Question: From whom do you get letters of reference if you are not ready to tell your boss, the person who can comment best on your work, that you are exploring opportunities somewhere else?
I'm a postdoc planning on a career in industry. My principal investigator and I have never gotten along well. I'm counting on excellent recommendations from the university where I did my Ph.D. But what if organizations insist on speaking with my current supervisor?
Answer: As career counselors who work with graduate students, postdocs, and alumni in a wide range of fields, we are often asked questions that deal with the delicate relationship between individuals and their supervisors. Each relationship is unique, but we do have a few general suggestions.
We see this as a two-part question: How can you find individuals other than your adviser or supervisor who can provide good references for you? What should you do if you are hesitant to use your current supervisor or main adviser as a reference?
To answer the first question, anyone who can testify to your professional accomplishments can serve as a reference for you, unless that person is your peer. You should be networking well before you begin looking for a job, be it in academe or elsewhere. In academe, that means maintaining good relations with your committee, your department head, and even other faculty members. It also means cultivating professional connections -- talking to professors who are doing related work in other departments at your university, keeping in touch with people you meet at conferences, and even bringing your undergraduate professors up to date on your graduate work.
Let people know what you're doing; it's as easy as sending out an e-mail message.
Moreover, it's best to have more than one person who can testify to your potential as a scholar. It helps to think of this kind of networking as a mutual intellectual exchange in which you approach people who truly interest you, rather than those who are big names. If the connection is strong, you might be comfortable asking those people for letters of reference.
If you're looking for work outside of academe, you should do the same thing. Cultivate contacts through internships, part-time work, or volunteer stints. That way, you'll have people to serve as references for you even if you're not ready to tell your adviser or others in your department that you're leaving academe.
The second question is tougher. If you're worried about what your adviser might say about you, then it's time to have a serious, professional conversation. Lay out your intentions and ask your adviser whether he or she can write you a solid letter of reference.
But let's say it's clear that your adviser would write a letter detrimental to your candidacy. (It doesn't have to be a hostile letter; there are plenty of ways to damn with faint praise.) In that situation, you should not bother asking for a letter. You might have another recommender speak to the problems between you and your adviser in his or her letter.
If you are looking to move on to a new academic position, you don't necessarily need your current department head to recommend you, but you do need several people in your field who are willing to testify to your scholarly expertise.
In the nonacademic world, it's routine for an employer to contact a job candidate's current supervisor. If you've been through the interview, and the company has contacted your references and now wants to speak to your supervisor, you might ask your interviewer to alert you first that your supervisor is about to be called. That way, you can let your boss know what's going on and that a call is coming. A supervisor who might not be inclined to give you a glowing review will be even less generous if the call comes without warning.
Question: If Department A makes you an offer, and Department B is not going to interview you until four weeks later, how long can you keep the first one waiting? If I end up taking Department A's offer, will I be starting out thinking it was my second choice?
Question: In my first year on the job market, I have landed campus visits at the two big research universities with openings in my field. Just after my first campus visit, the head of the search committee called to tell me that I would be offered the job, that I should expect a letter within four days, and that after that, I would have a week to make a decision. Meanwhile, the person asked me to tell no one -- not even a spouse -- that I had been offered the job, requesting that I wait until the formal offer was made. When I told the person that I had another campus visit scheduled and would like more time to come to a decision, I was told that I would have to "fish or cut bait." Since this is my first time on the job market, I don't know what my options are. It seems to me that the first university is getting out a job offer early in order to exploit me in a vulnerable situation.
Answer: It's wonderful to get a job offer, but just because you have one doesn't mean you have to accept it immediately. When you get the offer it is important to show how pleased you are, ask any questions you may have, and inquire as to when they need to hear from you.
In the situation of the first questioner, I would suggest contacting people at Department B to let them know you already have an offer but are very interested in their institution. See if the interview can be pushed up to an earlier date. Often a candidate with an offer becomes more desirable, so there is a good chance that they may reschedule.
However, if Department B can't, or won't, and Department A wants an answer, you can tell A that you need more time. Even if you don't say why, they'll figure it out. Repeat all the reasons you are interested in Department A, but say that you need a few more weeks. Or you can tell them that you have an interview at another (unnamed) institution and you feel you owe it to yourself to look seriously at that one also. Yes, departments want to be able to hire their first choice, but the reality is it doesn't always happen. And after the interview at Department B, you may decide that A is better for you.
In the case of the second reader, please know that an offer isn't an offer until you have it in writing. We're guessing that the search committee head was trying to gauge your interest in the position, which was inappropriate and not very professional, but it sometimes happens.
You should go into a job interview understanding that when you receive an offer, you are in a position of strength. You also do not have to make a decision when the offer is initially made. Negotiations might not normally begin until you have received a letter that articulates the terms. It is common practice and courtesy to give the candidate at least a few weeks to make a decision. Tactfully remind the department of that.
Question: I have raised this issue and no one has tried to address it yet. Do departments hire only men if the position open was held previously by a man, and consider a woman if the job was held formerly by a woman? I seem to have run into a streak where for all the positions I've applied to, a man is hired to replace another man. I'd like to know if I should even bother attending another interview unless I first ask, "Are you serious about my candidacy or is interviewing me just a way to look good on your EEOC form?"
Answer: Gender inequity in academe has recently been a very hot topic. Accusations of discrimination have especially been directed toward elite institutions. We've occasionally heard female graduate students speculate as to whether men found tenure-track jobs with more ease than women did. We've sometimes wondered the same thing ourselves, and the recent controversy at Harvard is hardly encouraging.
Does that mean that you should stop applying for positions because you fear you're not being chosen because of your gender? Absolutely not.
Given the large numbers of qualified people applying for academic positions, if you don't receive a conference interview, a campus visit, or a job offer, it is more likely because you didn't fit the department's needs that because you were actively discriminated against.
If you stop applying for positions, the only person you are hurting is yourself. Although the system might not be fair (and what system is truly fair?), assume that if you are interviewed it is because of your credentials, and if you're hired, assume the same thing. Moreover, if it weren't for the efforts and perseverance of many brilliant female scholars in all fields, academe would have never changed in the first place.
After quickly surveying several humanists at various institutions, we can't find any verification that a position previously held by a man is filled by a man and one held by a woman is filled by a woman, although it might make an interesting dissertation topic.
Have a question you'd like answered in Career Talk? Send it to careertalk@chronicle.com
While we are unable to answer letters personally, we will consider them as material for future columns. Confidentiality is assured.
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