I know this was asked earlier, but I was wondering if anyone has any more information about Grinnell (postdoc)? Have they invited people out for interviews? How many people?
About the reimbursement: The secretary should be responding to you, of course. A phone call might work better? But it may not be her fault--I'm still waiting on a reimbursement from.. yup, about two months ago. When I talked to the secretary she said it was being held up at some university office, and she'd been trying to hurry it along.
No reason not to talk to the SC, but the department may have been doing what it should.
12:46 I thought they were going to meet early last week. Depending how long it takes to go through the chain... other than that, I'm as clueless as you. If you learn anything, send it along.
Coastal Carolina's search has un-frozen and they are contacting applicants to find out if they are still interested. i'm not sure if they are contacting only a short list or everyone. the email just said "are you still interested?"
Anyone know what the status of the SUNY New Paltz job search is? I know they were going to interview in February but I am curious to see if any of the candidates have taken jobs already.
There are those of us who are RWJ finalists, and who are extremely disappointed by this news. Please do not make the experience worse with your snide comments.
Has RWJ HSS started notifying the candidates they've selected? If there's interest we could use the soc jobs wiki to track offers made and accepted. (Personally I don't want the torture of waiting weeks on end for a snail mail rejection.)
Has RWJ HSS started notifying the candidates they've selected? If there's interest we could use the soc jobs wiki to track offers made and accepted. (Personally I don't want the torture of waiting weeks on end for a snail mail rejection.)
February 14, 2009 11:19 AM
The number one to number one matches were notified on 2/9. Most others who will receive an award have probably heard by now.
don't worry, I'm sure your RWJ fellowship will help your career while people like me who do something controversial will have to wait in line another 2 yrs and stock pencils at staples while assholes such as yourself walk around with a smirk on your face thinking how great you are cause you got the fellowship, fuck you
To all the Search Committee members reading this. A colleague and friend of mine was found dead in his apartment on Thursday.
I am pretty sure that while there were other things going on in his life, the way that many of these rejection letters were worded and searches handled may have pushed him in the direction he took. This is a great tragedy for our department. There was a lot of pressure on him to place well as faculty in our department have been working hard on improving rankings. Either way, there is a lot of pressure on people now and I think looking at the way some schools handle "rejecting" people--the practice could use some more compassion. It was very hard to write this post and come on here after the past two days.
Unemployed sociologist? You are eligible for unemployment benefits! Read Kristen M. Wallingford's 10-13-04 posting to the SWS listserv and check out her included web links: "Ethnography of an Unemployed PhD (PDF)*." at the bottom of the CDC webpage: http://www.socwomen.org/page.php?sss=4
2:17 I'm very sorry for your loss. Indeed, the job market is demoralizing and dehumanizing (every year, and especially this one) and it's a tragedy that it may have contributed to your colleagues death.
11:29 Thanks for the RWJ HSS update. I guess this means I will be stocking pencils at staples with 2:07 (though hopefully with less of a chip on my shoulder: at a certain point in the competition, these decisions are incredibly arbitrary.... No offense to those who won, I've just seen the other side.)
I am (was?) an RWJ HSS finalist who hasn't heard anything yet. They were quite clear during the interviews that matches will be made through the end of February. What information do you have that suggests that it is likely that everyone who received the fellowship has been notified?
In past years, RWJ notified everyone who got a slot within about 24 hours. Last year, I think they started matching just "one-to-one" matches first, and then going from there. But I think that if the first people heard on the 9th there probably isn't much hope left at this point. This is just based on conjecture and intel from years past, so I could be wrong. The fact is that it is rare for someone to turn down a slot, unless they have a TT job offer who won't defer for them. If I were you, I would contact the finalists you met on the interviews; some of them probably know about a least a few matches.
has anyone heard anything further from Bowling Green State U or from CUNY-Baruch? (according to the wiki, extra materials were requested for both- did they ever schedule interviews?)
Has anyone heard from other postdocs (Princeton, Penn State, etc?) I know Michigan said they would notify their recipients on Friday, but I'm not sure what the timeline is on the other places.
Anyone know if the Michigan Pop Studies postdoc program is doing phone interviews, or are they deciding just on the basis of the application materials?
I was the one who posted on the wiki. I was asked for references in early December but have heard nothing since. I'm assuming they've moved on. My guess is that since they wanted an advanced assistant/early associate, they're interviewing people who aren't hanging out on the wiki or the rumor mill. In any case, bummer - I was really interested in that job.
Just learned through the pipelines that one of the hottest superstars this year turned down three offers from top soc departments and is probably going to a b-school! What a mock to our discipline!!!
And the sad thing is, two of the three soc departments that hu turned down decided not to pursue any other candidate because of financial constraints. So the precious job opportunities are just wasted...
Hi, I've just gone through the job market for the first time here. I submitted applications while in Europe (where I did my PhD), and didn't know much about the process. This site has been useful to learn more about what is involved, and also just reading the experiences of others was very helpful.
One issue I am not sure about is a candidate's publishing record. When applying for a job, how many articles would a candidate want published? I realize the quality of the journal is also important, so generally speaking, what type of publishing record would a candidate want? I know different universities have different requirements, but what type of publishing record would someone want to have to be confident going into the market?
I feel I have more than enough teaching experience for my age, so I'm guessing that I need to improve upon my publications for next year's market.
I'd appreciate any suggestions you can make on publishing.
I think there is no certain answer, but here is my general impression.
The top-20 department I'm in was hiring this year, and did not consider anyone without a publication. Those invited typically had between 3 and 7, with some of those first or solo authored. First or solo authorship is very heavily weighted, perhaps more than "quality."
My impression is that quantity also matters more than "quality." I think you might be better off having 4 or 5 publications in "lower" tier journals than 1 in AJS or ASR for R1 jobs.
I don't know as much about SLACs, but my impression is that they also want publications, though perhaps not a heavy research agenda. Not sure though.
The market this year was very competitive - people with multiple (ok, two) publications in top three journals did not even get interviews, and some like that who did get interviews did not get jobs. Next year will probably be much more competitive for a variety of reasons, so I don't think anyone will go onto the job market feeling confident regardless of their publication record.
Finally - I don't think hiring Universities will enter the market saying that people have to have X number of publications to get considered, but if you have 3 applicants, one with 10 pubs, one with 3, and one with 0, I think you can see where that is headed.
Anyway, I hope this helps and best of luck to you.
For quantitative research, my advisors told me 2-3 first-authored publications in well-regarded peer-reviewed publications. And that worked for me.
Articles that have been accepted but are not yet in print count. First-authored papers with co-authors count. Journals other than AJS, ASR, and SF are well-regarded. Although in print, sole-authored, top three don't exactly hurt your cause.
having publications on which you are not the first author and there are a lot (over 3) co-authors will not help you much if at all in my experience.
but i think the best advice is just to publish as much as possible. which is pretty much all anyone can say. there is no magic number that once you reach you should stop trying to publish more.
and, as always, the better the journal the more the publication will help you.
To 9:04, my advice, having gotten a job at a good R1 this year, is to work very hard on the publications from now through the fall. This year I had one sole authored article in a top 5journal, and several sole authored articles in lesser-known, interdisciplinary journals. I had one interview in a soc department, one interview for a joint position at a another R1, and was invited for (but declined) an interview in a related department at a highly ranked R1. Last year, I did not have the top journal publication. I had one interview and did not get the offer. The year before, I was still ABD (but with a couple pubs), and applied selectively, and did not get any interviews. So, I really think it was the publication record that set my application apart this time around. And I still didn't get much attention from top-20 departments. Although many sociology profs I meet say that publishing in ASR/AJS should not be so important, as far as I can tell, search committees at top 20 departments mainly interview people who have articles in those journals.
