Note to Self, do not eat Salads on Interviews

Lynae N.

February 28, 2010 - 9:20 PM

This weekend I went to a Beginning Careers conference through the College of Education at the UO. I went to a session on the process of applying for a teaching/professor position in the university system. I certainly learned more than I anticipated. I had no idea that there was such a microscope on applicants.

Dean Michael Bullis (Dean at the College of Education) taught this chunk of the conference. It was my first opportunity meeting Dean Bullis and I was very impressed with him. He shared several unknown insider tips on the whole process from searching out a job to negotiating the terms of employment within the Academy. For instance, when you apply for a position (not job) as a professor, you will be provided with two meals a day by the university interviewing you. Apparently it is not good etiquette to order a salad at an interview meal. Never let food get stuck in your teeth, eat quickly in small bites, and if you can't do that then don't eat at all. You should keep track of every scholarship, grant, and GTF position you have received in the course of your schooling. Interviewers will look at these, look at the prestige of them and judge you based on what type of funding you have received. Although, there is a note of caution around funding that comes from outside of the university. If you receive too many scholarships, grants, etc. you are seen as greedy and not taking your academic experience seriously. Also, your vita or vite depending on what type of information you are giving, should be as long as possible. Dean Bullis gave us all a copy of his vita and it is no joke. This thing was at least 20 pages long.

I learned about college classifications and what it takes to get a position in the different classifications. I was surprised to learn that if I wanted to take a position as a professor in a Research 1 university or a top nationally-ranked university like the UO it would be poor judgment on my part to apply at or work for a university in a lower bracket. I guess the changes of getting a teaching position in a higher ranked university becomes next to impossible if you do.

I realized that this whole process, while it sounds interesting and like a fun challenge, is not what I want to dedicate myself to. I would have to plan out my every career move and be ready and willing to pick up my family and move us anywhere in the country that a position or opportunity might demand. This isn't my main focus in life. Yes, I want to teach in a university, and yes I want to eventually get a doctorate. Who knows, maybe in my natural interest and pursuits I will end up sitting in line for one of these positions, and if that happens, great, but I won't be heartbroken if my career doesn't move in that direction. I'm much more content to follow a less pressured career line which would allow me to invest more of my time and myself into my family.