asd

withdrawn

trmptr

This is all great advice (ASD, we should meet sometime, since we're northern MN brothers in crime...)

ASD pretty much tells it all. Above all, if you get an on-campus interview be friendly and confident. Talk to the students and show a geniune interest in them and their program. The interaction with students is always a major selling point to me. If you have a chance to attend a concert, do so, and take a minute afterwards to meet some students and congratulate them on a fine concert.

DO NOT - complain about anything when you are on-campus. If you get a bad meal, eat it anyway. If you are tired because you couldn't sleep the night before, act happy and keep your mouth shut about it. Never, never, never complain about the accompanist that is provided to you. I've seen this done at an interview and the candidate was immediately discounted. In fact, many times the accompanist is not on the search committee but is consulted by them. You have the opportunity to make a good impression with this person, so make the most of it and hope that he/she relays their thoughts to the search committee.

And to echo another ASD thought - always send thank you notes after the interview. And send them immediately. This does leave a good impression.

More later...

__________________
Del Lyren
Professor of Trumpet
Bemidji State University
http://cal.bemidjistate.edu/music/home.html

PH

Excellent stuff!

A couple of points...

When it is your turn to ask questions during the phone interview, I agree it is not good to ask about salary. However, you can ask some economic and logistical questions that will be pertinent to the situation if you end up with a job offer.

Will your scholarship be evaluated only for "research and publication" or is performing and recording considered to have the same merit as "creative activity"?

Is there a budget to support faculty travel to pursue research and to attend professional conferences for development?

Are there in house grants available to support your research and/or creative activity?

Does the school have any kind of university publishing company or record label for distribution of faculty creations?

What about departmental budgets? Who controls this and is money available for guest artists, master classes, student travel, etc.?

Questions such as these aren't out of line. They also show the committee that you are savvy and understand something about how academia works. Also, it is often a lot easier to get concessions in these areas when the school is courting you than it is once your are on the faculty. Just use some sense and don't push too hard.

As for "the wait", sometimes this can take far longer than seems reasonable. This is not necessarily a bad sign. For my first job I interviewed in late February and received my job offer in late July. This was extraordinary, but a wait of several weeks or even a few months after the interview before you hear something is not that unusual. Also, many places do not notify applicants if they are no longer under consideration. I don't think that is very kind but it is the reality.

One last point, if you see a position that you find appealing and you already have your materials ready to go I think you should not hesitate to apply for a job, even if there is an inside candidate. You may not have much of a chance, but what are you out? Maybe the inside guy has a few friends and a few enemies on the search committee. Who knows who will win the tug of war? Maybe the inside candidate is covering her rear and applying to other places in case the search goes poorly for her. Then she decides to take the job offer in Boulder and leave the search committee at her old school in Ottumwa holding the bag. If the job offer then goes to the second choice and you didn't apply, you will feel bad as you trudge off to your gig selling shoes at the mall.

ecarroll

This is a great topic, comprehensively presented, and has triggered super responses on both threads.

Keep 'em coming? Many students are so absorbed by the work at hand that they haven't taken a peek ahead (other than occasional hand wringing) and there is a well trod pathway for some of them to follow.

Many thanks,
EC

trmptr

These are all great points. I wish I had had them when I was out there applying!

__________________
Del Lyren
Professor of Trumpet
Bemidji State University
http://cal.bemidjistate.edu/music/home.html