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academic couple
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« on: February 03, 2006, 10:56:50 AM » |
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My spouse and I both applied for two different jobs in the same department at the same university. (We have different addresses as we are in different parts of the country right now. Plus we work in different sub specialities -- by the way, we didn't go to the same place for our Phds. We met at a conference and that is where we got together!). We both have garnered interviews. (Apparently there is one other person for each interview as the university is only bringing in two people per position for interviewing).
Should we say anything (now...so that we may be at the place the same time, or at the interview about the other person?)
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tamiam
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« Reply #1 on: February 03, 2006, 11:03:03 AM » |
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My gut opinion:
You should mention it at the interviews. I think the upside outweighs the downside.
Upside: spousal conflict of interest concerns (which are as we know illegal to ask about but always on peoples' minds) go away if they hire both of you. A BIG plus.
Downside: might not want to make an offer to one if they can't to the other.
So the question really is, if one of you is offered the job and the other is not, would you take it? If no, then it's a slam dunk - tell them. If yes, well, that's a tough one.
I'm curious to see what others think.
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tamiam
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« Reply #2 on: February 03, 2006, 11:08:44 AM » |
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Also, sick puppy that I am, I was thinking of the game theoretic possibilities here. Are you guys economists, by chance?
Ah, so sad. Is it 5:00 yet?
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anon
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« Reply #3 on: February 03, 2006, 11:21:39 AM » |
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My feeling is that you should bring it up in the interview.
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readymade
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« Reply #4 on: February 03, 2006, 11:33:48 AM » |
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Yeah, I think it's OK to mention it, too. But do it in a kind of casual way--"As it happens, you're actually interviewing my spouse/partner/whatever for your other position. Isn't that amazing? We're really hoping we'll be lucky and both bowl you over." Or something like that.
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me
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« Reply #5 on: February 03, 2006, 11:37:14 AM » |
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I would not bring it up until the very end of the interview. That way, they know, but you don't end up spending half of your interview talking about your spouse instead of you. This comes from half of a dual career tt couple.
Good luck!
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The Nanny (gets my goat)
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« Reply #6 on: February 03, 2006, 11:56:41 AM » |
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That's great - good luck!
There was a spousal hire thread earlier that I initiated. There are some people who don't like the idea of spousal hires. But since you both earned an interview independently of the SC knowing your spouse was also up for the position, leave it till the end.
Just something to think about. Some people may still hold this against you, even though you are both deserving, strong candidates. I can imagine some people wondering how having a couple on staff might change the dynamics of the department.
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yes
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« Reply #7 on: February 03, 2006, 11:59:42 AM » |
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You should definitely mention it, at the interview.
You can put it this way:
My spouse and I are conducting separate job searches and are willing to live in distinct locations. We have lived as a commuter couple in the past, and are willing to continue to do so in the future. However, if there is an opportunity for us to be together, that would be a very compelling reason for us to accept such an offer.
That way, they could still offer to one of you even if not the other, because they will believe you could accept anyway; if they like both of you, this would be a clincher for them, because they can be confident you would accept.
Congratulations on such serendipity.
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Another couple
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« Reply #8 on: February 03, 2006, 03:18:01 PM » |
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In this situation, I would also think it might be prudent to mention your situation. If you get your itineraries in advance, check your schedules and see if you will be having an exit interview of sorts with the department chair/head (in my experience, all campus visits conclude with a final conversation with the chair). This is when all the details get discussed--anticipated salary range, scheduling of the search process, etc. You will generally have the opportunity at this point to ask about benefits, sabbaticals, etc., and this is also when I think it would be most appropriate to mention the situation with your spouse. Keep in mind that there are many reasons departments WANT to hire couples, especially for stability. HOWEVER, I add as a caveat that in my current department, we have a married couple that was hired independently of one another. I don't know that it would have hurt either of them had we known they were married, but it can happen.
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