Just thought I'd start a general thread/topic for general chatter this month. Whether it be bitching and moaning about lack of contact or celebrating an interview :-)
I am hoping that November will be an active month. Hopefully those early October schools get things moving this month!
Wish I had chatter to share. All I've gotten so far is an email inquiry from one school. Pretty frustrating, but I guess it is still early.
It definitely is early. I've gone back through the archives and it seems like things pick up in November. So fingers crossed!
I have a campus interview later this month that I'm prepping for, but otherwise no other nibbles. I know I should be extremely happy with the invite, but I want to have more and not have all my eggs in one basket.
Hoping to get the last batch of apps out in the next week too (these are ones due in early 2011).
I just saw someone posted several campus invites….kudos to you :-)
I've been looking at rejections and Major R & R's from the perspective of, 'at least they're more likely to get published when I am on the tenure clock.'… I hope.
As a 1st timer on the market, am I correct in assuming that invitations for on-site interviews are delivered by phone? Do schools send emails w/ such invites? I did get a phone interview invited via email. I also know most schools are unlikely to send anything to say they want nothing to do w/ you, but I'm curious what to expect as things pick up.
Now there's an interesting point on which I'd like to hear the perspective of some of the people who have served as selection committee chairs and members… when it is appropriate to send an updated CV? Should you wait until brought in for an interview? I guess it's more a Q about whether one publication can make or break your application, but I can envision this playing out many different ways.
I am at a mid-sized university. For us, one publication would not make or break the application. We accept updated CVs at all points in the process, so I would email it to your contact there whenever you have new information. I agree with Anons that sending an update is an opportunity to hear more news from the schools.
about the question on whether invites come over email—I was called for both phone and campus interview invites. Caught me off guard, since I had expected to be contacted via email. So, just be prepared for phone calls, too!
Just to add to the commiseration: I'm currently an ABD grad, first time on the market…and I literally haven't heard a peep. Nada. Not an email inquiry, not a phone interview, not a nibble to speak of. I have a decent record (R1 grad institution, big name letter-writers and collaborators, 2 major grants, 12 pubs, five first-authored, and four more under review at A journals), but I only applied to 30 or so places this time around. I think I just don't have the pubs/experience to compete with the incredible backlog of competitive, talented people coming out of postdocs, which is completely understandable. I applied selectively because I anticipated being a better fit for a postdoc this year. Still, as the weeks go by and nothing happens, I can't help but feel a little sting. My phone has never been so silent:) Just wanted to share this in case there are others out here in my situation, without so much of a hint of interest. Here's hoping that there end up being some quality postdocs:)
If I were in your position I would do a postdoc and wait for the faculty job market to improve. Your record as a grad student is great, so if you keep it up as a postdoc, then you'll be very competitive in a couple years.
Cogdiss - I feel your pain. I was on the market 2 years ago as I was finishing up grad school, and got no interest at all. Now, coming out of a postdoc, my record at this point is still not as good as yours is currently (9 pubs, 6 of them first-authored, and a couple more under review. Fellowships but no grants). Yet I have already had one on-campus interview this fall - that's it so far, but it's a big difference from 2 years ago. I have heard that some search committees literally treat a postdoc as a prerequisite these days and don't even read the file if you don't have a postdoc. Your record sounds amazing, so hopefully some schools will look at the big picture and snap you up (it's still early). But in case they don't, just know that you'll be super competitive coming out of a postdoc in a couple of years.
Search chair: Thank you for that info regarding updated CVs. I have a couple under reviews that are now R&Rs but I won't bother updating with those….have one R&R that I'm hoping to hear from soon (hopefully with good news) and then can update and send around.
Cogdiss: Wow, you do have a great record! Better than mine and I'm on a post-doc. I agree with what others are saying…for the bigger schools a post-doc is pretty much a prereq. However, this isn't necessarily the case at small-mid schools or SLAC. It depends on the route you want to go in the future. I'm guessing that because you applied selectively you are leaning towards a post-doc anyways….which is a great route that provides invaluable experiences and more collaborations!
I really think it is still early. I mean if you look through the Wiki, the majority have no updates with respect to phone/campus interviews. I'm developmental and there have only been 1-2 updated.
I really think things are going to start going crazy here in the next couple of weeks! At least I hope so, because I'm sitting at one campus invite and I really don't want all my eggs in one basket :-)
Another week and deafening silence. Two schools within my area (one that I thought I would be a good fit for) have been posted for interviews and I haven't heard.
On the other hand, my campus interview went well and a paper got accepted! So I think I'll update my CV and send around to schools and see if that can generate some information.
All my eggs are in this one basket right now and it's a bit scary. I think I nailed the interview and am what they want, and I heard from several faculty that the general impression was positive, but there are still others interviewing after me and I won't hear anything until early December.
I should also add that it is still VERY early in the process. The deadline hasn't even passed yet for about half of the programs I applied to. I wouldn't start feeling defeated until mid-December or even January.
I agree, and I am grateful for getting an interview. However, I applied to approximately 80 schools (multidisciplinary work that cuts across several areas) and was expecting a lot more action.
Just checked the Wiki and another 3-4 are off the list now :-( One of them was one I had really high up on my list too, so that was disappointing.
Maybe next week will be a better week. It looks like things are starting to pick up this past week.
Here we go! Another week. Best of luck everyone!!! Hopefully some of those October deadlines will get their butts in gear and our email/phones will be lighting up.
Yes, indeed, good luck to all! Random thought… why do people post the same update on the job ads page? There have been a few multiple updates of applications acknowledged, phone interviews, etc for the same position. Although I am a 1st time on marketeer, one update of the status would seem sufficient. The deeper Q here may be, do schools stagger their invitations? Would seeing an update for a school necessarily take them off my board? I've been assuming yes. I also would like it if more people posted their areas when discussing things as I believe there to be great disparities between disciplines. Clinical, btw!
I kind of like if multiple people post for phone/campus interviews. Like anon iii said, it helps get an idea of how much competition you have.
BTW, two more schools today are crossed off my list (someone posted campus invites). One was a bit of a let down, but the other one not so much.
Regarding the issue of staggering interviews - I definitely know that some do this. I just saw that a school had invited some candidates for an interview. I figured I was out of the running and emailed the search chair to ask if there was a particular weakness in my application. (This is something I do in order to learn from the process.) The search chair got back to me and said their search is still completely open. My guess - they are interviewing a first choice candidate but are keeping others in mind in case it doesn't work out. So seeing an interview offer, at least at some places, does not mean you are out of the running.
That's interesting (emailing the search chair for feedback). What sort of reception to such a request do you usually get? For a number of the schools to which I've applied I have received this form email saying that if you're selected we'll call you, if not, you'll never hear from us again. Sort of discourages any feedback seeking, though I'd LOVE to have gotten feedback.
Regarding contacting the search chair for feedback, I waited a couple of days after I saw an interview posted to give them some time in case they still planned to contact me (wishful thinking, for sure). I received good reception from these requests. The search chairs did not seem to be bothered.
So how is everyone doing??? Happy with the way the search is going?
Or just totally depressed?
Totally depressed. 1 phone interview so far, 10 jobs already crossed off my list (2 that I was really hoping for), and just a slow search period in general. One more year of postdoc-ing here I come!
Sounds pretty similar to my own predicament. Though, that I have another year of postdoc funding at my current spot available is actually helpful from staving complete despair! It is pretty frightening that the, "it's still early," argument is quickly exiting… stage left.
