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[happyfeet]

Hi,

I post regularly but am using an alternative username for 'added anonymity'.

I am currently a senior lecturer at a Russell Group University (have been for four years) and recently applied for a chair at an equivalent institution. I found out last week that I have been shortlisted to interview right after the holidays.

While I am excited by the new possibility, I applied partly out of sheer frustration over a number of issues at my present institution. Many of these have since been resolved.

I don't want to potentially string the advertising institution along but I wonder whether the shortlisting can be used  to lever things at my current university. For example can the possibility of a chair at a comparable institution help me get a chair at my current institution? I am perfectly happy not to mention anything here but thought I should explore the possibilities of at least discussing the situation in my current institution. It may be a bit seedy or unseemly to do anything at all prior to either interviewing or declining and staying put, anyway.

Any advice greatly appreciated.
HF

[inthelab]

Only a firm written offer can be used as leverage, in my experience.

Good luck!

[drspouse]

Having just today been looking at the promotion criteria for my institution, this is firmly written down "must have written offer before considering internal promotion" here.

[ramani]

I guess it depends, because we lost a strong candidate for a vacant chair when they were promoted to Chair at their home institution on the strength of our invitation to interview (they withdrew their application to us right away, before interviews had taken place). This was also at a Russell Group, FWIW.

[august_leo]

I would interview and not worry about unless there is an offer. It seems unusual to use invitations to interview for leverage, even if that works, an offer will be stronger leverage.

[expatinuk]

When things were going weird at my institution the fact that I was being interviewed elsewhere took a lot of the pressure off me at my home institution. It also allowed me the freedom to really weigh the pros and cons of different situations and not to jump in where I didn't really want to go just to escape.