12:19, certainly academic networks matter, but do they matter more? If your adviser(s) have ties and they exploit them on your behalf, it may get your CV noticed and perhaps even a phone interview. But if you don't have pubs, I don't think network ties are enough. I think you can say network ties and publications are analogous to necessary and sufficient conditions, respectively.
To 12:10 re: the importance of AJS/ASR. I speak only from my own experience, but my pubs this year were 1 AJS piece with another graduate student, a solo authored piece which was an R&R at AJS that became a conditional accept about two months into the job market, and another R&R. Net result: 1 interview, no jobs. So pubs at top journals alone does not cut it. Also, the folks I saw getting more interviews tended to have higher numbers of publications, but typically not pubs in AJS/ASR.
My goal for next year is to have a bunch of new things under review, as they sure aren't coming out before then.
I got a job (that I think I will LOVE) at a teaching university--3/3 teaching load. They said that they had some excellent candidates but that they were surprised how few broadly-trained sociologists there were. At a teaching university, broad-training and a good teaching record will take you further than pubs... though I had a couple of second-authored pubs on my CV and was noted (by advisors and my future chair) as having a very publishable dissertation into 3-4 articles.
12:19, (this is 12:10 again), yes, networks matter. I am from a top 5 department, and the people from my department who have gotten really great jobs in the past few years have had indeed had chairs who were flag wavers. I did not have this. In the end, I got a good job, but it did take longer. Publications are somewhat less important when you have someone on your committee who is highly respected and willing to talk you up.
Re: Michigan postdoc--I'm not sure how many finalists there are. I've received two rounds of emails regarding my status as under consideration. The latest one was this week.
What's happening in California with the budget shortfall? Are all public university searches being cancelled? We read that students are being turned away, and adjuncts being laid off -- not a promising market to hire new faculty.
Thank you very much for all of this advice on publishing records. It's very helpful.
My goal from now till the next job market is to submit several articles that are nearly complete to journals here and in europe.
I'm still trying to learn more about the job market here. I sent out applications at the end of last year knowing very little, and this helps me a lot for next year's market.
I guess knowing it's a very competitive market is one way of rationalizing limited success in the job hunt. However, it also makes the task for next year seem even more daunting.
I'm hoping that this magical "network" doesn't get many jobs. Most of the academics I know are in Europe, as I only did my undergrad here. The network connection doesn't seem to be based on merit, and instead on an a "good ol boys" network. It's amazing that's allowed.
In response to one comment, I entered this job hunt hoping my teaching experience would carry me through to several places. I taught too much while doing my phd. I read over some cv's over here, and realized I had a lot more teaching under my belt, across several courses and colleges.
Despite having very favorable letters of recommendation, a track record of being asked back to teach at some colleges after contracts had ended, etc., this didn't seem to help me all that much. I applied to what seem to be called teaching universities, and still no joy.
I guess, like others, I have to identify the weakness in my cv, and improve it for next season. so "publish publish publish" is my mantra for the next few months.
the job market kicks of in europe in the next month or so, is anyone considering looking over there?
Networks are not necessarily a tit-for-tat good ol' boys network (although there is a lot of that). But in this age of universally glowing letters of recommendation, inflated publishing opportunities, and often spurious second- or third- authorships, being recommended by someone the SC trusts, or having committee members who go beyond writing glowing letters of recommendation seem to matter a lot.
5 or 10 years ago, even having one publication meant a lot. Now, when grad students get included as an author in an ASR paper simply because they worked as an RA for a semester for a given professor, these things get a lot harder to determine.
When SCs have at least a dozen candidates with multiple publications and letters of recommendation saying that student X is "the best I've ever had," intangibles end up mattering a whole lot more.
Thus, students with advisers who go beyond just writing a letter are seen as more reliable, especially when the SC knows them personally and their reputation is at stake.
It sucks for the students who don't have those advisers, or who lack the network connections. But in a scenario where the SC has limited information on hundreds of candidates who in the end all look alike, they have to rely on something to make even a guess as to who is qualified. The alternative in many cases would be to either invite everyone in, or to randomly select which of the "this is the best student ever" letters to believe.
I get the frustration, I really do. Specially at the ASA employment service when you see half the candidates with their advisers working the floor, and half sitting by themselves, usually for no other reason than the adviser being inconsiderate, or thinking that networking is below them.
I've been searching/applying for as many positions as possible throughout Europe. That has been all of 3 positions (I was qualified for) that have been advertised through ASA. So if you have any tips on where to look for those job ads, I would love to hear them! Thanks!
in response to the question about finding jobs in Europe... One way of keeping up to date on sociology jobs in europe is to join up for the weekly email sent from jobs.ac.uk. sign up under social sciences and social care, and you'll get info on post doc's and a variety of lecturing positions. If you attend a meeting of the European Sociological Assocation, you can join a research network and get emails from them sometimes, but it is not as good as the ASA for job news. on that note, abstracts are due soon for this year's conference in Lisbon.
in response to "networking"..
I would like to think a search committee is able to cut through fluff on cv's. That's their job. A supervisor should make various distinctions in their letters, not just saying this is the best student ever. Surely a supervisor can do more than speak in general abstract terms. If not, then a search committee should be suspect of the letter.
I therefore don't agree with your "invite everyone or random selection" framework. The search committee has a job to do, and deciphering the qualities of candidates is the crucial one. A phone call from a buddy in a different department is a ridiculous method of selection. It shows they are either unable, or too lazy, to do the job that they agreed to do. Either reason is not acceptable.
If a school has this as their mode of operation, and feel this is acceptable, then they should be honest about it and not hide it. For example, in the job advertisement, when asking for what candidates should submit, they should add, "if your supervisor is buddies with one of us on the search committee, tell him/her to give us a call in order to persuade us to hire you". if you think the networking system is a credible one, then you would have no problem doing this. However, something tells me that no university would admit to such a process, despite doing it in the background.
The job of a search committee is an extremely difficult one, and while I would have liked to get more favorable results from many, many search committees, I still think it's only fair to ask that they be expected to do the job they've been asked to do.
That isn't an opinion developed out of frustration. It's more to do with fairness. This type of networking gives academics a bad name, and rightly so.
Val Burris has an interesting article (often cited on this blog) called the "academic caste system." It's a good read. Sure SCs have a job to do...and it involves trying to snake a way into precious networks and capture $$ and prestige. One way to do this is to make a prestige-based hire, or do some famous stranger a favor (with the hope that that famous stranger will somehow spread the wealth/prestige)...
As a sociologist, you should know that the impact of networks is not always something consciously designed, nor is it easily undone.
We can't make a living writing about embedded markets and not expect them to affect us.
Yes, I am certainly in favor of making the impact of networks visible, and I certainly wish that many of my professors remembered the importance of networks next time they ignore all their students on the market to go schmoozing on their own behalf.
But I am not naive enough to claim that this is a consciously designed quasi-conspiracy that can in any way be avoided.
While the examples given above might be somewhat shallow, the fact is that most people know what to say to make someone look good, and usually its the network connections that determine the reliability of that information. It may suck for us as individuals, but the alternative to these networks is to have a carfax for grad students.
I wish more professors explicitly recognized this, but it is unfortunately inescapable.
