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[telemachus]

Hi All--

I have a quick question regarding location; is it a good idea to mention one's connection to an area in a phone interview or is this sort of thing best left for a campus visit? I have a phone interview in a few days and my wife's extended family lives near the school. I wasn't sure if this would be worth mentioning, should the topic even come up in the interview.

Thanks in advance,
T.

PS: All apologies if this topic has been referenced elsewhere. I dug around the archives but couldn't find anything...

[eddyman]

Hi All--

I have a quick question regarding location; is it a good idea to mention one's connection to an area in a phone interview or is this sort of thing best left for a campus visit? I have a phone interview in a few days and my wife's extended family lives near the school. I wasn't sure if this would be worth mentioning, should the topic even come up in the interview.

Thanks in advance,
T.

PS: All apologies if this topic has been referenced elsewhere. I dug around the archives but couldn't find anything...

If this is a school in an undesirable place, I'd mention it.  I think this can help if the school is located in a rural area/fly-over country (I happen to like such areas but many candidates don't) and your CV makes it look you are a big-city/coastal person.  Mentioning that you have visited the area in the past might lead to some interesting conversation that goes beyond the purely academic and show that the "city slicker" might not be such a bad fit after all.  Of course, this is fairly low down on the list of things that SCs look for but I suppose every little thing helps...

[cw4ca]

I would mention it especially if you are now located in a major city. In half the interviews I've had someone on the committee has said something like "Why would you want to leave this big city. Our town is way smaller and there's hardly anything to do." For some reason the thought that I am only here to attend school doesn't seem to occur to them.

[goldenapple]

I, too, have had interviewers ask directly how I would deal with living in their small town, when I've lived in bigger cities so frequently. It's good to have an answer.

[janewales]

I think even when the school is in a desirable location, but far away (or in a different country) from you current location, it can help to make it clear that you have a connection to the area. In the case of the desirable location, though, you do have to be a bit careful not to make it sound like it's the city that's the draw, and not the department (even if that's the truth). We've had candidates talk about our city, its scenery, its culture, even its food... and not mention the university much. Hmm.

[embitteredhistorian]

I'd definitely mention it. It shows you have a reason to stick around for a long time.

[larryc]

Mention it, but AFTER all the other reasons you want to work there.

[yellowtractor]

Mention it, but AFTER all the other reasons you want to work there.

Agreed--mention it, when and if you do, towards the end, as a sort of envoi.

I'll add that during my three years on the market, I often found myself in this position, because my geographical range was restricted.  Sometimes mentioning affinities/connections with a given area (as a way of telegraphing my sincere interest in locations others might view as "undesirable") resulted in a perceptible bump in SC interest; sometimes it seemed to have no effect whatsoever.  Once or twice the SC's reaction seemed to be a sort of strained discomfort, which I was never able to decode.

Which is to say:  be as sensitive to nuances as you can, whether you're in a telephone interview, conference interview, or campus interview.

[der_gadfly]

I went to a 'rural fringe' institution for one of those lovely all day campus interviews. It started with a walking tour (through slushy residue) wherein the SC member did the real estate agent thing [pointing to yet another red brick building] "And THIS is a dormitory!"

Feet now wet, I was asked how I would like to move away from my urban home to RemoteRuralFringePrivateCollege, and how I would deal with the snow, I responded "I went to [very northern college with lots of snow] so I would probably have no problems. As for being 'remote', it sure would be nice to not have to listen to every single marital dispute of everyone on the block, fight over parking spaces, and while I might miss some of the really exotic restaurants, I can do without them just as well."

They tossed out the old diversity thing too, announcing that a whopping 2% of their student body and 1% of all faculty and staff are "diverse"..... I interpreted that to mean that the parking lots had 2% and 1% (respectively) used domestic cars that were over 3 years old.

[lonelylondoner]

I actually mention it in one sentence at the very end of my cover letter, if I do have ties to an area. At least once, I know that it contributed, albeit in a small way, to my being chosen for an on-campus interview.

[lightningstrike]

Casually mentioning during a campus interview (or a phone interview) that you like the location or have ties to the location will help your cause.  You should not, however, make it the most important reason for your interest in the job.  This is true for ANY location (urban, suburban, rural, south of Mason-Dixon, blue, red, whatever). In other words, if you were to be a finalist for job at NYU, your most important motivation should not be the desire to live in New York.  The same goes for institutions in areas with spacious affordable housing, lower crime, more parking spaces, less overpopulation, 10-minute commutes, and less pollution. 

[david_perlmutter]

As others have said, do mention it. Some people on SCs in rural, regional, or lower tier institutions
worry that you see them as a temp stop or stop gap. Put it in closing, as in "if I may end on a personal note..." can't hurt.

[telemachus]

Thanks for the advice. I decided not to mention the regional connection in the phone interview (it just didn't feel right at the time, mainly because the first question was along the lines of "Why Us?" and it felt a bit too soon in the interview to mention it then); however, I did receive an invitation for a campus interview so I should be able to mention the connection at that point.

Again, thanks!
T.

[clean]

One of our standard questions is "why did you apply to Compass Point U?" 

We like to have people who have a connection here.  It actually would have moved you up the list if it were listed in the cover letter too.

[t_r_b]

During one memorable phone interview, a fellow SC member actually did a fist pump when the candidate mentioned that his wife had family in our area. Mind you, this happened late in the interview after the candidate had already made a strong impression, so the news about the family connection was just icing on the cake (which confirms what others have said: mention it, but only after you've wowed them with all your other amazing qualities).