next »

[mrhistory]

Well, I managed to be nervous and dull at the same time which I will admit is quite a feat! No spectacular disaster, no obvious bombed interview but no "homeruns" and a lot of people had to do very poorly today for me to advance to the "prize round" on campus with the fabulous people I met today.

Nice people, earnest people, the sort with which I'd love to work for the most part and, I miss you all already!

A few random cranky comments though in my own defense before I hit the sack and then face the last hours of my discipline's wonderful conference:

If I do "just what Bob does" then perhaps the onus is not on me to answer your irritable question: "I don't really know why we are interviewing you. I mean, I don't see the point." With a big pause and "well?" following.   (the same  thought did occur to me last week but I assumed you fine people had your own reasons--or hoped you did). Hope my reply about what else I could do to add to the strength of the dept in that area helped.

It is difficult to respond when you first praise me for making "the best" out of covering two positions in adjacent time periods because a colleague died and then *complain* that I have less experience in my central field than you might like.  Suggesting that this "is a problem" and following up later with a comment that you are interviewing 10 of 100 applicants makes me wonder about you.  Hope you noticed I'm a good department citizen or at least a pliable Asst Prof!

Ah well, this is for the a.b.d. applicants out there who believe that once you go through the grinder it all gets either easier or saner if you head into its maw again. Nope, sometimes all your opportunities come on a day when you are just sort of out-of-sync no matter what you try. Unanswerable questions are just a bonus!

I suspect I will have a teaching schedule in February that is not interrupted by those pesky on-campus visits! (reaching for that silver lining!)

[cactus]

Oh, the joys of interviews!  Seriously, remember that what you said always looks worse from your perspective.  Try your best not to dwell.  I cooked to distract myself.

You may still be in the running.  I was convinced that I had goofed my way out of a campus visit right after MLA.  However, I was wrong.

Keep hope alive!  ;-)

[lucilla]

Oh, Mrhistory, it sounds rough. I totally get the "nervous and dull" mix, having done it many times myself.

 What asinine questions... wish they were unusual.  Cactus is right: it may not mean the end. And if it does, you and will be enjoying NOT having to lay out untoward amounts of time and money for those exhausting visits and can get on with our lives.  (I'm still waiting, as I realized when every phone call today made my stomach flip over as if I were waiting for a date, but I did not hit a home run either.)

We're still very cool, and life will still contain huge pleasures, if they don't call.  Now please pamper yourself.

[mrhistory]

Oh, the joys of interviews!  Seriously, remember that what you said always looks worse from your perspective.  Try your best not to dwell.  I cooked to distract myself.

You may still be in the running.  I was convinced that I had goofed my way out of a campus visit right after MLA.  However, I was wrong.

Keep hope alive!  ;-)

Thanks, you are very kind and all the equally kind wishes pre-convention actually buoyed me up this afternoon. I knew that at worst I could sit down in the hotel room and say "well, that didn't go very well" with a virtual rueful laugh.  Sometimes you are *on* and sometimes you just aren't no matter how much you want, need or are prepared to be.
But, none were so much a "bomb" that I'm kicking myself just "blah" but, you do never know so we shall see if anything comes in the next few weeks. None of mine expect to notify before the end of the month due to approval timelines for on-campus visits.

I will say I'm definitely ready to go home. I'm "conventioned out" at this point. I'm actually looking forward to the semester start in just 48 hours!

[notaprof]

Mr H,

Take heart, I am sure it was better than you thought it was.  Maybe they are looking for nervous and dull, you never know?  It is history you know?   :o)  

You're just feeling the let down after all the excitement of the build up. The expectation can become so unrealistic that the reality could never live up to the fantasy interview you imagined.  You probably wowed em.

Enjoy the rest of the conference.  

[tenaciously]

Mr. History:
Also don't forget that if one person at the interview acted rather ass-like, it's highly likely that the other members of the SC don't like that person and also felt the questions were inappropriate, rude, etc.  Your ability to respond in a reasonable manner to a person everybody else thinks is unreasonable might just make your performance a home run.  You never know.
T

[minor_t]

You may have been nervous but I doubt that you were dull.  You are never dull on the fora, so how could you possible be at AHA, in any capacity?  Keep us posted on the progress of your search.
mt

[histgeek]

Mr. History:
Also don't forget that if one person at the interview acted rather ass-like, it's highly likely that the other members of the SC don't like that person and also felt the questions were inappropriate, rude, etc.  Your ability to respond in a reasonable manner to a person everybody else thinks is unreasonable might just make your performance a home run.  You never know.
T

