A good friend of mine from grad school was recently interviewed for a fabulous job. It was in a place she wanted to be doing what she wanted to do. However, when she got there for the interview, they told her that she wasn't meeting the head honcho because he couldn't be on the search committee due to a conflict of interest. His wife was also a candidate for the position. So, my friend went through the rest of the day-long interview feeling a bit bummed, but it also took some of the pressure off. Her odds of getting the position were low, so she might as well swing for the fences and really tell them her vision.
They offered her the job. I am so excited for her! I love having such awesome friends! I can't wait to see what she does in this position.
3 comments:
That's a great "go big or go home" moment! Congrats to your friend!
A good rule for faculty job hunting (or any job hunting, really) is not to jump to any conclusions about who the "favorite" is, for any reason. You can't read the minds of the search committee and shouldn't fall into the trap of thinking you can. Does the interview list include one senior candidate among the junior candidates? Don't assume the senior candidate will get the job! They'll be more expensive to hire, they're already a known quantity (rather than a junior candidate with potential), they may have unreasonable demands... Think the candidate who has personal connections (already works there, is married to the chair, whatever) will get the job? Nope, as your own example and one of my own illustrates (I once interviewed for a faculty position at the university where I'd been a postdoc for years. Didn't get it.). Think the one candidate from another continent will get the job, because why would they have flown someone all that way if not to hire them? Nope, as my own example again illustrates (as a postdoc in the UK, I got a dozen interviews in the US and Canada. Was only offered the job for one of them).
Thanks, Jeremy. It is so true. You never know in a job search what might transpire. I find hope in this story and your anecdotes.
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