Now, regarding European jobs: remember that many countries have systems that make it extremely difficult for foreigners to enter the academic labor market. Research that before spending a lot of time applying there. And keep in mind that sometimes it can be very difficult to come back. I know of someone with a about 4 publications on IO, a couple more on other top journals (one on ASR and one on APSR) and a book who is having a hard time trying to come back to the US, getting very little consideration even for Assistant professor positions after about 6 years as a lecturer at a top UK university. Universities are either not interested or think he would reject the position and therefore dont consider him seriously.
I don't see how my criticism of networking should be seen as an ignorance of all types of networks. That's merely an attempt on your part, a weak one in my opinion, of trying to justify a practice that is absurd through dubious means.
Trying to conflate one critique of one type of networking, with an ignorance of all types of networking, simply doesn't work.
And, you don't need me to say this, as it seems even you realize how weak your defense of this practice is. I say that because part of your reply to my critism is a knee jerk, "well, the process in foreign countries isn't perfect" argument. Where did anyone say it is? What type of way is that to discuss the issue?
I don't see how suggesting doomdsay alternative situations to the current process is in any way useful. Seems to me to just be an attempt, and again another weak one in my opinion, of demanding that no one speak of current conditions in a critical fashion.
If I wanted to adopt your condescending approach, I would say that "As a sociologist...", this seems to be laughable at best, and utterly stupid and cowardly at worst.
But, I won't adopt your approach. I'll simply point out that universities that I know of in other countries don't incorporate this "networking approach" (whether conciously or unconciously designed) that you seem so desperate to defend. And, this hasn't led them into total chaos.
You see, comrade? Alternative conditions don't have to be so terribly scary.
Re 6:32. I received a letter from Temple yesterday saying it was a cancelled search.
Also, I may have missed the news earlier, but why all the "no thanks" to Coastal Carolina. Is that because you have found positions or is the institution in trouble?
I don't think there is anything wrong with Coastal Carolina. I had posted a joking note encouraging others to say they weren't interested to better my own odds ;) - and a few people said they had done so. I think they all already accepted offers.
They scheduled phone interviews. I am not sure if it has move on from there (not sure from your comment if you meant interviews of any kind or in-person only).
Also, can we move the network bickering to the misc. thread?
Are people just not updating the Wiki site anymore? If what a couple of people have said above about UNC Wilmington is true, the information there is a few weeks out of date.
I know someone who had a phone interview with UNC Wilmington. I think it's just that not everyone uses the wiki and I didn't want to post someone else's info.
Does anyone know if CSU Long Beach has made an offer yet? They were expecting to make one the end of this month, despite the hiring freeze in the CSU system....
According to the wiki U. Mississippi has conducted phone interviews and have scheduled on-campus interviews. Who knows what will happen there. Let's face it low pay, low rank, red state (totally racist mascot and football culture). Even in this market it's not exactly attractive. And before everyone jumps on me I grew up in the rural South, so I know what it's like.
postdocs usually do not have campus interviews (except for RWJ and perhaps a few others; I think Princeton CRCW does too). usually it is phone interviews; or even no interviews; just offers based on application packets.
I have had postdocs, and I got them through a traditional application process (submitted a research proposal and writing samples). I don't think social networking played much of a part, as they were fairly interdisciplinary. Neither required an interview -- the offers came by email.
it did not confirm the theory, but it made it more credible relative to an alternative theory (boy that Stinchcombe book, Constructing Social Theories, was helpful)
Since the stock market (DJIA) has now dipped below 6,900 and the reality of the crisis predicted by Marxist economists (yes, they have them in Amherst at UMass) is sinking in, it might be high time to start worrying about whether sociology departments may now be on the chopping block in future budget cutbacks
past history suggests yes (some depts will be merged with anthropology and/or social work) and others may be defunded completely and faculty distributed to other campuses or departments
Departments are merged or dissolved only when there is so little student demand that the faculty and staff positions are not needed. Sociology is in a very healthy status in number of majors and enrollment in general education courses, at least in the large state universities and public colleges.
As a larger segment of the high school population (over 2/3) go on to college, majors involving social service, education, and related careers are becoming more popular. Moreover, many colleges have a commitment to retain all traditional departments even through low enrollment periods (witness the survival of philosophy, modern languages, classics, anthropology, and other departments in spite of low enrollments).
Re postdocs not having campus interviews: That's not what I've seen. Many do (Society of Fellows, some of the Harvard fellowships), and the postdoc of the Committee on Global Thought at Columbia just had its in-person interviews.
Loyola Marymont and Suny-New Paltz have called to see if candidates are still interested in their positions. Loyola says they were delayed due to budget concerns but are now moving forward to select interviewees. Don't know if SUNY is dipping back in or what.
Is SUNY New Paltz calling back people they interviewed and/or were on the shortlist? Or are they calling back applicants who had not heard from them previously?
For a search which had an october 15th deadline, they are sure moving slowly.
Loyola Marymount already filled the medical soc. position (interesting that the budget issues didn't affect that position....makes you wonder), so the call-backs must be for the environmental soc. position.
The Loyola job is indeed the environmental soc position. SUNY-New Paltz called someone that had previously received a letter saying they had made some sort of long-short list but was not interviewed.
Just a positive comment here.. I just signed a contract for a TT position that had already been listed on the wiki as "confirming" a hire. I'm not sure what criteria are used to "confirm" a hire, but this is just a note to not lose hope just because something is on the wiki or on the blog. I had assumed in info on wiki was correct so I was very pleasantly surprised to receive the offer. So don't lose hope!
Given how long that search has been going on, I wonder what is the reason behind that.
Did the people they interview take positions elsewhere already? Were they not satisfied with the interviewees? Are they scheduling additional interviews?
Congrats to 12:48! It would be interesting to know what happened (and this may just be an instance in which the wiki was just inaccurate). Hires can fall through for lots of reasons -- sometimes a candidate verbally accepts, but then ends up declining during negotiations.
In terms of inaccurate information of "confirmed hires" on the wiki: it's plausible that another candidate posted it in the hopes that other candidates with multiple offers would take one versus another...just a thought.
I'd also like to point out that I also landed a TT job months after the position was listed as a confirmed hire. Indeed, I was interviewed after the confirmation...
1:46: Thanks! I am not sure what happened but yes, I figured since so much can happen during the negotiation process that if a hire was listed as "confirmed" it meant there was a signed contract and it was a done deal. So I hope people feel better hearing that I was able to get a job that wasn't reopened or anything, the information was just wrong. Best wishes to everyone!
Does tulane still have a grad program? just curious. I didn't apply, just wondering what the dept will look like in the future. Their website hasn't been updated since Katrina.
(Sorry for the repeat question, I asked this before in another thread and never got an answer).
No, they don't. They have a couple grad students left over from the pre-Katrina days, but they haven't admitted any new students since Fall 2005 (just prior to Katrina) and it doesn't look like they will be. The university administration cut many/most of the grad programs in the humanities and social sciences, many grad students went elsewhere to finish, and the department, by in large, seemed to be fine with the changes. Quite honestly, it's transitioning from a research university to a large liberal arts college. So, if you want light teaching load, grad assistants, etc., go somewhere else.
In my two seasons on the job market, I have learned that "fit" is extremely subjective. Sometimes it can mean that the classes a candidate would be able to teach are ones the department needs. Sometimes it's about the candidate's personality or things they have in common socially with other faculty members. Sometimes it's because they liked the job talk, other times the job talk does not matter as much as the individual interviews. So getting that offer is not simply about your qualifications -- there is often an element of luck in the perceived "fit" with the needs of the department.
