next »

[uggggh]

So, I have been interviewing for two years and have not received an offer.  I held one full time temporary position prior and have tons of adjunct experience.  Now, I am back in adjunct land and wondering how that would further affect my chances.  I have never had an interview that was anything comparable to those of friends and colleagues...all of them seem to have some "strange" context....The biggest problem is that I see no white elephant....I am completely clueless as to why I am so utterly unsuccessful and what I might do to correct whatever it is that I am doing wrong.  Is the white elephant that I don't see one?  Do I happen to get interviews from SCs whose only other option was "the home".  What is the deal? and when do I call it quits?  I have no other training than academia...I have spent the last year adjuncting and "slinging coffee".  I am even considering going back to uni to get public school teaching credentials because I see no other options.  Anyone have any words of wisdom?  Any tips?  Anything?

thanks

[sciencephd]

Spend time reading the fora.  Then come back with specific questions.  Clarity helps.

[jossfritz]

Two years is not all that long for academic job markets--what's your field?

Regardless, diverse teaching experience and publications can only help.

Have people from the various kinds of schools you're applying to look over your materials.

Apply widely--geographically and type of school.

Persistence is important too.

Good luck!

[uggggh]

Specific questions:

Will going from full time to part time hurt future chances?

Is it ok to ask if there are internal applicants before accepting an interview invitation?

Is it proper to ask for feedback?

When is it reasonable to say "enough is enough"?  Do people go for years before landing their jobs?

these are just a few....

[sciencephd]

Specific questions:

Will going from full time to part time hurt future chances?

A: Who knows.  Sounds like you don't have a choice.

Is it ok to ask if there are internal applicants before accepting an interview invitation?

A: No.  That doesn't look good.

Is it proper to ask for feedback?

A: There are dozens of threads on feedback.

When is it reasonable to say "enough is enough"?  Do people go for years before landing their jobs?

A: There are dozens of threads on this topic.  One was just started a couple days ago.

[zuzu_]

A. Are you limiting yourself geographically?

B. What is your field?

If the answer to A is "yes", that's your problem.

If the answer to B is English, History, or a similarly oversaturated field, then that's your problem.

I too adjuncted for five years while actively seeking a full time position. Last year, I finally landed my dream job by lifting my geographic limitations.

[hegemony]

Yes, someone was just saying that the average (or the median? I forget which) amount of time before landing a tenure-track job is three years.  Since some people get one the first year, that means many people are waiting longer than three years.

You need a crackerjack cover letter (meaning a superb one); a CV that shows you're energetic and ambitious, however you can get that across; a publication or two, or a book or two (the more of any, the better); and luck.

The best thing to do might be to show your application materials to a couple of academic you trust to tell you the raw truth, and find out if there are any places you might want to strengthen your appeal, or any places where you are inadvertently making yourself look like a weak candidate.  Practically all job applications can be strengthened.  Meanwhile, do your best to publish.  Working part time might not be the ideal choice, but if you can't avoid it, you can't avoid it.

Good luck to you.

[pink_]

Specific questions:

Will going from full time to part time hurt future chances?

It doesn't have to as long as you keep active in a scholarly community

Is it ok to ask if there are internal applicants before accepting an interview invitation?

no.

Is it proper to ask for feedback?

not usually from SCs, unless you know one of them independent of the job search.  Show your materials to your friends on the market, to your adviser, to those who are writing letters of rec for you, and to anyone else in the profession whom you can ask. 

You really do need to have a bulletproof cover letter, so it should be polished to a high shine.

When is it reasonable to say "enough is enough"?  Do people go for years before landing their jobs?

No one else can answer this for you.  I have friends who spent four and five years adjuncting before landing their T jobs, but both did eventually get good jobs.  It took me two years to get my job, and most people I know also took two years.

If you have found something else that would make you happy, there is no shame in walking away from academe, but if you still really want to be a professor, you should keep trying.  You will definitely not get a TT job if you stop applying for them.

[teatree]

Sounds like you have not gotten an interview. The first thing is to have a mentor to look at your strategy for job hunting. There are many ways not having an interview (and there is nothing wrong with your qualification). 

[onthelookout]

I think you can actually turn your part-time status into a good thing. Use the time for getting a publication out. That will help you in the job search - it shows that you are an active scholar, take initiative etc.

Good luck!

[mended_drum]

Have someone you trust look over your letters of recommendation, if you haven't already done so.   My grad school had an internal person who did this, but for most the easiest method is to have your portfolio sent to a colleague at another institution.  Let that person read over the letters--not to report anything specific--but to let you know if there is a letter that you should exclude from future applications. 

Definitely do not ask about internal candidates during the application process, or even afterwards.  Concentrate on your own application; you can't do anything about anyone else.

If you're going to be adjuncting, try to get a new course.  Teaching breadth can sometimes help.

Next year could be the year, but have some vet all of your materials.

[ruralguy]

I don't think you can really say that any one thing hurts your chances unless you happen to come off as arrogant or get really nervous during interviews. Otherwise, its really just a matter of whether your experience matches the school. Do you apply for jobs at R1s and not have enough publications? Or, apply to teaching oriented colleges and not give enough evidence of great teaching? Think along the lines of which sort of institution you'd most like to be at, and try to see how you fit that, and can improve the fit.

[msparticularity]

I'm also wondering if there is a language/language use issue here. A "white elephant" is something useless you have lying around your house. An "elephant in the room" is the metaphor for a major issue that no one is talking about, while everyone pretends not to notice it's there. Your use of "white elephant" for this thread implies that you're not familiar with the English language, or that you are sometimes misusing idiomatic expressions. In light of this, I really urge you to have someone review your application materials, since awkward or incorrect phrasing can have a major impact in a very competitive job market.

[uggggh]

Sounds like you have not gotten an interview. The first thing is to have a mentor to look at your strategy for job hunting. There are many ways not having an interview (and there is nothing wrong with your qualification). 

I have received several, in fact, and they all seem to go well as far as I know.

[uggggh]

I don't think you can really say that any one thing hurts your chances unless you happen to come off as arrogant or get really nervous during interviews. Otherwise, its really just a matter of whether your experience matches the school. Do you apply for jobs at R1s and not have enough publications? Or, apply to teaching oriented colleges and not give enough evidence of great teaching? Think along the lines of which sort of institution you'd most like to be at, and try to see how you fit that, and can improve the fit.

Thanks.....I don't apply to R1....I am not interested in that...only teaching.  I have won awards for teaching and I have a lot of evidence of successful teaching.  I don't believe that I come off arrogant, but my ability to sense this might not be that acute.....