Funny story about this:  When on the market for the first time (abd) I had a bad conference interviewer.  She asked a 5-part question, and glared at me while I answered.  I did 4 parts well, and when I forgot the fifth, her eyes narrowed and her glare became more intense.  It seems that my performance was mostly a "homerun," because I got the job.  I later found out that the other SC members thought the questions were excessive.  But this woman became chair and her interview style was indicative of her management style.  For 3 1/2 years she made unreasonable demands on me, gave contradictory evaluations, made unfounded accusations about my performance, and ultimately threats against my tenure.  In short, she was a terrorist.  But the department loved her and believed she was a kind-hearted person and a "marshmallow" deep down.  So they were no help to me and totally supported her.

So take the personalities of the SC seriously.  And if you make it on to campus, see if you can find out more.  Of course, none of my advice would have helped me.  Only a new job could do that!

[undisciplined]

I think the whole theme of the AHA was "nervous and dull." Or maybe "boring and stressed," b/c that's how most of the junior faculty looked to me. (I, of course, was serene and fascinating.) But seriously, I, too, had an interview that seemed blah when all was said and done. They sure didn't ask me much -- plain vanilla questions about teaching and research and a bit about evidence. They did keep me for much longer than they'd said--50 min. instead of 30 (is that good?). But they just seemed tired to me (it was late afternoon). They got off on a tangent about my current research for so long that they never did ask about my future research, which I was counting on to wow them. Oh well. I've given up trying to read the tea leaves on all this. I do know one thing: I've been to three conference in Atlanta in as many years and I hope not to repeat the experience anytime soon. Atlanta does have interesting areas, but none downtown!

[mrhistory]

I think the whole theme of the AHA was "nervous and dull." Or maybe "boring and stressed," b/c that's how most of the junior faculty looked to me.


I've been to three conference in Atlanta in as many years and I hope not to repeat the experience anytime soon. Atlanta does have interesting areas, but none downtown!

Yes, with apologies to Atlatans on the fora---I've twice now "enjoyed" AHA in Atlanta and its not my favorite convention city. Especially if you are sort of stuck downtown its expensive and the distances are vast---a good place to stay in the convention hotel no matter the cost. I stayed *technically* 4  blocks away from the Marriott in what was a great chain hotel but on the edge of an iffy-area with a long diserted walk back so I took a cab which had each night a *flat* rate of 16.00 for the ride. In a group it was easier but my friends were at the Marriott so I was hiking around a lot. The events were scattered and my interviews in four different hotels which required a lot of "dead time" to allow for over run interviews and walking here there any everywhere.  I got my exercise, that's for sure but wish it wasn't in "interview costumes" and in the (mostly) rain! 

Two people I saw in my one "bullpen" interview waiting area experience broke down and were crying. You can't help but feel for that level of nerves---one came out of the interview area sobbing.  I must say I liked my waiting colleagues at that moment. Many jumped up and went to the (in that case) woman to see if they could help even while they were nervously waiting for their own interviews. I was getting up as I was just called in and heard lots of reassurance being given to someone the candidates clearly didn't personally know as I passed by them. A moment of restoring a bit of faith in your fellow potential colleagues in the profession.

Being "out there" with a job allowed me to observe more than obsess right before but I think *everyone* did look nervous and depressed more than usual. maybe it was the weather.  Overall, more people I know (jr. fac/a few advanced abd apps looking for jobs) kept saying they felt nothing was "clicking"  Maybe it was the weather (rain, rain, rain!) or the alignment of the stars but I have to say I felt like I alternated between excited about question X and perfunctory about question Y.

All I know is I finally got home at 2 a.m. with plan delays, slept until 11 and am very happy to be home. What a zoo.

Thanks all, btw, for the encouragement pre-conference and the very kind reassurance following it. I'm surprised at the difference it makes. When you can't always let people know you are "looking" its a life saver to have a sympathetic community to return to---btw, at two panels about job searches (one involved with, one I observed for ideas) CHE foras came up. Both as warnings not to obsess on the "color of your shoes" over bigger issues and as good places to get info from experienced people.

[science_expat]

btw, at two panels about job searches (one involved with, one I observed for ideas) CHE foras came up. Both as warnings not to obsess on the "color of your shoes" over bigger issues and as good places to get info from experienced people.

That's interesting. Let's hope we get more of the latter and less of the former.

Best of luck, Mr. H