The Philosophers' Cocoon

A few days ago, Nick wrote in our job-market discussion thread:

So, I've just learned, yet another time, that I was not a finalist for a job. I'm having a hard time converting first rounds into fly-outs, and yet I've been told many times, first or second hand, explicitly or tacitly, that I interview just fine. I had one campus interview two years ago, zero last year, and so far only one coming this year. I'm starting to think this might as well be a fluke given how few of them I've had. This might be my only chance, and so I should give it all; at the same time it's hard not to despair in the face of repeated failure. How does one not let failure erode one's confidence?

I expect many other job-market candidates are in a similar boat. I know I was. A few years on the market I got no interviews. Other years I got quite a few first-round interviews, but converted few of them into fly-outs. And, on more than one occasion, on-campus interviews ended in brutal disappointment. I know all too well how hard it can be to keep going in these circumstances–and how difficult it can be to stay confident. Which is why I thought it might help Nick and other candidates to devote a new thread to the topic.

How, then, would you all answer Nick's question? I have no easy answers. But here are a few things I think may be helpful…

First, I think Brad made good points when he wrote:

…here are my two cents: do not give up if you still want a job in philosophy. There are many reasons first rounds do not convert to on campus interviews, and even when you make it on campus, you may only have a 1 in 3 chance. I had two on campuses in one year where there was an inside candidate, and another the year before. You usually do not know til you get there. And even if there is one, there is always the chance that the insider will leave for a better job elsewhere.

There probably is a time for one to give up on the market: either when one just can't do it anymore, or one consistently isn't getting any interviews, and so on (though the time to give up, I think, should up to each individual to decide). All I know is that I went through seven brutal years on the market, and am glad I didn't give up. In other words, I think Brad is right: as long as you are getting interviews and can stand being on the market, you have a fighting chance. Further, having been on both sides of the market (the candidate and hiring side), my experience is Brad is right about another thing: there are so many reasons having–many having little or nothing to do with your performance–why a first-round interview might not turn into an on-campus, or an on-campus into a job-offer. Department or university politics can play a role; another candidate might be preferred from the outset; and so on. Indeed, as Amanda added:

It might be nothing you do wrong, but…you weren't at the top of the list to begin with. I think a fair amount of Skype interviews have favorites, and so if you are 1 of 12 or 1 of 16 the odds of getting an on campus interview are not high.

Anyway, following Brad and Amanda, these are my first pieces of advice. As difficult as it can be to believe–and even if it doesn't entirely soften the disappointment–one way to help stay confident is to know that any given disappointment (not getting an on-campus, not getting a job-offer, etc.) may be the result nothing you did wrong. It may just be bad luck, such as the hiring committee considering another candidate a better fit for the job from the outset. If you have a good CV, a good research program, a good writing sample, a good teaching portfolio, etc…you are a good candidate. And so as long as you are willing to just keep pushing–keep publishing, practicing your interviewing skills, etc.–you have a fighting chance of lucking out and getting an interview at the right school: the school that thinks you are a perfect fit and is looking to hire you. In some ways, I realize this advice may seem even more frustrating, as though everything on the market is just luck. However, while luck plays a sizable role in the process, I don't think that's the right way to think (I will return to this below).

Anyway, my second piece of advice stems from a related point Amanda wrote: "I have a friend who on three years on the market got only 1 interview, and applied to 225 jobs. He ended up getting the job for the one interview and is doing very well. So make the most of your fly out." Try to remember: it doesn't take 15 interviews to get a job. All it takes is one. All you need to do is luck upon the right school: the school for which you are a perfect candidate. So, if you only get one interview or on on-campus, don't lose confidence: try to treat it as the one interview that, if you nail it, might get you the job.

Okay, you say, but what if, all this advice be damned, you put all you have into that one interview only to be brutally disappointed again? What then? I've been there. I had one year when I had only one on-campus, felt like I totally nailed every aspect of the visit (and was told as much by the chair)…and was still passed up for another candidate. It was devastating, and I thought it was my last, best chance at a job. What then? How does one maintain confidence in light of a disappointment like that. Again, I don't have any silver-bullet answers, only two thoughts I personally found helpful.

First, to use a common expression from sports, I think there is really something to be said for "leaving it all on the field." I played baseball through college, and one of the things I was always taught is that if you prepare your butt off and perform well, then even if you lose you can leave the field with a sense of dignity. I experienced something similar on the job-market. A few years before I got my job, I had a TT interview abroad. I could have prepared better. Then, as it turned out, the on-campus interview began the morning after two overnight flights and a seven hour time-change. In other words, I did the on-campus interview basically after not sleeping for two days…and I totally blew every part of the interview. It was humiliating, and made me want to give up. But I learned from it. The next year, I got a fly-out and prepared more for it than anything in my life. I hate practicing…but my spouse and I practiced interviewing constantly. We practiced while walking the dog, we went into my school at night and on weekends for me to do practice job-talks and teaching demos, etc. And what do you know? I nailed the on-campus—or, at least, I performed to the very best of my ability. At the end of it, the chair took me aside and said, “Excellent job." I still didn't get the job (I came in second place). But you know what? As tough as that was, I felt a sense of dignity and confidence. I had done everything in my power to prepare well, and killed it. Even though I didn't get the job, I knew I could perform well in an on-campus, and I felt like I belonged. The next two on-campus visits I got for TT jobs, I got offers.

Finally, let me say something about the matter of luck. Yes, there is a lot of luck involved on the academic market. Yes, it sucks. And yes, you might not get a job as a result of it. That's the world we live in. But it is not all luck. There are things you can do to better on the market–to get more interviews, and get more fly-outs. A few years, I basically got no interviews or fly-outs. Then, as time went on, I got a whole lot more. The key, I believe–again, having not only been a candidate but also having served on two search-committees–is to distinguish yourself from other candidates. There are a lot of job-candidates with similar credentials and publishing records. To get a job, you need to stand out. More than that, you need to "fit" the job you are applying for. For, make no mistake about it, every school is looking for something, and it's not always the same thing. One school may be looking for someone to teach Modern Philosophy. If you don't have experience teaching modern philosophy, you're out. Another school may be looking for someone to mentor undergraduate research. If you don't have anything in your CV mentoring students, you're out. Another may be looking for someone who can teach a wide variety of courses. If you don't have experience teaching different types of courses, you're out. For these schools, publishing another article in Phil Studies, Mind, or AJP may not be very helpful at all. To take a phrase from investment advisors, you need to diversify your portfolio. So, if you can, get on it. Teach new classes, get involved with students, continue to publish. Heck, blog at the Cocoon or elsewhere if you want. There is a lot of luck involved, but there are also things you can do to make it more likely a department will see you as a perfect fit for their job.

None of this advice is foolproof. I don't don't pretend it is, or that the same advice will work for everyone, or even that I right about anything I said above. I am just reporting things my own experience suggests may be helpful. I hope Nick and others in his position find them at least somewhat helpful–and I encourage readers to share their own advice!