First Person

First-Interview Jitters

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By Tom Mason

In my first column, I spoke of my desire to take the Ph.D. that I'm about to earn in the physical sciences and concentrate on applying to community colleges where I can focus on teaching.

That plan hasn't really changed, although I have decided that if an opening comes up at a small liberal-arts college in my preferred location (the Midwest), I would consider applying.

Last fall, I sent off my first application packet, which was a huge relief. After contemplating for more than a year what life would be like after the Ph.D., I was finally able to start doing something about it.

Yet, as the months went by, something was still missing. Sure, I was sending off application after application and filling out the occasional form I received from human resources departments asking about my gender and skin color, but anyone with a pulse can do that. So, despite my hard work personalizing my CV's and cover letters to each institution, the reality that I was actually on the job market had not set in.

That changed as I read through my e-mail one morning in November. There, in my in box, was a message from one of the institutions where I had applied. "Oh great," I thought. "My first rejection letter!" To my pleasant surprise, it was an invitation for a telephone interview.

My brain proceeded straight to frantic mode. Was this real? I quickly scanned the e-mail address of the sender to make sure it wasn't some joke from my office mates. Not that they would really stoop to that level, but I wasn't exactly thinking clearly. A few moments later, I replied to the e-mail, and by the next day I had a phone interview set up for the following week. Suddenly the job search was real.

For those of you who have been on the job market multiple times, maybe a phone interview seems like no big deal. But as a newcomer to the search process, about to have my first interview, well, you can imagine that I was feeling a little high-strung.

On the day of the interview, getting anything done was pretty much a lost cause. Research? Forget it. House chores? Nope. Job applications? Are you kidding? Casual reading? Well, that lasted for about two minutes. I did manage to burn quite a few calories due to the constant pacing.

Then the phone rang, and my heart leapt out of my chest and skittered across the living-room floor. Should I answer the phone or try to retrieve my beating heart? It's not everyday that one has to make that choice. I wanted a job the next year, so I answered the phone.

Once the interview got under way, I calmed down. That's usually the way it goes when I give a conference presentation, too. And, in retrospect, the interview went well. The members of the hiring committee asked the expected questions with no big surprises and none of those awkward pauses that make you wonder if the person on the other end of the line has collapsed and died on you.

Of course, I can think of a few things I wish I had said or elaborated on. But I think I did pretty well, although it's not my opinion that matters. My fingers are crossed that I'll advance to the next level and get invited for a campus interview. No response yet, but at the time of this writing, it has only been a couple of days since the phone interview.

Right now I'm feeling pretty good about my chances. To make it to the shortlist this early in the season is a good sign in my eyes. Still, I'm hoping I'll get a few more bites from other colleges. What if I actually have a choice of offers?

OK, I shouldn't get ahead of myself. The last time I did that, I was an undergraduate applying to graduate schools. I received two acceptance letters right away. Based on that, I thought I would get several more. Not quite. The two acceptances were followed by seven consecutive rejection letters, including three that arrived on the same day. Ouch.

After my phone interview, I went downstairs to check my mail. Sure enough, my first rejection letter, from a different college, had arrived. Oddly, the letter was dated the day after the application deadline for the job yet stated that the department had already filled the position. Already filled? In one day?

It doesn't matter, though, as I've erased that institution from my mind. I'm confident that a few other colleges will show an interest in me, but I do recognize the possibility that they won't, and that the phone interview I had may turn out to be the only one I get.

Search committees are looking for someone who conveys confidence, someone who can successfully handle a classroom, someone who recognizes his strengths and weaknesses, and works hard to turn those weaknesses into strengths. If I'm not confident in myself, then how can a search committee ever feel confident in hiring me?

In my first column, I used the old roller-coaster analogy to describe my job search. I've left the gates of the ride, and I'm near the top of a long, steep incline. The way I see it, I face two possibilities. I'll either end the ride thinking, "I wasted an hour of my life waiting in line for 43 seconds of lameness?" In other words, no job, or a job in a not-so-desirable location with little, if any, long-term potential.

Or I will end the ride thinking, "I just waited an hour in line for the most amazing 43 seconds of my life! Let's do it again!" Meaning, I received an awesome job offer in an awesome location with plenty of long-term potential. Well, I probably won't want to do it again, but you get the point.