Let's be careful about naming names. You can't be vague when you are talking about a person who is already hired for a job that starts in a few months. It will be easy to tell who exactly you're talking about.
Everyone who survived this year's job market has been put through the ringer. I think we should ease up on criticizing each other.
Re: 10:55 - I am also waiting to hear from Reed, as well as UC Irvine about their VAP position. If anyone knows anything new about either, please share.
I think SUNY New Paltz brought in 4 people total. There search has taken forever though. I wonder how many of those interviewed have already taken positions elsewhere(besides the one somebody already mentioned here)?
SUNY New Paltz brought in 3 people to interview, with the last interview being in mid to late February. They have decided on a candidate and should be making the offer soon, if they havent already. Those who interviewed there and did not get the position have been notified of that.
This is another case of dubious (at best) information being disseminated here at the blog. Considering they finished their last interview a little over 3 weeks ago, I seriously doubt they contacted other people about the TT position, brought them in, interviewed them, and decided to hire them in less than three weeks, so the idea that they were "dipping back" into their pool of applicants is false.
And I know this because I was with one of the people who interviewed there when they called to say they had they had an offer to someone else.
I think people are getting frustrated and accusing others of posting 'dubious' information. I was the one that posted the SUNY-New Paltz news. I received a letter about a month ago or more saying I was on some kind of long-short list. Then heard nothing. Then they called last week to ask if I was still interested in the position and I said no. I have no idea why they might be dipping back into their long-short list, and I posted the information to try to help others who might be interested in the position. But I did not make it up. I realize that sometimes information posted doesn't seem to make total sense, as it is just one piece of the bigger puzzle of what is going on. But that doesn't mean people are trying to spread rumors that are false.
I actually feel like for any job that I have had firsthand knowledge of, the blog has been very accurate.
I am not accusing anyone of anything. But when things here contradict things said by the dept. head at New Paltz, Id rather go with what the dept head has said. And just read some of the latest comments here and you will see plenty of similar situations where people in the blog will claim one thing and then the person who actually got the position came in and said that it wasnt like that.
New Paltz contacted people about interviews in late November, early December, scheduled three interviews on Feb. 4th, 11th and 18th, told interviewees to expect a decision by last week, and this week called and told them that they had made an offer. None of this based on hearsay, but on what actually took place with one of the interviewees, some of it in front of me.
On posting offers... Isn't it odd to post when you are offered (and accept) a position? I was so worried that I would learn that I did not get a job from the Rumor Mill, I feel weird about updating the board. Why would you want to learn that you didn't get a job that way?
Does anyone have any information of University of Illinois- Springfield? I know they have had phone interviews, but am wondering if they've scheduled on-campus interviews.
Does anyone have any information about the position at the University of Nebraska at Omaha or about the visiting positions at: Reed, Sweet Briar, St. Michaels, Loyola, or UC Irvine?
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«Oldest ‹Older 1801 – 2000 of 2083 Newer› Newest»didn't choose me for your little interview? BURN IN HELL! I'M BETTER THAN YOU"LL EVER BE AND I WILL GET MY REVENGE!!!
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I know this was asked earlier, but I was wondering if anyone has any more information about Grinnell (postdoc)? Have they invited people out for interviews? How many people?
Does anyone know if UT-Arlington has made an offer?
About the reimbursement: The secretary should be responding to you, of course. A phone call might work better? But it may not be her fault--I'm still waiting on a reimbursement from.. yup, about two months ago. When I talked to the secretary she said it was being held up at some university office, and she'd been trying to hurry it along.
No reason not to talk to the SC, but the department may have been doing what it should.
Re: UT-Arlington. I interviewed there and haven't heard anything. Perhaps one of the other two candidates got an offer?
12:36 -- Did they tell you when they expected to make a decision by?
12:46 I thought they were going to meet early last week. Depending how long it takes to go through the chain... other than that, I'm as clueless as you. If you learn anything, send it along.
Coastal Carolina's search has un-frozen and they are contacting applicants to find out if they are still interested. i'm not sure if they are contacting only a short list or everyone. the email just said "are you still interested?"
I also got the email from Coastal Carolina.
Ditto on Coastal Carolina...guess we'll see what it means soon!
Please tell me that y'all gave Coastal Carolina a polite "thanks but no thanks" ;)
Anyone know what the status of the SUNY New Paltz job search is? I know they were going to interview in February but I am curious to see if any of the candidates have taken jobs already.
Suny New Paltz is currently interviewing candidates.
Southern CT State University has cancelled their search.
I also heard from Coastal Carolina (and told them that I've already found a job).
Does anyone know about the status of the LIU--CW Post search?.
The person who was offered the job at LIU--CW Post plans to accept it.
7:26am
I'm happy to tell you that I did give Coastal Carolina a polite "thanks but no thanks."
12.28 - oh, thank you!
RWJ SHP has started notifying the scholars they selected
RWJ is a bunch of spineless wimps who reject people if their research is politically controversial.
There are those of us who are RWJ finalists, and who are extremely disappointed by this news. Please do not make the experience worse with your snide comments.
Has RWJ HSS started notifying the candidates they've selected? If there's interest we could use the soc jobs wiki to track offers made and accepted. (Personally I don't want the torture of waiting weeks on end for a snail mail rejection.)
Anonymous said...
Has RWJ HSS started notifying the candidates they've selected? If there's interest we could use the soc jobs wiki to track offers made and accepted. (Personally I don't want the torture of waiting weeks on end for a snail mail rejection.)
February 14, 2009 11:19 AM
The number one to number one matches were notified on 2/9. Most others who will receive an award have probably heard by now.
don't worry, I'm sure your RWJ fellowship will help your career while people like me who do something controversial will have to wait in line another 2 yrs and stock pencils at staples while assholes such as yourself walk around with a smirk on your face thinking how great you are cause you got the fellowship, fuck you
To all the Search Committee members reading this. A colleague and friend of mine was found dead in his apartment on Thursday.
I am pretty sure that while there were other things going on in his life, the way that many of these rejection letters were worded and searches handled may have pushed him in the direction he took. This is a great tragedy for our department. There was a lot of pressure on him to place well as faculty in our department have been working hard on improving rankings. Either way, there is a lot of pressure on people now and I think looking at the way some schools handle "rejecting" people--the practice could use some more compassion. It was very hard to write this post and come on here after the past two days.
Unemployed sociologist? You are eligible for unemployment benefits! Read Kristen M. Wallingford's 10-13-04 posting to the SWS listserv and check out her included web links: "Ethnography of an Unemployed PhD (PDF)*." at the bottom of the CDC webpage: http://www.socwomen.org/page.php?sss=4
2:17 I'm very sorry for your loss. Indeed, the job market is demoralizing and dehumanizing (every year, and especially this one) and it's a tragedy that it may have contributed to your colleagues death.
11:29 Thanks for the RWJ HSS update. I guess this means I will be stocking pencils at staples with 2:07 (though hopefully with less of a chip on my shoulder: at a certain point in the competition, these decisions are incredibly arbitrary.... No offense to those who won, I've just seen the other side.)
Does anybody know what's going on with the University of Mississippi?
I am (was?) an RWJ HSS finalist who hasn't heard anything yet. They were quite clear during the interviews that matches will be made through the end of February. What information do you have that suggests that it is likely that everyone who received the fellowship has been notified?
