Moving Up

When Your Past Is Less Than Perfect

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By Jean Dowdall

Many administrators have had difficult experiences in their careers -- conflict over tenure decisions; votes of no-confidence from the faculty; highly visible conflict with board members or system heads; and so on. Such difficulties can get in the way of career advancement.

While some search committees are wary of blandness and are not fazed by histories of controversy in their candidates, most search committees are uneasy about past difficulties and prefer candidates with records they perceive to be unblemished. If you have had past difficulties, how should you handle them?

There are no easy or guaranteed solutions to the problem. Some candidates may never be successful because no search committee will be able to ignore their past. If this is your situation, you need to be honest with yourself and think about how you can move on, perhaps into another field, or with significantly modified aspirations; unwillingness to do this can lead to a permanent state of frustration that isn't very productive.

But if you decide to pursue your aspirations in educational administration, here are some approaches to consider:

The search committee needs to hear the story of your difficulties from you. If you send a letter of application, or (even more serious) if you are interviewed, and you don't reveal your problems, the search-committee members who learn about it from other sources are highly likely to be more upset than they would have been if you had told them yourself. I have seen otherwise strong candidates be completely rejected when that happens.

Sometimes those called for references will mention or allude to your problems. Sometimes your enemies will make special efforts to bring problems to the attention of the committee. The Web and e-mail communication give committees access to information that might otherwise have been buried. In any case, there is rarely a place to hide; you should come forward sooner rather than later, and you need to take this step yourself, without too much prompting. The very act of coming forward can enhance your standing in the eyes of the committee.

How much detail should you offer? The basic premise here is that you need to offer enough information to give the committee an overview and general understanding of the situation. Do not overwhelm the committee with the byzantine details. Your goal is to discuss what happened in a relatively open fashion, and by doing so to enable the conversation to move on to other things. One of the problems with having a history of problems is that it keeps committees from focusing on the many strengths that you may bring.

How should you tell the story? This is not a simple question. The story is likely to be complex, with many different sides, with a long history, and with considerable emotion attached to it, especially for you. You should practice describing what happened, either to yourself or to a close friend or colleague. Keep it simple, clear, and balanced. Repeat this description until you are comfortable with it and can tell it without a lot of emotion. Practice answering the questions you are likely to be asked in an interview in response to your account.

What if your story has to do with sensitivity to women or minorities? If you left a position because you were thought by others to be insensitive, and people at your prospective institution believe that a high level of sensitivity is essential, you may not be a good fit. But if your prior disagreement resulted from your exercising more sensitivity than your colleagues, you may find a warmer welcome in a "highly sensitive" institution. As always, it's a matter of fit.

How should you handle the matter of blame? You may believe that the problem was not your fault, that you were the victim, or that you held the moral high ground while others behaved unethically, etc. Or, you may believe that you made terrible mistakes and wish you had behaved differently. In either case, you need to think through the issue of blame and how you will handle it in giving your account. As a general matter, finger-pointing is hazardous, and often there is enough blame to go around.

Many candidates will say that they learned something from a difficult situation in the past. If you want to say that you learned from the difficult experience, you should be prepared to describe a subsequent situation in which you behaved differently, and, ideally, you should have references who can validate that claim.

Consider how others familiar with the situation can help the search committee evaluate your appropriateness for the position. Some candidates encourage committees to speak to their adversaries and hear another other point of view. Some suggest the names of objective third parties with whom the committee can talk. Some candidates are willing to allow the committee members to talk with anyone they wish to, creating a sense that nothing is being hidden.

There are many fine candidates who stumble at some time in their careers and are able to get back on their feet and continue to build a record of professional success -- in fact, you might be surprised at how many of your colleagues have had this experience. If you are a convincing candidate in other ways, and you continue to build your expertise and skill, you may be able to move ahead quite smoothly.