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[kd2972]

I am looking for some positive reassurance, or at least some hope!  In the past 2 weeks, I had the unusual experience of interviewing in 2 departments, both at my "dream" university.  Both departments know I interviewed in each, but there has been no talk of a joint appointment, except by a graduate student who asked, "so, you're up for the joint appt?"  The chair of Department A informed me last week that they would be making their decision on Friday (yesterday), and hu would call to let me know after the meeting.  Hu has been wonderful at correspondence until now, but I haven't heard a peep from hu since last week. 

So, my question for all of you experienced SC members is regarding my chances.  Do you think it is most likely I did not get the position and the chair is avoiding me?  If that is not it, and something else is going on (i.e., waiting for the dean to get back, contacting department B about a joint position, etc.), is it unethical for hu to contact me?  I just don't understand why I haven't gotten a "sorry, we can't let you know until next week" email if that is the case.  Any thoughts?  I know it's ultimately just a waiting game, but I'm going a little crazy here thinking about all the possible scenarios! ;)  Thanks in advance for any insight...

[trabb]

It's all a matter of perspective kd2972.

From your perspective, the rest of your life (or at least a significant part of it rests on that phone call).  There's nothing more important in the world that having the chair call you to keep you informed.

From the chair's perspective, it gets to be 5:00 p.m. on Friday evening.  Hu has a choice - email candidates or head on down to the local bar and grab a beer with hus colleagues/friends.  Emailing candidates is, like the rest of the paperwork on hus desk, just one more piece of administrative work that can wait until Monday.

A phone call that represents all of your hopes is, for the chair, just one more thing that has to be done and that can wait until Monday.

[prytania3]

This is called looking for a psychic and it's futile I'm sorry to say.

No news is no news.

Your chances are 50/50--either you will get it or you won't.

Possibly lighting a candle will improve your chances.

[angel]

Yes, and there's also that thing you can do with myrrh.

The chair isn't "avoiding you". They may not, in fact, have made their decision yet, or are waiting for approval from admin to issue a formal offer, or they decided to offer the position to someone else and have given that person time to decide; if the first choice declines they may move on to their #2.

Waiting can be purgatorial, I agree. Good luck. You also are still waiting to hear from Dept. B in the same place, yes? Good luck with that too.

[kd2972]

Yes, I agree with what you all are saying.  It's just frustrating.  I guess I'll just keep my fingers crossed (and maybe light a candle or two)!  Thanks for the commiseration!

[trabb]

Hang in there kd2972.  The waiting after the campus visit is the absolute worst part of the whole process as far as I'm concerned.  After the campus visit is the first time when you feel like you actually might get a job; even after MLA or AHA interviews, you know the odds still are very much stacked against you.  Then when you finally think you might really, actually have a shot, you get stuck waiting on administration.  It's hell. 

The good thing is that getting campus visits is a sign that you likely will get more campus visits should this one not work out.

[mrhistory]

Two things:

1. in several SCs I've been on we made promises to call with results/rankings for the 2 or 3 on-campus candidates. In two, the departure for the weekend of the administrator or Dean needed to sign the offer letter we were ready to fax (after, mind you, saying hu would be there until 5 or whatever...) pushed the whole thing into the next week. This also is a holiday weekend multiplying that sort of possibility or even the dept meeting itself. Yes, the SC could have called and said "nope, it will be Tuesday" but the SC does have a lot to do and calling several people with "no news for a couple of days" isn't something reasonable to do I'm afraid.

2. Weather:  Several interior US regions have had bad ice/snow/cold this week and that has complicated timelines for everything from job interviews to start of semester.    I was waiting for word during a post-doc when the worst blizzard in a decade  hit the region X College was in and delayed everything there for two weeks!  It happens

[undisciplined]

Bourbon and Bon Bons--also good for blizzards and ice storms.

[eugenides]

Bourbon and Bon Bons--also good for blizzards and ice storms.

Are Bourbon and Bon Bons so magically useful?
(I find you recommend them on more than one occasions)

More useful than chocolate?


Waiting for the result is certainly uncomfortable.
But I recall my own experience last year:
I was applying to a VAP.
After the interview, I was not notified to be hired until one month later!

If I had to wait for more than one month for a VAP,
I guess people might need to wait for a similar duration, if not more, for TT.

[undisciplined]

It's the bourbon that's magically useful...Chocolate is just as good as bon bons, though not as alliterative and perhaps better paired with red wine. Good for the heart, too!

[trabb]

It's the bourbon that's magically useful...Chocolate is just as good as bon bons, though not as alliterative and perhaps better paired with red wine. Good for the heart, too!

Egads!  Chocolate should always be paired with a good chocolate stout or Russian Imperial Stout!  (Either of which, consumed in adequate quantity, will do as well as bourbon).

[athena1]

you're not out of the game. I'm with you. The last candidate for my "dream job" is there right now and I'm going nuts. I won't hear until next week!

[kd2972]

Thanks for all the feedback...looks like I should stock up on bourbon and bon bons! 
Regarding the comment about the weather, I think there is a good chance that affected everything since the school is in a hard-hit region.  Still, I was just hoping for an email to that extent, even if that's naive of me.  Hopefully I'll hear back tomorrow, since the university was off today.  I'll update you if I do!

Thanks again!

[divinity_jones]

It's not over until someone signs a contract.  It's unusual for a SC to give out information to the other candidates unless they have the dean's approval to hire and a signed acceptance in hand from the successful applicant.  Given the meeting was Friday, any recommendation wouldn't get to the dean until Tuesday at the earliest.  So I wonder what was going through the chair's mind when s/he said you'd get a call.  It seems like an odd promise to make.

[kd2972]

So I found out rather through the grapevine that as of yesterday (Monday), the meeting to decide on candidates had not yet happened but will very soon. 

Today, I got a call about another job interview at school B.  This job is not nearly so desirable, and I'm even thinking about withdrawing myself from their search, although there is a decent chance I would take the job if it happened to be the only one to work out.  I wonder, if I am so lucky as to get an offer from school A before I fly out for school B, would it be weird for me to ask for the offer in writing right away (i.e., before negotiations are finished)?  A fellow grad student of mine a few years ago received a verbal offer, turned other interviews down, and then the school reneged on the offer.  Any thoughts on this?  I really have no interest in doing the interview at school B even if there is the possibility for better negotiations with school A (which I highly doubt there would be anyway).  I'm grateful for any advice!  Thanks!