Question: I am two years into a tenure-track job at a small rural college, where I have a teaching load of four courses a semester. When I took the job I did not envision spending my entire career here, and plan to re-enter the job market in hopes of finding something with a lighter teaching load, more emphasis on scholarship, and a less rural environment.
I've seen lots of advice for first-time job seekers, and some advice for people back on the market after they've been denied tenure, but there is very little for people like me. I should add that I do not want my department to know that I'm searching again. Should I not find another job, I do not want to jeopardize tenure here.
What do I need to do differently with this job search?
Answer: What you need to do differently mainly relates to the point you raise yourself: your interest in keeping your search quiet. Many academic fields are small enough worlds that it's impossible to absolutely guarantee that your department won't learn that you're looking.
As you line up the people who will recommend you, make sure to ask them to hold your search in confidence. And when you write cover letters, include the information that as you're looking only selectively, you haven't yet discussed your plans with your department and ask hiring institutions to check with you before contacting people there.
Since it's helpful during a job search to tell everyone you know that you're looking, you'll be doing a balancing act -- weighing the risk of having your department learn you're job-hunting against the chance that you'll be unsuccessful on the market.
It's probably easier to find another position now as an assistant professor because there are more openings at that level than if you waited until you were tenured; senior-level openings are fewer in number.
You need to decide how badly you want to leave. Would you rather earn tenure where you are than land a new job where the chances of receiving tenure may be less? Or would you rather be elsewhere no matter what? These are questions you may well revisit as you conduct your search. Timing your request for a promotion
Question: I'm currently a tenured associate professor. My dean has encouraged me to apply for promotion next year -- quite a rigorous process on our campus. Financially, it would be in the best interest of my family to apply. However, I have applied for a few faculty positions at other institutions during the last few years. My question is, If I do get promoted to full professor at my current institution, will that reduce my chances for a position at another university?
In some ways, I think being a full professor could make me more marketable. On the other hand, I would command a higher salary and most positions are advertised at the assistant-professor level, so I'm concerned about seeming overqualified.
Answer: This is a tough question. Our impression is that it's easiest to move at the entry and very senior levels. That's where you fit most easily into a new institution's tenure and promotion system. You may be at a point where it's difficult to fit you into an associate position anyway, so being a full professor won't make much difference in the job search, while carrying substantial benefits where you are.
We think the closest you can come to a definitive answer is to research the new hires at the types of institutions to which you're applying. What are the backgrounds of people being hired at approximately your level? That will give you some first-hand data.
And the other question is, What happens if you don't connect with another position soon? If your dean is encouraging you to apply for promotion, this sounds like a favorable moment, so you want to ask yourself how you'll feel a few years down the road if you haven't obtained another position and haven't applied for promotion.
Deciding between offers
Question: I have been looking for a position this academic year. I have arrived at the "finish line." Luckily, at this time, I have two offers, and they appear equally attractive to me. Could you please advise me for one determining variable that should guide my decision?
Answer: There really is no one single variable you should consider. You should look at how difficult it is to win tenure at each institution and how congenial the faculty members are on each campus. You could also try to assess how financially healthy each place is, since you'll be better off at a campus that's strong and growing (in quality if not size), rather than one that's struggling.
As you can see, many of the important variables involve the future, and even the most carefully made decision has some elements of an educated guess.
After the interview
Question: I recently interviewed with a small private college where I would love to work. I gave a talk after which some hiring committee members came up to me, shook my hand, and expressed great interest in my candidacy. The dean also sent me an e-mail message about the enthusiastic support my visit had produced.
Two weeks later, 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 to ask if he could give me some pointers as to how I could improve on a forthcoming interview at a similar college. No reply.
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. More important, 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 when you were the candidate hoping to be chosen.
So we don't recommend asking this kind of question of potential employers. That said, neither was it a big mistake to ask. When the search is reopened, if you're still interested, by all means apply. Every search is a bit different.
Interview with a college president
Question: I recently was interviewed for a full-time tenure-track English position at a community college. I did fairly well and am now preparing for a second interview with the president. I knew some of the questions to prepare for in the first interview, but I am having trouble preparing for this next one. What kinds of questions might be asked?
Answer: Someone at the level of a college president could ask absolutely anything, but such a person is more likely to be interested in big-picture issues than to ask detailed questions about your field or even your teaching. It's essential to be able to explain your research and areas of expertise briefly and simply enough that they sound valuable to someone possibly completely out of your discipline.
Questions you should ask such a senior person relate to the organization itself and possibly to the role of the department within it. Asking about current goals is usually a good idea.
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