply?
Answer: While we wouldn't say it was exactly "wrong" to ask the dean for interview advice, neither would we say it was desirable. For one thing, interview coaching isn't his job, but, more importantly, the question makes it seem that you assume you didn't get the job because you didn't do something as well as you could have. This may not be true at all, and, even if it is, as the candidate who wasn't chosen this time you want to be every bit as poised and confident as you were the first time. When the search is reopened, if you're still interested, by all means apply. Every search is a bit different.
Here's a better way to assess how well you interview: Have someone ask you questions that you encountered in recent interviews and then tape your responses. Videotape is ideal, but even audiotape is helpful. If there are areas for improvement, they'll probably be obvious to you when you play the tape.
Question: I am taking early retirement from a major university. I have eight years of experience as a department chair in the sciences, and three years of experience as an associate dean for research and graduate programs in a college of arts and sciences with more than 800 faculty members. Currently I am also chairman of the foundation board for the largest professional society in my field. I would like to file a résumé with a headhunter seeking candidates for academic administrative or executive positions, with the hope of finding a position in 2003. How do I make contact with a headhunter in this field?
Answer: The main thing to keep in mind is that executive recruiters typically seek out candidates, rather than the other way around. One of the ways they do this is through attending conferences and scanning professional journals, so stay active in those venues. Another way recruiters work is through networking, calling prominent people in the field and asking them if they can recommend candidates for a particular position. You may already have been on the receiving end of such calls, and, if another comes, it's appropriate to mention that actually the position being described is one that might potentially appeal to you. If you have trusted colleagues who may be getting phone calls from executive recruiters, you can let these people know about the kind of opportunities to which you'd be open.
A business-school library will have a directory of search firms. You can contact those that specialize in educational institutions. Talk to people who have had a good experience with a search firm either in terms of obtaining a job or finding a candidate. Some search firms post recent matches on their Web sites. If you find you know some of the candidates hired, you might contact them for more information about their experience with the firm.
While the Web is a good resource, networking is still probably your best approach to making a good connection.
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