sunanoonna
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« on: December 11, 2009, 07:48:54 PM » |
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Hi, I've got an on-campus interview next week for a tenure-track job at a large university in what most people would consider an awful location: Deep South, rural, isolated. The job ad said that the u. was "sensitive" to the needs of dual-career couples.
Generally, I know the advice is to not mention your spouse until you have the job offer, but I'm wondering if that advice holds for this situation. Should I mention my husband (who is in a different humanities field) during the interview? Benefits include being able to be more open and honest and giving the department time to try to create something for him.
But, ultimately, would I take it if they offered him absolutely nothing? Probably, in this job climate. So, don't mention it?
Does this kind of wording in a job ad mean anything at all?
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yellowtractor
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« Reply #1 on: December 11, 2009, 07:53:14 PM » |
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Don't mention your husband. "Sensitive" means "We're in the middle of nowhere and we have a real problem recruiting, much less retaining, quality faculty. We're letting you know that we know it's a problem and we'll do what we can. Please apply."
If they are gauche enough to ask during the interview, nod/smile/deflect. The time to bring this up is once they've made an offer, at which happy moment you can say "I'm so glad you're sensitive to the pressures academic couples face!" Etc.
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i think is good for every one only the think is that we will always scares about that. |
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mouseman
Oh dear, how did I become a
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« Reply #2 on: December 11, 2009, 09:37:03 PM » |
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Don't mention your husband. "Sensitive" means "We're in the middle of nowhere and we have a real problem recruiting, much less retaining, quality faculty. We're letting you know that we know it's a problem and we'll do what we can. Please apply."
If they are gauche enough to ask during the interview, nod/smile/deflect. The time to bring this up is once they've made an offer, at which happy moment you can say "I'm so glad you're sensitive to the pressures academic couples face!" Etc.
If you get an offer, and you bring up the two-body problem, don't accept anything less that a written agreement. We're at a University that is "sensitive" to the two-body problem. It just means that they don't laugh in your face when you ask about it. |
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In the midst of the word he was trying to say,
In the midst of his laughter and glee,
He had softly and suddenly vanished away -- -
For the Snark was a Boojum, you see.
Lewis Carroll
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sunanoonna
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« Reply #3 on: December 13, 2009, 10:03:23 AM » |
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Yeah, I wondered if that wording was a bunch of hot air ... sounds like it is. Thanks!
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lorelei
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« Reply #4 on: December 13, 2009, 10:25:53 AM » |
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A colleague at my institution (which spouts a lot of this stuff on their website), when he was hired applied for "dual career" assistance for his wife (an academic in a different field). She told me that their service involved the administrator just googling the topics of the wife's research to see if anyone in the university worked on something related. (Colleague's wife got a job at another university and now commutes once a week).
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larryc
Hu hatin'
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Eschew the hu.
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« Reply #5 on: December 13, 2009, 11:55:05 AM » |
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Well, how bad do you want or need the dual hire?
If you would not take the job without it, you push a bit harder and earlier. Ask on the campus interview. Find out if there actually are dual hires on campus.
The thing about a dual hire is that if you wait until you get an offer, it might be too late for the institution to arrange a position for your spouse. It is a gamble either way, though.
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mouseman
Oh dear, how did I become a
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« Reply #6 on: December 13, 2009, 08:49:35 PM » |
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Well, how bad do you want or need the dual hire?
If you would not take the job without it, you push a bit harder and earlier. Ask on the campus interview. Find out if there actually are dual hires on campus.
The thing about a dual hire is that if you wait until you get an offer, it might be too late for the institution to arrange a position for your spouse. It is a gamble either way, though.
You're probably right - if they're serious about spousal hires, raising it during the interview will not reduce your possibilities of getting an offer (even if the can't arrange it). |
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In the midst of the word he was trying to say,
In the midst of his laughter and glee,
He had softly and suddenly vanished away -- -
For the Snark was a Boojum, you see.
Lewis Carroll
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larryc
Hu hatin'
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 18,285
Eschew the hu.
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« Reply #7 on: December 13, 2009, 09:28:34 PM » |
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I think the key is to find out if they really have made spousal hires in the past. I don't know how to find this out without asking someone on the SC, though.
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racerboy
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« Reply #8 on: December 13, 2009, 09:36:34 PM » |
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Absolutely bring it up during the visit. It gives the department time to get the ball rolling if they're serious, and it lets everyone know it's a waste of time if they're not. Either way, you have nothing to lose and being open and frank early on will buy you points with your potentially new colleagues.
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sibyl
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« Reply #9 on: December 14, 2009, 01:13:13 PM » |
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I think yellowtractor has it right: they know it's a problem. But I wouldn't write it off as hot air, either. Take it as a positive, but don't bet your house on it. As that great academic leader Ronald Reagan used to say: trust, but verify.
I am in the camp that believes that you shouldn't mention it until the endgame. But there are legitimate differences of opinion, and eventually someone will come along and tell you to mention it early.
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« Last Edit: December 14, 2009, 01:14:01 PM by sibyl »
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"I do not pretend to set people right, but I do see that they are often wrong." -- Jane Austen, Mansfield Park
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sunanoonna
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« Reply #10 on: December 15, 2009, 05:06:58 PM » |
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My thanks to everyone who replied. I'm going to follow the conventional advice and not mention my husband, but it they bring it up I won't lie or duck the question. Wish me luck!
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larryc
Hu hatin'
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Eschew the hu.
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« Reply #11 on: December 16, 2009, 12:00:17 AM » |
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Luck!
Let us know what happens. This is a perennial topic here and there is no clear consensus on the right strategy.
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mouseman
Oh dear, how did I become a
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Posts: 7,103
The Validater/Validator-in-Chief
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« Reply #12 on: December 16, 2009, 01:39:25 AM » |
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While I'm of the camp that usually says to bring it up early - there is a lot to be said about waiting until they start talking about the offer (they may be more willing to do something after they've decided that they like you and want you). Good luck, and keep us posted!
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In the midst of the word he was trying to say,
In the midst of his laughter and glee,
He had softly and suddenly vanished away -- -
For the Snark was a Boojum, you see.
Lewis Carroll
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drpud
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« Reply #13 on: December 22, 2009, 08:08:29 PM » |
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Any news? I hate the suspense . . .
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I agree with DrPud.
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sunanoonna
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« Reply #14 on: January 23, 2010, 05:23:59 PM » |
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Hi, I thought I'd give an update as to what happened (sorry it's taken so long). When I visited campus last month I resolutely did not mention my husband. I did mention that I had kids, just because several people in the department did also and it seemed a natural topic of conversation. I was also wearing my wedding ring throughout, so if they stopped to think about it they probably can guess that there is a significant other somewhere in the picture. But I played it safe and said nothing and nobody probed.
The department swears that they will make a decision next week (the wait has been agonizing ... they bizarrely brought in 2 candidates at the end of last semester and 2 at the beginning of this one, which they said was due to scheduling and not due to the quality of the first candidates). If I get the offer, I'm rehearsing my "well, er, I have this husband..." speech. I feel sorta bad about not having to spring it on them. There's no good answer to this dilemma!
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