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[educationlover]

Well I just have had it with SC members showing unprofessional behavior. How rude is it to have to sit before someone yawning, drinking a can of soda and smacking on chewing gum. Here I am trying to be professional and courteous in hopes of landing this job and I am the unlucky candidate forced to sit with 4 stooges.  Now after having had enough I was just about to ask them to remove my name from the search and leave when one of the SC members eager to leave the room jumped up and spilled his soda all over the table and some of it spilled into the lap of one of his colleagues. Right then and there was when I said, may I be excused to the bathroom and after doing so, I simply left and never looked back.

[sabina]

It's a buyers' market baby--they don't feel like they need to woo or wow you.

But you've got a great story to tell now!

[dr_crankypants]

Compared to ditching people in the middle of an interview, I don't think drinking a soda or chewing gum is THAT unprofessional.  No, I wouldn't be wowed by the professionalism of the committee, but nor am I impressed by yours. 

[busyslinky]

On your way out did you happen to run into a really Studly guy who made everyone swoon?

[trentsands]

On your way out did you happen to run into a really Studly guy who made everyone swoon?

It all makes sense now.  Mr. Good Looks was getting such probing questions due to the inferiority felt by the SC members, them having just sprayed soda all over their Dockers.

Not to suggest that the OP of this thread didn't present to us a real scenario.

[larryc]

Truly, you are too precious for this base world.

[saucebox]

Wait a sec--you ran out without notice or goodbye from a job interview, and *they* are the ones whose behavior is unprofessional and you're the one who is "courteous"?

I don't see why you read it as a sign of rudeness that a member of the search committee spilled his soda on a colleague--now, if they had a fistfight and the soda was consciously sprayed on the colleague or the colleague karate-kicked the can in the air, *that* would be unprofessional (but entertaining). May you never spill your drink from nervousness during a job talk or interview dinner.

Now, chewing gum in public admittedly is a bit uncouth, but I really can't classify a yawn (was it a warm room? was the conversation tedious?), if mouth was properly covered, or a can of soda as the height of professional insensitivity--if they were actually asking you responsible questions and listening to your answers. You didn't mention any disrespect like that.

I fear that if you read yawning, gum, and accidental soda-spillage as reasons to back out of a job search and blow off the committee, you're in for a difficult haul.

[grasshopper]

Yup. I've got to go with the others on this one. Your pitiful attempt to be courteous was an abysmal failure. I'm curious as to what you consider 'courtesy.' Sure, smacking gum and engaging in horseplay is nowhere near the standards of decorum you had expected during an interview, but at least it wasn't conscious. You went out of your way to be a jerk.

Here's hoping that the search committee members don't know too many people in your field. I'm sure that the Case of the Disappearing Candidate will make the rounds at a few conference cafés.

[aandsdean]

grasshopper is right (as is often the case).  The academy is a small, small world.  You'd be surprised at how often the same people keep cropping up.

OP, you may have done yourself not only out of this job (which is probably not much of a loss), but out of an untold number of potential future jobs as well.

I hope the momentary gratification was worth it to you.

[larryc]

I stormed out of an inverview once because someone said "very unique." Unique is an absolute and should never be modified with a qualifier.  I turned over the conference table and punched the secretary on the way out.  I have my standards.

[voxprincipalis]

I stormed out of an inverview once because someone said "very unique." Unique is an absolute and should never be modified with a qualifier.  I turned over the conference table and punched the secretary on the way out.

Was she massaging herself at the time?

[fiona]

I had a colleague who had a sign in his office: "Misusers of 'Hopefully' Will B Executed."

That's how we got rid of job candidates who were fragile flowers who couldn't stand chewing gum, or who were too studly for this world.

[dale1]

Oh you all crack me up.  I'm hopeful that Mr. Studly candidate will arrive and defend himself. 

[sylvie]

These posts are so nice for a laugh when I'm too tired to grade papers. 

Having served on two search committees last year (as a full-time instructor and full-time doctoral student) I tend to be sympathetic to the committee members, even though I also had to do my own search this year and deal with search committees too.

Search committee members usually have full-time positions and are often overloaded with service requirements.  It can be exhausting to interview candidates all day for a week or two at a time.  I always had a can of soda in front of me.  I never chewed gum, but I have heard that chewing gum keeps people more awake and alert.

The committees I worked on had a desire to have a successful search, ran the search professionally, and treated the candidates with respect.  I'm sure there are committees who do otherwise, but I also think the candidates have this skewed view of sc members as out to get them.  They are usually just normal people who have been through the same process themselves.

[kecko]

Yes, I think "lighten up and stop taking yourself so seriously" is in order. Chewing gum, spilling drinks, etc. is NOTHING compared to what I've experienced as a candidate (nobody turning up, one person turning up, etc.)... good luck with your search, but be more in control of your own emotions next time, as others have pointed out, your actions may come back to haunt you.