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[scratch32]

I thought there would be more action on the wiki post-MLA with reports of campus visits by this point.  What's the deal?  Have people stopped reporting over nervousness about being identified?

[americanist]

I suspect that as candidates get narrowed down, people will be more reluctant to post anything but rejections. No one seems to want SCs to know they're posting info on the wiki, and if only 2 or 3 are invited to campus, that "outs" them a bit more.  Also, probably 1 in 10 job seekers is on the wiki, so the odds are now against the wiki.

[schoolmarm]

I also suspect that many of the schools in question are not back in session.  Often there needs to be administrative approve to bring people on campus for interviews.  If the university is still on holiday, the paperwork is stalled.

Hang tight!

[lucilla]

These are all good points.  I'd add, though--in terms of paranoia--that while many of us are CHE Fora addicts, not all the SCs have even heard of the CHE Fora, much less the wiki. Plus, they are kinda busy right now.

[phamiltonian]

Last year, I updated a couple of searches that were being conducted at the school where I was a VAP.  People are probably concerned about being identifiied, but there are lots of sources of information on searches. 

[huitz_353]

Well, maybe it seems quiet to you, but one of my top choices just appeared there as having invited someone to campus... and it wasn't me!

Be honest with me here -- does this mean that I've been rejected?  At the MLA interviews, they said their campus visits would be arranged in late January for trips in February, but there's already a visit up on the wiki.

[postdoc07]

@huitz
I am in the same position. One of the colleges I had interviews with is already posted as having issued campus visits. So I am wondering if they notify the candidates all at the same time or just gradually over maybe a week.....What is most common?

[ambroseu]

I suspect that as candidates get narrowed down, people will be more reluctant to post anything but rejections. No one seems to want SCs to know they're posting info on the wiki, and if only 2 or 3 are invited to campus, that "outs" them a bit more.  Also, probably 1 in 10 job seekers is on the wiki, so the odds are now against the wiki.

Why do you think people are reluctant to let SC's know that they are posting?  Because it circumvents the "system"?

[americanist]

I don't know. I guess it's that the job market is so capricious that candidates are wary of doing anything that might, maybe, possibly, in theory irk a search committee, even if there's no reason why it should.  I figure that if candidates agonize over whether their application will get tossed because they paper clipped it instead of stapling it, then they'll probably worry about the wiki, too.

I would think that only the most control-freakish search committees would care (or those who want to string applicants along and therefore keep them in the dark).

[lucilla]

@huitz
I am in the same position. One of the colleges I had interviews with is already posted as having issued campus visits. So I am wondering if they notify the candidates all at the same time or just gradually over maybe a week.....What is most common?

I think in my dept. we have to rank campus visit folks, even if we think they are all equally wonderful, so that we have an order to follow in making the phone calls.  We try to get approval for a list longer than the number we can actually bring to campus, so that we don't have to go back to ask permission to contact one of our alternates. 

Our process is 1) SC presents to the dept. our list of candidates we want to bring to campus, including one or two alternates in case of unavailability of top tier folk. We make a case for our list, because we want consensus.  It may not be instant! 2) Once approved, list goes to high mucky-muck who must approve it-- academic affairs VP? 3) We start emailing or calling people. We know our top tier and will call them all at once, but then we will have our alternates ready if any of them can't come. Some schools may just move slowly through the list and need to get approvals each time, which will take much longer.

By the way, we have to provide written justifications for a lot of this, which also takes time. Plus, this is a process involving not only approvals but also consensus at many stages, but we are not yet back in session and many people are on vacation and hard to reach for quick answers.

So, there is a lot that has to happen, postdoc07, so even if it feels horribly quiet from the job-seeker's end, it's actually frantically busy for the SC.  It's awful to wait, I know! Use the time to write or read something that's so absorbing it makes you forget the search and reminds you of the value and enjoyment of your work.

[creationrebel]

So, there is a lot that has to happen, postdoc07, so even if it feels horribly quiet from the job-seeker's end, it's actually frantically busy for the SC.  It's awful to wait, I know! Use the time to write or read something that's so absorbing it makes you forget the search and reminds you of the value and enjoyment of your work.

I did that Monday through Wed, then had to give up and start watching movies.  At least I know one dept I'm very interested in will contact me next week if I made the cut, but there are two other SCs at places I'd love to work which failed to give timelines for decison-making.  Since both are on the quarter system and are very desirable positions, however, there's a good chance they've decided and called people already.  And while there are a couple who gave timelines for later in the month, after considerable soul searching I've decided that it would be better for me to take a pass if those are my only options and try my luck again next year if none of my top three choices pan out.  Bottom line: limbo sucks. 

[seniorscholar]

We never notify anyone that they're rejected until someone has accepted an offer and signed a contract. This is especially important with the people we interview at MLA. There have been times when candidate #1 bombed at the campus interview, candidate #2 made impossible demands for spouse job and money we didn't have, and candidate #3 had accepted another job by the time #2 finished jerking us around. At that point, we brought in #4 and #5 (and are so pleased with #4, whose tenure is now making its way up the chain, that we can't imagine why we ever listed those other nearly forgotten folks higher). So if you had a MLA interview do not expect to hear a "no" even if you see that campus interviews have been scheduled until, probably, sometime in March. Indeed, if you have an offer somewhere else, you should call to ask about your status with any school that interviewed you at MLA if it is a place you'd rather be, just to see where they are.

[lucilla]

Senior scholar is so right. I got the phone call in March, because they only had funds to bring in one person at a time and candidates one and two turned them down. 

Incidentally I am quite happy though third choice!

[canadia]

Be honest with me here -- does this mean that I've been rejected?

Maybe. Maybe not.

I personally know of one job that a friend of mine updated as having a campus visit scheduled, but hu meant to put it in "rejected". By the time hu realized it, over 24 hours had passed. I ended up putting another blurp in the "rejection" category a full 2 days after the initial post.

The wiki seems to be fairly accurate, but there are errors.

AND... you may be on the long shortlist. Ppl do back out of interviews, so until the official "you suck" letter/email/phone call comes, there's still hope.

[histgeek]

Interesting point to consider:  Sometimes people from inside the searching institution, post things about candidates on the wiki.  So you can be "outed" by someone other than yourself!