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[grasshopper]

I got T-T number one a couple of months after I interviewed.  So maybe late letters mean something...

Late letters mean we won't send any out until we have a signed contract for the position in place, and sometimes the #1 candidate will stall for a long time and the #2 candidate will provide a shorter delay (the posts about "what do I do if I have an offer but I also have a campus interview at my first choice school three weeks from now?" will start appearing on this discussion list about two months from now).

And the advice will inevitably be "string them along as long as possible to maximize your options." And rightly so.

[westcoastgirl]

I have been constructing the following statement for use someday if I run a committee...

"Although you are a stellar candidate and we should be kissing the bottom of your shoes to get you here, we prefer to hire the ABD candidate with no pubs, grants, or presentations because he/she is cheaper."

Is it really cheaper to hire an ABD?

[scampster]

I have been constructing the following statement for use someday if I run a committee...

"Although you are a stellar candidate and we should be kissing the bottom of your shoes to get you here, we prefer to hire the ABD candidate with no pubs, grants, or presentations because he/she is cheaper."

Is it really cheaper to hire an ABD?

Since this was posted over 4 years ago, I doubt that dogvomit will check in to answer the question, but perhaps he will :-) I think you miss the point that it isn't the ABD designation but rather the lack of experience overall compared to a more accomplished candidate. But this was back in 2007 - now even the stellar candidates will probably work for cheap.

[westcoastgirl]

I have been constructing the following statement for use someday if I run a committee...

"Although you are a stellar candidate and we should be kissing the bottom of your shoes to get you here, we prefer to hire the ABD candidate with no pubs, grants, or presentations because he/she is cheaper."

Is it really cheaper to hire an ABD?

Since this was posted over 4 years ago, I doubt that dogvomit will check in to answer the question, but perhaps he will :-) I think you miss the point that it isn't the ABD designation but rather the lack of experience overall compared to a more accomplished candidate. But this was back in 2007 - now even the stellar candidates will probably work for cheap.

Sadness all around.

I'm sorry to drag such an old thread to the front, but I've been slogging through it the last few days and it's been keeping me quite entertained and distracted.

[theblackbox]

I'm so glad this was resurrected! It was a very entertaining read.

May I propose the I've been through this hell and wish you well genre:

I got an email 3 weeks prior to deadline explaining that they received 150+ apps and made an initial cut to 20-25 and I made the cut but no further decisions were being made until after the deadline. The note included the line "I've been through this process so I know what it is like waiting to hear from schools!" Promises were made to update after the deadline.

3 weeks after the deadline, I got another email explaining they've now invited candidates to campus and I'm not one of them but I had strong credentials and was seriously considered blah blah... "I sincerely thank you for applying and I hope we have left you with a favorable impression of [Our University]."

Indeed you did, good sir, indeed you did. <tips hat>

[anisogamy]

Resurrecting, because I love this thread and I got a great rejection letter yesterday that I needed to share.

Rejection letter as therapy: " . . . I realize that this must be a disappointment for you, but I would encourage you not to see this as a criticism of you or your work.  We received numerous applications from well-qualified candidates like yourself.  The search committee had to make numerous tough decisions to whittle down the pool of applicants.  We wish that we had ten positions to fill rather than one, but even then we would still have had to turn away excellent candidates.  Thus, while you were obviously qualified, other candidates seem to fit the needs of our department more closely . . . ."

It actually made me feel better, in part because this is a school that rejected some other candidates much earlier (according to the wiki) but never got in touch for an interview, so I didn't know if they were holding me in reserve in case they needed to dip back into the pile.  Thanks, anguished Search Committee, and good luck with your search..

[atlchemist]

My first rejection letter (last year, before I was seriously job searching) was a postcard. I read it and immediately threw it in the recycling bin. My psyche couldn't deal with looking at it over and over.

This year, all I've gotten so far is an "it's not you, it's us" e-mail.

[not_a_gradstudent1]

I love this excerpt from a recent one:


... Although the search committee appreciates your interest in the position, it
has asked me to inform you that it has decided not to pursue your
application further. I wanted to let you know so that you may pursue other
employment opportunities at your convenience. ...

[bartislartfast]

Browsing through the thread, I didn't see one that matched one I got late this week.  I suppose it could best be called F for Effort:

E-mail (in its entirety):

Please see our notification at http://www.magrathea.edu/p_design/rejection.html

Web page contents:

Dear <Candidate>(sic):

We have decided to pursue other candidates.  Best wishes.

Sincerely
<Search Chair>(sic)

Some weeks...

[anisogamy]

I just got a Read the Flippin' Ad letter in the mail this morning:

"In the end, we could give priority to those applicants whose profiles were nearest the profile that we described in our advertisement for the position . . . ."

Nothing objectionable there, but I could just see the SC sitting around wondering why it got all of these specialists in crosshatch weaving and the oral histories of baskets when the position concerned the cultivation of sub-Saharan reeds.

[anisogamy]

Sorry for posting twice in a row, but I had to share.

I just got my very first Baby Announcement in over 100 applications.  I had thought they were a myth! 

[bartislartfast]

I don't remember this one from my last read-through of the thread, but I got one today I'm calling the "Not a Rejection" Rejection or, alternatively, Calendar Check

February 22, 2012

Dear Mr. Slartfast,

Thank you for applying to <University>.  The search committee will be evaluating your materials and will be contacting potential interviewees by February 20.  If you do not hear from me by this time, it is safe to assume you are no longer under consideration.

Regards,
SCC


I suppose it could just be a previous form letter where a previous date wasn't updated, but it's far more amusing to believe otherwise.

[undisciplined]

Can't Quite Come Out and Say It:

I am writing to thank you for your interest in the history opening at [Nice But Inconsequential College]. 

The search committee has completed the first phase of its review and concluded that, for applicants whose credentials do not so closely meet the needs of the department, it would be appropriate to communicate that fact so that applicants could concentrate on other opportunities.  The committee members asked me to convey to you their appreciation for your application and to add their good wishes to mine for a rewarding career to which you and they are dedicated.



Yours very truly,
Dean Pussyfoot

[anisogamy]

Thanks for liking us (more than we liked you):

"We are pleased that you chose the faculty of ABCD University as a potential professional home. However, we must inform you that you are no longer under active consideration for this position."

[harrapsempire]

Somewhat strange (according to the wiki, an offer had been extended and accepted two weeks earlier, and rejections received around the same time):

Thursday, around noon:

Dear harrapsempire,

Thank you for your recent application to the Assistant Professor of interior sunglasses wearing.  We are still reviewing candidates for this position and will notify you once a decision has been made.  If you no longer wish to be considered for this opening, please proceed to your application management page and withdraw your application.

Thank you,
  Official Correspondence

Thursday, around 3pm:

Dear harrapsempire,

Thank you for applying to the Assistant Professor of interior sunglasses wearing position at Sunny College.

Unfortunately, we have selected another candidate whose skills and work experience better match the needs of the department at this time. However, we hope you will continue to consider employment opportunities at the College.

We are honored that you chose to apply to Sunny College and wish you only the best in your future endeavors.

Sincerely yours,

Department of interior sunglasses wearing
Sunny College