In past years, RWJ notified everyone who got a slot within about 24 hours. Last year, I think they started matching just "one-to-one" matches first, and then going from there. But I think that if the first people heard on the 9th there probably isn't much hope left at this point. This is just based on conjecture and intel from years past, so I could be wrong. The fact is that it is rare for someone to turn down a slot, unless they have a TT job offer who won't defer for them. If I were you, I would contact the finalists you met on the interviews; some of them probably know about a least a few matches.
Thanks, 12:54. I appreciate it.
anyone know where Wayne State is in their process? thanks
i'm wondering about Wayne State...
FYI for anyone interested in UNC-Greeley. An offer was made and accepted.
re 5:02.
Congrats! That job sounds pretty awesome.
Does any know where University of Illinois-Springfield is at in their search process?
has anyone heard anything further from Bowling Green State U or from CUNY-Baruch? (according to the wiki, extra materials were requested for both- did they ever schedule interviews?)
Has anyone heard from other postdocs (Princeton, Penn State, etc?) I know Michigan said they would notify their recipients on Friday, but I'm not sure what the timeline is on the other places.
Re: U Illinois-Springfield, I haven't heard about the soc position, but the women and gender studies position has scheduled phone interviews.
Thanks for the Michigan update. Princeton is currently doing phone interviews but I don't know when they're making their final decisions.
Re: above - I was referring to the Princeton postdoc, not any TT position.
Which Princeton post-doc? There are like 8, aren't there?
Has anyone heard from Towson? Their deadline was Jan 15 and at the beginning of this month someone said they should have a short list soon. Thanks!
I heard the Princeton NIH Postdoc deadline Jan 15 was extended (a new ad appeared in the ASA job bank on 2/9).
All the Princeton postdocs run through OPR were extended to March 15.
re: Princeton Postdocs
Does that extension include the CRCW PostDoc? I noticed that particular posting was no longer on the OPR website?
Anyone know if the Michigan Pop Studies postdoc program is doing phone interviews, or are they deciding just on the basis of the application materials?
Re: Bowling Green
I was the one who posted on the wiki. I was asked for references in early December but have heard nothing since. I'm assuming they've moved on. My guess is that since they wanted an advanced assistant/early associate, they're interviewing people who aren't hanging out on the wiki or the rumor mill. In any case, bummer - I was really interested in that job.
I heard that Towson has a shortlist and will be calling candidates for campus visits.
I do not believe Michigan will be doing phone interviews for the postdoc. They seem to be close to making a final decision.
Just learned through the pipelines that one of the hottest superstars this year turned down three offers from top soc departments and is probably going to a b-school! What a mock to our discipline!!!
And the sad thing is, two of the three soc departments that hu turned down decided not to pursue any other candidate because of financial constraints. So the precious job opportunities are just wasted...
Thanks for the Towson info...I really hope they call me! :)
“The Ecological and Social World of New York’s Rooftop Pigeon Flyers”
BIRDMAN?
Hi,
I've just gone through the job market for the first time here.
I submitted applications while in Europe (where I did my PhD), and didn't know much about the process.
This site has been useful to learn more about what is involved, and also just reading the experiences of others was very helpful.
One issue I am not sure about is a candidate's publishing record. When applying for a job, how many articles would a candidate want published? I realize the quality of the journal is also important, so generally speaking, what type of publishing record would a candidate want? I know different universities have different requirements, but what type of publishing record would someone want to have to be confident going into the market?
I feel I have more than enough teaching experience for my age, so I'm guessing that I need to improve upon my publications for next year's market.
I'd appreciate any suggestions you can make on publishing.
Thanks.
9:04,
I think there is no certain answer, but here is my general impression.
The top-20 department I'm in was hiring this year, and did not consider anyone without a publication. Those invited typically had between 3 and 7, with some of those first or solo authored. First or solo authorship is very heavily weighted, perhaps more than "quality."
My impression is that quantity also matters more than "quality." I think you might be better off having 4 or 5 publications in "lower" tier journals than 1 in AJS or ASR for R1 jobs.
I don't know as much about SLACs, but my impression is that they also want publications, though perhaps not a heavy research agenda. Not sure though.
The market this year was very competitive - people with multiple (ok, two) publications in top three journals did not even get interviews, and some like that who did get interviews did not get jobs. Next year will probably be much more competitive for a variety of reasons, so I don't think anyone will go onto the job market feeling confident regardless of their publication record.
Finally - I don't think hiring Universities will enter the market saying that people have to have X number of publications to get considered, but if you have 3 applicants, one with 10 pubs, one with 3, and one with 0, I think you can see where that is headed.
Anyway, I hope this helps and best of luck to you.
For quantitative research, my advisors told me 2-3 first-authored publications in well-regarded peer-reviewed publications. And that worked for me.
Articles that have been accepted but are not yet in print count. First-authored papers with co-authors count. Journals other than AJS, ASR, and SF are well-regarded. Although in print, sole-authored, top three don't exactly hurt your cause.
having publications on which you are not the first author and there are a lot (over 3) co-authors will not help you much if at all in my experience.
but i think the best advice is just to publish as much as possible. which is pretty much all anyone can say. there is no magic number that once you reach you should stop trying to publish more.
and, as always, the better the journal the more the publication will help you.
To 9:04, my advice, having gotten a job at a good R1 this year, is to work very hard on the publications from now through the fall. This year I had one sole authored article in a top 5journal, and several sole authored articles in lesser-known, interdisciplinary journals. I had one interview in a soc department, one interview for a joint position at a another R1, and was invited for (but declined) an interview in a related department at a highly ranked R1. Last year, I did not have the top journal publication. I had one interview and did not get the offer. The year before, I was still ABD (but with a couple pubs), and applied selectively, and did not get any interviews. So, I really think it was the publication record that set my application apart this time around. And I still didn't get much attention from top-20 departments. Although many sociology profs I meet say that publishing in ASR/AJS should not be so important, as far as I can tell, search committees at top 20 departments mainly interview people who have articles in those journals.
No one wants to suggest that academic networks matter more than publications and teaching experience?
12:19, certainly academic networks matter, but do they matter more? If your adviser(s) have ties and they exploit them on your behalf, it may get your CV noticed and perhaps even a phone interview. But if you don't have pubs, I don't think network ties are enough. I think you can say network ties and publications are analogous to necessary and sufficient conditions, respectively.
R.I.P.
Travis the chimp, 1994-2009
Any word on how many people are on the Michigan Pop Studies postdoc short list?
To 12:10 re: the importance of AJS/ASR. I speak only from my own experience, but my pubs this year were 1 AJS piece with another graduate student, a solo authored piece which was an R&R at AJS that became a conditional accept about two months into the job market, and another R&R. Net result: 1 interview, no jobs. So pubs at top journals alone does not cut it. Also, the folks I saw getting more interviews tended to have higher numbers of publications, but typically not pubs in AJS/ASR.
My goal for next year is to have a bunch of new things under review, as they sure aren't coming out before then.
I got a job (that I think I will LOVE) at a teaching university--3/3 teaching load. They said that they had some excellent candidates but that they were surprised how few broadly-trained sociologists there were. At a teaching university, broad-training and a good teaching record will take you further than pubs... though I had a couple of second-authored pubs on my CV and was noted (by advisors and my future chair) as having a very publishable dissertation into 3-4 articles.
12:19, (this is 12:10 again), yes, networks matter. I am from a top 5 department, and the people from my department who have gotten really great jobs in the past few years have had indeed had chairs who were flag wavers. I did not have this. In the end, I got a good job, but it did take longer. Publications are somewhat less important when you have someone on your committee who is highly respected and willing to talk you up.
