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[marinetti]

Hi all - my question might have come up previously, but I thought I would just get the forumites' thoughts on my situation.

Last year I was runner-up for a good job; the person to whom the job was offered agreed on a contract, then insisted on a leave for the first semester on the job, and then never showed.  The result is that the search is being run again this year.

My question: would it be wise/advantageous/presumptuous/obnoxious for me to get directly in touch with the people on the search committee who I got to know during my on-campus, and see what the deal is?  The feedback I got at the time of rejection was that they liked me a lot but that the committee was split and one side got its way (by choosing the other person); by saying "I'm still around and interested" could I possibly position myself better than just sending in an application via the standard route?  As the runner-up in an imploded and re-opened search, do I have any dibs?  Or should I just go through the same process as everyone else and risk being buried in a pile of applications?

[oldadjunct]

The "dib's" question is probably answered by the fact that they did not call you as a fill-in last fall or spring.  In business, allowing full credit to what you were told, they probably would have.  But academe, different ball game.

Probably best to play it straight and just reapply.  They will remember you wistfully, or not.

[larryc]

Just apply. They are still kicking themselves for not hiring you last year. When you go to campus smile and be gracious and allow yourself only one light-hearted reference to your previous interview. Do not allow a single "well, if you had hired me" type remark escape your lips.

[figee]

And, in your application, make sure you emphasise what you've done in the past year to make yourself an even better candidate.

[svenc]

If it is true that you were above the bar of acceptability last time, then the department is indeed wishing that they had hired you last year rather than be in the position they are in now.  If you were deemed unacceptable after your campus interview last year, then it doesn't matter what you do now, you won't get invited back.  

I personally would send off my application materials asap, and then after they were sent send a short note to the search committee or department chair expressing how much you enjoyed interviewing with them last year and that you are excited for the opportunity to apply for the current opening.  Express your genuine interest, but do not say anything to suggest that you feel entitled to an interview just because you had one last year.

As mentioned above, don't make comments or jokes about not being hired last time.  I would also suggest that you act as if this is a different position than before, even though you know the back story as to why they are hiring again.  In other words, don't talk about them "readvertising the position," talk about the new opening.  

For better or worse, re-advertising means that the department will get to see a new applicant pool.  Even if they liked you a lot last year, they would be foolish to restrict their options if this search yields other promising candidates.  Keep in mind that you can do everything right -- twice -- and still not get the job again this year.

[jwormold]

Thanks to Marinetti for starting the thread (I'm in the same boat), and for the usual good advice from fellow forumites.

Svenc, you advised sending a note directly to the SC after sending in the app to reiterate interest. So, one doesn't say anything in the cover letter about the previous interview?   

[publishorperish1]

So, one doesn't say anything in the cover letter about the previous interview?   

That would seem very strange to me.  I'd think that part of the goal of a good letter would be to explain why you'd like to be at the school, and if part of what makes the school appealing is your experience interviewing there last year, then not to mention it seems like shooting yourself in the foot.  It also just seems odd to be writing to people that you now know (assuming there are some common members of the previous and current search committees) as if you didn't.  I wouldn't make much of it, but finding some way to mention that you do have this earlier experience, and that it was valuable for you, seems like a good idea to me.  Some kind of brief email to the SC chair, tactfully addressing your plans to reapply, also seems like a good idea.  Nothing that demands a response, or that suggests that you've got any kind of inside track on the job, but something along the lines that svenc suggests, maybe.

[larryc]

Some small signaling of the previous interview is fine. Either a line at the end of the letter "I am even more eager to work at your institution than I was a year ago." or a quick polite email to the SC chair.

Keep in mind that you may not even get an interview this time around, let alone the job. Who knows what the competition will be, and it may be that you remind people a little too much of their mistake.

Good luck.

[pink_]

Also keep in mind that the SC membership might have shifted from the last go round to this one.  It may be mostly the same, or very different depending on the size of the dept and whether or not anyone was granted sabbatical, etc.  If you know that the chair is the same person as the last search (because it was published in the job ad or something), I might email them, but I also might just address it in the last paragraph of my letter.

[ruralguy]

Don't mention anything previous. Its just not necessary. They know who you are, and they know you applied before. You might want to double the enthusiasm for that place, but forget all of the behind the scenes stuff.

[galactic_hedgehog]

I've had situations like, once where the the guy they hired left after one year, the other when the exact position became available after a few years.  In both cases I mentioned my previous visit in my cover letter, stressing what I liked about the institutions and jobs.  In neither case did I even get a phone interview the second time 'round.  But I'd do them again, all the same.

[zuzu_]

I was once in a similar situation; in my case, though, the first-choice candidate worked out fine, but a new position opened the next year in the same department.

I made a passing mention in the first paragraph of my previous candidacy, and then in the final paragraph I made specific reference to what impressed me about the institution during my previous visit.

I got the job. And I've later come to find that there was some sort of split decision/ administrative override regarding the initial hire of the other person, and the that reason I wasn't hired the last time had something to do with my "maturity," and that I had "matured" between the first and second interview. Whatever that means. I don't really want/need to know any details beyond that at this point.

One other thing to consider is that you may have a completely different search committee this time. In my case, only the SCC was the same both times. This can work for you and/or against you.

[aristotelian]

I like zuzu_'s approach.  If you say something about the previous interview, it should add to your case for why you would be a good fit for them.  Just don't say anything that could possibly be interpreted as you being bitter over the rejection or having assumptions about why you didn't get the job.  I also agree that it will be extremely important to talk up your accomplishments in the last year to show them that you have been productive. 

You definitely do not have "dibs" on anything.  If anything, the fact that you were not made an offer after the top choice bailed suggests that they simply did not want to hire you.

Finally, keep in mind that it may not be the same search committee even if they are hiring for the same position.  I think you should mostly assume that you are starting over from scratch.

[svenc]

Svenc, you advised sending a note directly to the SC after sending in the app to reiterate interest. So, one doesn't say anything in the cover letter about the previous interview?   

I agree with what larryc and others said in subsequent posts about a brief sentence in the cover letter, but to my way of thinking the point of a quick email is that cover letters and CVs sometimes sit in files for a while before they are reviewed.  If you were a favored candidate last year, a quick note makes sure that someone knows you are still interested now, rather than when they get around to reviewing files.  In most departments, I would expect that the person you contact would probably mention the fact to relevant people (e.g., this year's search committee members).

[losemygrip]

Yeah, I do think some mention of the prior application is warranted.  If you totally ignore it, someone might think you're sending them some kind of "rote" application as one of scores and not really even noticing that you had applied there before.