next »

[prof_smartypants]

You should tell your chair that you will of course not be participating in any of the.job talks or other parts of the search for any of the candidates.

Wait, does this still apply if the talks are public?  In my discipline, job talks (and, for that matter, thesis presentations) tend to be open to anyone, and well-attended by everyone, including undergrads and interested people from other departments.   I would find it odd if someone didn't attend a talk like this. 

Eh, this could be sketchy. Candidates should not have knowledge about previous interviewers' presentations. So if there were an internal candidate, it wouldn't be fair if he/she attended the other applicants' presentations. I think the same would go for the OP, or any spouse of an applicant.

[larryc]

Smarty Pants is smart. Any impression that you might be spying on the other candidates could rebound against your wife's candidacy. Any impression that you are going out of your way to be absolutely ethical could rebound in her favor.

Like it or not, your actions during this process will be closely watched by your colleagues and may have an impact on the hiring decision. Play the cards on the table.

[macaroon]

Ah, right - like he'd be spying on the other candidates for his wife?  I see. 

[helpful]

You should tell your chair that you will of course not be participating in any of the.job talks or other parts of the search for any of the candidates.

This also goes for the chair of the department where your wife is interviewing. If there is a dean for the college, they should also be informed.

[westcoastgirl]

Thanks for the advice. However, my spouse does not want me to ask for any special treatment for her. She wants to know that she really earned the position, not just be given it because of who she is married to. I realize asking for a favor is easier, but she does not want that, and I respect her wishes. Thus, all of the questions to debate!

Thanks!

I'm sorry--but in this day and age where getting a job is next to impossible, this seems, at best, naive, and at worst, pretentious. Just tell the department already and enough with the prepubescent "I need to prove myself" silliness. Believe me, if she gets the job, it will reflect her merit or whatever she's worried about. My own department (I'm a student) and my husband's department (he's an AP) fight viciously against spousal hires if they feel they are being unfairly imposed on them.

[larryc]

Ah, right - like he'd be spying on the other candidates for his wife?  I see. 

Someone will decide that is what is going on, yes.

[antiphon1]

Smarty and larry (wasn't that a song?) give good advice.

Exercising extreme caution during the search enhances your credibility in this circumstance.  I've been in a similar situation with a candidate. Not only did I recuse myself from the committee, I arranged to be out of the building and off campus on the days I could have been in contact with any of the candidates.  I also asked to be notified of the SC's meeting times and dates so I could be elsewhere at those times.  You can't totally sever communication with the involved parties.  You can take precautions to lessen the likelihood your actions are misinterpreted.  Clear communication with your chair is key here.  

[polly_mer]

Ah, right - like he'd be spying on the other candidates for his wife?  I see. 

Someone will decide that is what is going on, yes.

How does that work if the OP is the best person to help evaluate a subfield?

I guess I'm just naive in thinking that everyone goes to the public talks.  I've certainly been encouraged to go to the public talks for positions for which I was interviewing.  I was once asked to explain how my work was different from the other candidates, which required me to be familiar with their work.

Maybe I just don't get out enough or work in too small a field.

[helpful]

We are not in the same department, but in departments that would work closely together and are housed within the same college. My chair is actually the one person that does know she is my wife. The chair of the department hiring her has not specifically been informed of this by me, but he may have been informed by my chair.

Above is what the OP wrote to clarify. So talking to his chair isn't the solution; he needs to talk to the chair of the department his wife is interviewing in. And since it is another department, it is doubtful that the wife is working in the same sub-field as the OP.

[polly_mer]

We know they work in close enough subfields from the OP:

We have different last names, but are in the same field. Anybody that has read her CV thoroughly can see that we at least work together, and can probably figure out we are married.

[totoro]

I guess I'm just naive in thinking that everyone goes to the public talks.  I've certainly been encouraged to go to the public talks for positions for which I was interviewing.  I was once asked to explain how my work was different from the other candidates, which required me to be familiar with their work.

Maybe I just don't get out enough or work in too small a field.

I've seen that happen here in Australia but not in the US. It doesn't usually happen here.

[msparticularity]

We are not in the same department, but in departments that would work closely together and are housed within the same college. My chair is actually the one person that does know she is my wife. The chair of the department hiring her has not specifically been informed of this by me, but he may have been informed by my chair.

Above is what the OP wrote to clarify. So talking to his chair isn't the solution; he needs to talk to the chair of the department his wife is interviewing in. And since it is another department, it is doubtful that the wife is working in the same sub-field as the OP.

I disagree--this would look like interference with another department's hiring process, and would also depart from following the usual protocols, which include consulting one's own chair first. The OP is too new to this institution to know how these things are handled, too; it may be that HR needs to be informed and involved  in the logistical stuff (accommodations and scheduling) rather than the chair of the other department, for example--or the Dean.

[compdoc]

OP, Since your chair knows, go talk to your chair. Ask your chair what you should do. If most people attend the talks, will it be weird if you don't go? If someone finds out you are married to a candidate, will they be upset you went?

Here folks REALLY have a leg up if they are a spousal hire. No, we don't hire everyone and sometimes one of the two doesn't get tenure, but to start with, the other departments usually ask the dept of the spouse for the interview, if they like their hire/candidate. So at my school in my dept, my chair would have already talked to the other dept's chair and said, "He's already coming, but we're more likely to keep him if she comes." Then other dept would add a bit of weight (5-20% depending) on the hire choice towards your wife.

This is not because your wife couldn't get the job on her own merits but because our dept's want to KEEP their folks. One of the other hires may have a trailing spouse who is hoping to get a position in your dept. But the hire is already done. However, if your spouse doesn't get hired, that other hire might not stay... So it makes sense.

Now, we don't pay well and we are in a rural area. That probably has something to do with our choices.