Re: Michigan postdoc--I'm not sure how many finalists there are. I've received two rounds of emails regarding my status as under consideration. The latest one was this week.
What's happening in California with the budget shortfall? Are all public university searches being cancelled? We read that students are being turned away, and adjuncts being laid off -- not a promising market to hire new faculty.
wondering about Wayne State's search...anything known?
Thank you very much for all of this advice on publishing records. It's very helpful.
My goal from now till the next job market is to submit several articles that are nearly complete to journals here and in europe.
I'm still trying to learn more about the job market here. I sent out applications at the end of last year knowing very little, and this helps me a lot for next year's market.
I guess knowing it's a very competitive market is one way of rationalizing limited success in the job hunt. However, it also makes the task for next year seem even more daunting.
I'm hoping that this magical "network" doesn't get many jobs. Most of the academics I know are in Europe, as I only did my undergrad here. The network connection doesn't seem to be based on merit, and instead on an a "good ol boys" network. It's amazing that's allowed.
In response to one comment, I entered this job hunt hoping my teaching experience would carry me through to several places. I taught too much while doing my phd. I read over some cv's over here, and realized I had a lot more teaching under my belt, across several courses and colleges.
Despite having very favorable letters of recommendation, a track record of being asked back to teach at some colleges after contracts had ended, etc., this didn't seem to help me all that much. I applied to what seem to be called teaching universities, and still no joy.
I guess, like others, I have to identify the weakness in my cv, and improve it for next season. so
"publish publish publish" is my mantra for the next few months.
the job market kicks of in europe in the next month or so, is anyone considering looking over there?
Temple University has postponed its search for the Global Inequality position
I heard Wayne State was interviewing.
Networks are not necessarily a tit-for-tat good ol' boys network (although there is a lot of that). But in this age of universally glowing letters of recommendation, inflated publishing opportunities, and often spurious second- or third- authorships, being recommended by someone the SC trusts, or having committee members who go beyond writing glowing letters of recommendation seem to matter a lot.
5 or 10 years ago, even having one publication meant a lot. Now, when grad students get included as an author in an ASR paper simply because they worked as an RA for a semester for a given professor, these things get a lot harder to determine.
When SCs have at least a dozen candidates with multiple publications and letters of recommendation saying that student X is "the best I've ever had," intangibles end up mattering a whole lot more.
Thus, students with advisers who go beyond just writing a letter are seen as more reliable, especially when the SC knows them personally and their reputation is at stake.
It sucks for the students who don't have those advisers, or who lack the network connections. But in a scenario where the SC has limited information on hundreds of candidates who in the end all look alike, they have to rely on something to make even a guess as to who is qualified. The alternative in many cases would be to either invite everyone in, or to randomly select which of the "this is the best student ever" letters to believe.
I get the frustration, I really do. Specially at the ASA employment service when you see half the candidates with their advisers working the floor, and half sitting by themselves, usually for no other reason than the adviser being inconsiderate, or thinking that networking is below them.
Any news on Sam Houston State? Have they schedule interviews yet?
Re: Searching in Europe
I've been searching/applying for as many positions as possible throughout Europe. That has been all of 3 positions (I was qualified for) that have been advertised through ASA. So if you have any tips on where to look for those job ads, I would love to hear them! Thanks!
Uh, anybody heard from Michigan Pop Studies yet?
11:34 -- nothing here on Michigan.
11:34 Nothing here from Mich PSC either.
re: european positions. for UK ads, try jobs.ac.uk If anyone has suggestions for other european job sites, would love to hear them
in response to the question about finding jobs in Europe...
One way of keeping up to date on sociology jobs in europe is to join up for the weekly email sent from jobs.ac.uk. sign up under social sciences and social care, and you'll get info on post doc's and a variety of lecturing positions.
If you attend a meeting of the European Sociological Assocation, you can join a research network and get emails from them sometimes, but it is not as good as the ASA for job news. on that note, abstracts are due soon for this year's conference in Lisbon.
in response to "networking"..
I would like to think a search committee is able to cut through fluff on cv's. That's their job.
A supervisor should make various distinctions in their letters, not just saying this is the best student ever. Surely a supervisor can do more than speak in general abstract terms. If not, then a search committee should be suspect of the letter.
I therefore don't agree with your "invite everyone or random selection" framework. The search committee has a job to do, and deciphering the qualities of candidates is the crucial one. A phone call from a buddy in a different department is a ridiculous method of selection. It shows they are either unable, or too lazy, to do the job that they agreed to do. Either reason is not acceptable.
If a school has this as their mode of operation, and feel this is acceptable, then they should be honest about it and not hide it. For example, in the job advertisement, when asking for what candidates should submit, they should add, "if your supervisor is buddies with one of us on the search committee, tell him/her to give us a call in order to persuade us to hire you". if you think the networking system is a credible one, then you would have no problem doing this. However, something tells me that no university would admit to such a process, despite doing it in the background.
The job of a search committee is an extremely difficult one, and while I would have liked to get more favorable results from many, many search committees, I still think it's only fair to ask that they be expected to do the job they've been asked to do.
That isn't an opinion developed out of frustration. It's more to do with fairness. This type of networking gives academics a bad name, and rightly so.
February 18, 2009 2:25 PM
Did Towson call anyone for a campus visit?
1:38pm
Val Burris has an interesting article (often cited on this blog) called the "academic caste system." It's a good read. Sure SCs have a job to do...and it involves trying to snake a way into precious networks and capture $$ and prestige. One way to do this is to make a prestige-based hire, or do some famous stranger a favor (with the hope that that famous stranger will somehow spread the wealth/prestige)...
I have not heard from Mich PSC either.
1:38
As a sociologist, you should know that the impact of networks is not always something consciously designed, nor is it easily undone.
We can't make a living writing about embedded markets and not expect them to affect us.
Yes, I am certainly in favor of making the impact of networks visible, and I certainly wish that many of my professors remembered the importance of networks next time they ignore all their students on the market to go schmoozing on their own behalf.
But I am not naive enough to claim that this is a consciously designed quasi-conspiracy that can in any way be avoided.
While the examples given above might be somewhat shallow, the fact is that most people know what to say to make someone look good, and usually its the network connections that determine the reliability of that information. It may suck for us as individuals, but the alternative to these networks is to have a carfax for grad students.
I wish more professors explicitly recognized this, but it is unfortunately inescapable.
Now, regarding European jobs: remember that many countries have systems that make it extremely difficult for foreigners to enter the academic labor market. Research that before spending a lot of time applying there. And keep in mind that sometimes it can be very difficult to come back. I know of someone with a about 4 publications on IO, a couple more on other top journals (one on ASR and one on APSR) and a book who is having a hard time trying to come back to the US, getting very little consideration even for Assistant professor positions after about 6 years as a lecturer at a top UK university. Universities are either not interested or think he would reject the position and therefore dont consider him seriously.
2:21
I don't see how my criticism of networking should be seen as an ignorance of all types of networks. That's merely an attempt on your part, a weak one in my opinion, of trying to justify a practice that is absurd through dubious means.
Trying to conflate one critique of one type of networking, with an ignorance of all types of networking, simply doesn't work.
And, you don't need me to say this, as it seems even you realize how weak your defense of this practice is. I say that because part of your reply to my critism is a knee jerk, "well, the process in foreign countries isn't perfect" argument. Where did anyone say it is? What type of way is that to discuss the issue?
