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January 5, 2010, 09:00 AM ET
Campus Interviews in Bad Weather
Anyone following the national news during the last two weeks has heard about the disastrous weather system that overtook much of the country over the holidays. In our corner of Iowa, we received over two feet of snow, and driving through town is currently quite hazardous as the piles of snow on the curbs are, in places, head-high.
It's also the season of on-campus interviews. Candidates are flying to colleges and universities all over the country on trips that often involve layovers, passing through airports in cities (e.g., Chicago, Minneapolis-St. Paul) that often have disastrous weather at this time of year. Roads are icy or covered with snow. Candidates from warm climates are flying to places like Iowa, where the temperature on my computer currently reads 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
Earlier in my career, at another institution in Iowa, I often oversaw candidate visits to campus after the Modern Language Association convention. We got to the point where we simply figured that one out of every three candidates would have his or her visit disrupted by the weather, either in transit or at our location. Here at Buena Vista University, the situation is probably even more challenging, as we are a two-and-a-half-hour drive from the nearest decent airports (Omaha and Des Moines), which adds the fun of a long country drive to the hazards of winter air travel.
Under such circumstances, my plea to hiring institutions is to give your candidates a break. Understand that they may arrive late, stressed, tired, and dismayed. Candidates from warm climates may simply not have appropriate clothing for a cold climate, and should be cut some slack on the normal levels of expected formality in dress, particularly if they are entry-level people still in graduate school. When travel schedules are disrupted, people on campus should do their best to accommodate schedules that can change very quickly and at the last minute.
Interviewing in the wintertime can be a real test for both candidates and institutions. Candidates who manage the stresses and difficulties of travel at this time may reveal an important aspect of their characters and how they respond to unforeseen challenges. Especially for institutions located in harsh climates, a candidate's demonstrated ability to cope indicates not only a kind of useful toughness but is, in fact, a genuine professional qualification, as anyone who has driven to class on 20 miles of slick winter roads will attest.
But hiring institutions are being tested too. Can they treat candidates right under difficult circumstances? Do search chairs and committees make reasonable adjustments to schedules to make the interview "work" on an off time? Do they concentrate on the important qualities of a candidate's work and character, or are they derailed by the fact that he or she wore a ski jacket instead of an overcoat, or heavy boots instead of professional pumps?
Generally, I've found that colleagues in places with tough climates are pretty philosophical about the challenges posed by the weather, but those who are not give candidates another reason, besides the snow and ice, for not being most interested in their institutions.
On Hiring is The Chronicle's blog about the ins and outs of college hiring, with articles and advice from around the Web.
Comments
1. jffoster - January 05, 2010 at 02:44 pm
I came for an interview to a campus in NE Iowa back about 41 years ago -- in snow and cold. And when Waterloo was socked in and Ozark Airlines grounded, I had to stay over at the campus an extra day. They were outstanding and gracious hosts and I always remember that college and Iowa fondly.
2. shuhousing - January 05, 2010 at 04:26 pm
This is a great reminder for interviewers, and much appreciated (having sat on both sides of the table). However, I'd like to Mr. Evans to offer advice, from his evidently considerable experience, on how candidates can handle bad weather. What has he seen candidates do that impressed him? I interviewed at one school that insisted it was "no problem" to give me a campus tour despite the hours-long deluge of sideways-blowing rain... the rest of the afternoon I had to apologetically explain my sodden appearance to the rest of my interviewers without sounding like I was blaming the school.
3. skocpol - January 05, 2010 at 05:25 pm
Just don't let your parka cover your face at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences... [See another of today's items]
4. tallenc - January 06, 2010 at 12:25 pm
I'm not interviewing this year--thank goodness!--but having returned to Oklahoma after teaching for seven years in South Florida, I concur that dealing with frigid weather (we're having a miserably cold winter in the Tulsa area so far) can be quite an adjustment for those from warmer climates.
Besides the weather, another thing I'm wondering about is how the increasing dysfunctionality of domestic air travel is going to affect the the interview process--not to mention the circumstances of the many academics who work far away from where they actually live, as when they are part of a couple who are forced to live in two different states because of the increasing difficulty of getting a full-time job. I did it for a long time, but I had to give it up because travel has become so complex and frustrating, not to mention expensive and dangerous.
5. trainer12 - January 07, 2010 at 11:09 am
I remember my first interview here where I work now. 5 years ago there was a severe snow storm and the university shut down. There was nothing on their website or information number. But behind the Intranet and on the employee hotline the word went out to the whole community that the campus was shut down. So much for checking with candidates scheduled for interview. I came to the administration building and the doors were all locked. The campus walkways and roads were clear of snow. Well I made it on time and followed up with a phone call and e-mail to reschedule. Maybe that helped me land the job. But it was frustrating. I grew up here in the Northeast, but I hate snow and winter.
6. jennypeshut - January 07, 2010 at 11:44 am
As one who deals with the administrative end of the hiring process, and has been living in a different city than my spouse for the past 5 years, it is time the Academy changed the hiring process. There is no reason, rational nor otherwise, why we need to restrict the interview and hiring process to December, January, February, and March. Let's open the window of opportunity for all, and recruit, interview, and hire throughout the year, like other industries. Start dates would remain according to academic calendar years, so there would be no disruption of teaching or departmental duties. Weather is really just the tip of the iceberg (no pun intended).
7. joanlw3 - January 07, 2010 at 12:46 pm
Two years ago, a candidate for a t/t position flew into O'Hare and then got the train for the final 3 hour trek to our campus. Unfortunately, the train was delayed and delayed and finally stopped cold about 45 miles away at 11:30 pm. When the station attendant announced this, I called her cell, told her to stay put, and I'd be there in an hour to bring her in. And she said, oh no, she had already gotten a ride with another train passenger whose husband was supposed to pick her up in my town and was already on his way to where they were. I gave her directions to the b&b, called and alerted the innkeeper, and went home. I met her for breakfast in the morning, and she had arrived in town 2 hours earlier than the history candidate who stayed on the train. Though not especially because of this resourcefulness, we did hire her.
8. notsosweet - January 08, 2010 at 01:29 pm
Yes--I had a t/t fly-out a couple of years ago across the country, and found, upon my arrival at the airport, that my plane had been cancelled and my ticket not rebooked. I rebooked a.s.a.p., flew in what seemed like a circle over the US to get to the small provincial airport where the university was, and arrived at midnight. The faculty member picking me up insisted on taking me out for tea because she had been told to "get to know me." I was tired and cold (yes, this was January in the Midwest) and my day started at 7:30 a.m. the next morning (I was on Pacific time, so make that 4:30 my time). Yet she kept me for 1.5 hours just chatting me up at night... I fail to see what purpose this served. I got four hours of sleep that night and had a 14-hour day of interviews, job talks, and student meetings the day after, followed by a 12-hour day starting equally early after that.
I would have appreciated a slightly shorter day, no midnight tea "just to chat," and, perhaps, an extra night of sleep if possible (the price of my motel was cheap).
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