I don't see how suggesting doomdsay alternative situations to the current process is in any way useful. Seems to me to just be an attempt, and again another weak one in my opinion, of demanding that no one speak of current conditions in a critical fashion.
If I wanted to adopt your condescending approach, I would say that "As a sociologist...", this seems to be
laughable at best, and utterly stupid and cowardly at worst.
But, I won't adopt your approach.
I'll simply point out that universities that I know of in other countries don't incorporate this "networking approach" (whether conciously or unconciously designed) that you seem so desperate to defend. And, this hasn't led them into total chaos.
You see, comrade? Alternative conditions don't have to be so terribly scary.
Re 9:20. I heard that Temple made an offer for that position. What happened?
Re 6:32.
I received a letter from Temple yesterday saying it was a cancelled search.
Also, I may have missed the news earlier, but why all the "no thanks" to Coastal Carolina. Is that because you have found positions or is the institution in trouble?
Does anyone have news on UNC-Wilmington? Have they started scheduling interviews yet?
I don't think there is anything wrong with Coastal Carolina. I had posted a joking note encouraging others to say they weren't interested to better my own odds ;) - and a few people said they had done so. I think they all already accepted offers.
No new news from them yet though.
re: UNC Wilmington
They scheduled phone interviews. I am not sure if it has move on from there (not sure from your comment if you meant interviews of any kind or in-person only).
Also, can we move the network bickering to the misc. thread?
CUNY staten island, anyone?
It's been a month now.
I have not heard from Michigan PSC either and am on the short list as well.
Has anyone heard about the UNC CPC postdoc? I was told they were making decisions on Feb 19 but haven't heard anything yet.
Yes, I know someone who received a UNC-Wilmington campus interview.
Are people just not updating the Wiki site anymore? If what a couple of people have said above about UNC Wilmington is true, the information there is a few weeks out of date.
I know someone who had a phone interview with UNC Wilmington. I think it's just that not everyone uses the wiki and I didn't want to post someone else's info.
Does anyone know if CSU Long Beach has made an offer yet? They were expecting to make one the end of this month, despite the hiring freeze in the CSU system....
So what's the status of the U of Washington offer? Is it being accepted?
Yes, the U of Washington offer was accepted
The first offers for the UNC CPC postdocs have gone out.
Congrats to the U Washington hire! That was a bumpy ride...
Is there much of a change in emphasis for the SC when looking for visiting professors, as compared to tenure track?
I know someone asked about this already, but does anyone have news on Towson?
On CUNY Staten Island: Possible 'inside' candidate + possibly no funding for the line = Not something to hang one's hopes on. (Including my own.)
still nothing on Michigan?
I was told they made an offer on the Michigan postdoc (not me), and that person has some time to make a decision.
Question regarding the Temple job.
Did they invite campus visits before they canceled their search? Just curious... The letter was really nice.
Towson has a short list and will contact people for interviews very soon if they have not already done so.
any news on u of mississippi search?
According to the wiki U. Mississippi has conducted phone interviews and have scheduled on-campus interviews. Who knows what will happen there. Let's face it low pay, low rank, red state (totally racist mascot and football culture). Even in this market it's not exactly attractive. And before everyone jumps on me I grew up in the rural South, so I know what it's like.
attractive or not, I bet they still got 100+ apps for the position
minnesota has cancelled their position.
coastal carolina has started scheduling phone interviews.
Which MU Ohio position was the hire for? Was the Gerontology position brought back or was it for the Asian studies position?
Any news on the Princeton NIH or CRCW postdocs? Thanks!
Someone in my program was offered a postdoc at Princeton (I think the NIH postdoc).
I thought those Princeton Postdocs were extended through 3/15? Did they even do interviews?
The MU Ohio hire was for the joint Asian Studies position.
For those making short lists for postdocs, have schools been doing phone interviews or campus interviews (or both)?
postdocs usually do not have campus interviews (except for RWJ and perhaps a few others; I think Princeton CRCW does too). usually it is phone interviews; or even no interviews; just offers based on application packets.
And postdocs seem even more based on social networks than asst prof positions do. It makes sense that there would be fewer actual interviews.
i did not interview for the post-doc position i was offered. it was based only on the application and a lot of networking.
I have had postdocs, and I got them through a traditional application process (submitted a research proposal and writing samples). I don't think social networking played much of a part, as they were fairly interdisciplinary. Neither required an interview -- the offers came by email.
University of Illinois-Springfield has scheduled phone interviews
I heard U of Illinois-Springfield has made an offer.
RE: UI-Springfield,
Must be for a different position or you heard wrong. Phone interviews are scheduled for next week.
The Wisconsin junior open offer was just accepted by someone from a top-5 department. Confirmed the academic caste theory once again...
it did not confirm the theory, but it made it more credible relative to an alternative theory (boy that Stinchcombe book, Constructing Social Theories, was helpful)
Since the stock market (DJIA) has now dipped below 6,900 and the reality of the crisis predicted by Marxist economists (yes, they have them in Amherst at UMass) is sinking in, it might be high time to start worrying about whether sociology departments may now be on the chopping block in future budget cutbacks
past history suggests yes (some depts will be merged with anthropology and/or social work) and others may be defunded completely and faculty distributed to other campuses or departments
Departments are merged or dissolved only when there is so little student demand that the faculty and staff positions are not needed. Sociology is in a very healthy status in number of majors and enrollment in general education courses, at least in the large state universities and public colleges.
As a larger segment of the high school population (over 2/3) go on to college, majors involving social service, education, and related careers are becoming more popular. Moreover, many colleges have a commitment to retain all traditional departments even through low enrollment periods (witness the survival of philosophy, modern languages, classics, anthropology, and other departments in spite of low enrollments).
Re: UI Springfield
Does anyone know how many phone interviews
UIS is conducting?
Wisconsin made two junior hires. The other was not from a top-5 program.
Does anyone have information about any of the positions at University of New Mexico?
Towson has started scheduling campus interviews.
what ever happened to Auburn? Did they fill their advertised position?
Coastal Carolina should have a short list by Friday.
UNC-Wilmington is conducting on-campus interviews this week.
Does anyone know the status of the Tufts Mellon postdoc?
Re postdocs not having campus interviews: That's not what I've seen. Many do (Society of Fellows, some of the Harvard fellowships), and the postdoc of the Committee on Global Thought at Columbia just had its in-person interviews.
On the Michigan postdocs: I heard that the offers they made for the two positions were accepted (not me). Sorry, gang.
so did Michigan do interviews for that postdoc?
Loyola Marymont and Suny-New Paltz have called to see if candidates are still interested in their positions. Loyola says they were delayed due to budget concerns but are now moving forward to select interviewees. Don't know if SUNY is dipping back in or what.
Is SUNY New Paltz calling back people they interviewed and/or were on the shortlist? Or are they calling back applicants who had not heard from them previously?
For a search which had an october 15th deadline, they are sure moving slowly.
Loyola Marymount already filled the medical soc. position (interesting that the budget issues didn't affect that position....makes you wonder), so the call-backs must be for the environmental soc. position.
Did Case ever make an offer?
From what I've heard, Case is still in a budgetary "holding pattern," but they hope to be able to make an offer in the next few weeks ...
The Loyola job is indeed the environmental soc position. SUNY-New Paltz called someone that had previously received a letter saying they had made some sort of long-short list but was not interviewed.
Just a positive comment here.. I just signed a contract for a TT position that had already been listed on the wiki as "confirming" a hire. I'm not sure what criteria are used to "confirm" a hire, but this is just a note to not lose hope just because something is on the wiki or on the blog. I had assumed in info on wiki was correct so I was very pleasantly surprised to receive the offer. So don't lose hope!
Thank you.
Given how long that search has been going on, I wonder what is the reason behind that.
Did the people they interview take positions elsewhere already? Were they not satisfied with the interviewees? Are they scheduling additional interviews?
Congrats to 12:48! It would be interesting to know what happened (and this may just be an instance in which the wiki was just inaccurate). Hires can fall through for lots of reasons -- sometimes a candidate verbally accepts, but then ends up declining during negotiations.
In terms of inaccurate information of "confirmed hires" on the wiki: it's plausible that another candidate posted it in the hopes that other candidates with multiple offers would take one versus another...just a thought.
I'd also like to point out that I also landed a TT job months after the position was listed as a confirmed hire. Indeed, I was interviewed after the confirmation...
Re: Auburn. They're still interviewing candidates. I was told they wouldn't have a decision until mid-March
1:46: Thanks! I am not sure what happened but yes, I figured since so much can happen during the negotiation process that if a hire was listed as "confirmed" it meant there was a signed contract and it was a done deal. So I hope people feel better hearing that I was able to get a job that wasn't reopened or anything, the information was just wrong. Best wishes to everyone!
Re: SUNY-New Paltz, I know someone who interviewed there but took another position.
I know its not a sociology position, but does anyone have any info on the Latino Studies postdoc at Northwestern?
tulane rejection letter received, saying position was filled. but which one - did they actually hire for both of the advertised positions?
Does tulane still have a grad program? just curious. I didn't apply, just wondering what the dept will look like in the future. Their website hasn't been updated since Katrina.
(Sorry for the repeat question, I asked this before in another thread and never got an answer).
No, they don't. They have a couple grad students left over from the pre-Katrina days, but they haven't admitted any new students since Fall 2005 (just prior to Katrina) and it doesn't look like they will be. The university administration cut many/most of the grad programs in the humanities and social sciences, many grad students went elsewhere to finish, and the department, by in large, seemed to be fine with the changes. Quite honestly, it's transitioning from a research university to a large liberal arts college. So, if you want light teaching load, grad assistants, etc., go somewhere else.
Is Lehman College interviewing yet?
In my two seasons on the job market, I have learned that "fit" is extremely subjective. Sometimes it can mean that the classes a candidate would be able to teach are ones the department needs. Sometimes it's about the candidate's personality or things they have in common socially with other faculty members. Sometimes it's because they liked the job talk, other times the job talk does not matter as much as the individual interviews. So getting that offer is not simply about your qualifications -- there is often an element of luck in the perceived "fit" with the needs of the department.
Let's be careful about naming names. You can't be vague when you are talking about a person who is already hired for a job that starts in a few months. It will be easy to tell who exactly you're talking about.
Everyone who survived this year's job market has been put through the ringer. I think we should ease up on criticizing each other.
anyone still waiting to hear from any schools?
10:04 Just one, other than those who simply didn't bother to send rejection letters.
I'm waiting to hear from 2 schools. Anyone waiting on post-docs?
Anyone know anything about the visiting position at Reed?
I'm waiting to hear from 2 schools.
Re: 10:55 - I am also waiting to hear from Reed, as well as UC Irvine about their VAP position. If anyone knows anything new about either, please share.
Does anyone know how many people New Paltz brought in for an interview?
I think SUNY New Paltz brought in 4 people total. There search has taken forever though. I wonder how many of those interviewed have already taken positions elsewhere(besides the one somebody already mentioned here)?
Hi,
I heard Baruch college(demography)is still interviewing candidates. It seems the search committee is very picky.
Baruch had made an offer. I guess it was turned down and they're looking back into the pool.
Anyone know what happened to the Pacific Lutheran search in Tacoma, Washington?
AFAIK, Pacific Lutheran finished their search relatively early last fall. I think I got my rejection letter late Oct/early Nov.
SUNY New Paltz brought in 3 people to interview, with the last interview being in mid to late February. They have decided on a candidate and should be making the offer soon, if they havent already. Those who interviewed there and did not get the position have been notified of that.
This is another case of dubious (at best) information being disseminated here at the blog. Considering they finished their last interview a little over 3 weeks ago, I seriously doubt they contacted other people about the TT position, brought them in, interviewed them, and decided to hire them in less than three weeks, so the idea that they were "dipping back" into their pool of applicants is false.
And I know this because I was with one of the people who interviewed there when they called to say they had they had an offer to someone else.
I think people are getting frustrated and accusing others of posting 'dubious' information. I was the one that posted the SUNY-New Paltz news. I received a letter about a month ago or more saying I was on some kind of long-short list. Then heard nothing. Then they called last week to ask if I was still interested in the position and I said no. I have no idea why they might be dipping back into their long-short list, and I posted the information to try to help others who might be interested in the position. But I did not make it up. I realize that sometimes information posted doesn't seem to make total sense, as it is just one piece of the bigger puzzle of what is going on. But that doesn't mean people are trying to spread rumors that are false.
I actually feel like for any job that I have had firsthand knowledge of, the blog has been very accurate.
12:22 here,
I am not accusing anyone of anything. But when things here contradict things said by the dept. head at New Paltz, Id rather go with what the dept head has said. And just read some of the latest comments here and you will see plenty of similar situations where people in the blog will claim one thing and then the person who actually got the position came in and said that it wasnt like that.
New Paltz contacted people about interviews in late November, early December, scheduled three interviews on Feb. 4th, 11th and 18th, told interviewees to expect a decision by last week, and this week called and told them that they had made an offer. None of this based on hearsay, but on what actually took place with one of the interviewees, some of it in front of me.
On posting offers... Isn't it odd to post when you are offered (and accept) a position? I was so worried that I would learn that I did not get a job from the Rumor Mill, I feel weird about updating the board. Why would you want to learn that you didn't get a job that way?
6:12
Because it beats never hearing about it anyways.
One of my friends interviewed at this place which never contacted her again after the interview. At least the blog gave her some closure.
I didnt have to wait as long, but finding out 3 weeks after my interview that I didnt get the job at least gave me my sanity back.
New Paltz actually interviewed 4 people, the last of which visited the university around the first week of March.
welfare plus adjuncts
Does anyone have any information of University of Illinois- Springfield? I know they have had phone interviews, but am wondering if they've scheduled on-campus interviews.
re: University of Illinois, Springfield
They said it would take at least 2 weeks to get approval to invite folks to campus after the phone interviews (which happened a week ago).
Does anyone have any information about the position at the University of Nebraska at Omaha or about the visiting positions at: Reed, Sweet Briar, St. Michaels, Loyola, or UC Irvine?
What the heck is going on with Western Illinois? The wiki was updated with interviews in October. Does anyone know what happened there?
These are perhaps somewhat obscure but does anyone know the status on searches at:
West Virginia Wesleyan College
Methodist University
Adrian College
Methodist is reopening their search.
re: Adrian College
I contacted the Search Committee about 1.5-2 weeks ago. They informed me that they had made a short list (but that I wasn't in the top 3).
West Virginia Wesleyan has scheduled on-campus interviews. So has Adrian. Methodist is contacting people on a short-list.
any updates on Coastal Carolina?
I heard they were to have a short list about a week ago. Have they moved on from that stage?
any updates on CUNY Staten Island?
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