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Not applying for jobs when awaiting a tenure decision?

In our November “how can we help you?” thread, a reader writes:

I wonder if it is okay *not* to apply out while waiting for tenure decision. I am aware that getting outside offers can help getting raise in addition to having a plan B. But these reasons alone are not motivating enough. But I wonder if not applying out is itself a red flag to my colleagues–signaling that I have little market worth…

I think it’s okay to both apply out and not apply, and I wouldn’t worry about what one’s colleagues might think (or even worry too much about them finding out). The important thing (or so I think) is to make a decision based on the likelihood of getting tenure. If your tenure case is a slam dunk, then maybe there’s no reason to worry. Then again, it may make sense to always play things safe and apply just in case one needs a plan B.

What do other readers think?

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5 responses to “Not applying for jobs when awaiting a tenure decision?”

  1. Assistant Prof

    There’s no pressure at all, and applying out can be an emotional burden that one might not want to bear if one is happy where one is. Moreover, normally your colleagues won’t even know whether you applied out or not. And just applying out doesn’t mean anything, just as sending out a paper to Phil Review, or Mind doesn’t mean anything (everyone can do it). In some ways not applying out is the safer option if you thought your colleagues might learn that you applied, for then there isn’t even the possibility of them finding out that you applied unsuccessfully (and, in any case, who gets offered which jobs is such an arbitrary thing that no one should put much weight on that).

    The one possible exception I can think of is if you teach at a place like Yale/Harvard, where (so I’ve heard) admins might care that you are wanted by other tippy-top schools. In that case, having a known external offer might increase your chances of getting tenure.

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  2. Anonymous

    Asking just because I’m a bit unsure whether the advice I received previously was a good one. I heard people saying that one shouldn’t apply to a job without the intention to accept the offer. Reading this post just makes me wonder whether I’m inflicting self-harm by adhering to that advice.

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  3. Anonymous

    I would be highly surprised if very many people think it is a disciplinary norm to apply for new jobs in the year in which one is up for tenure. If you think (on good evidence) that you have done enough to earn tenure and you like where you are, don’t waste your time (and everyone else’s) by applying out. If your tenure bid fails, you normally (always?) have that one last year of employment during which you can look for other jobs.

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  4. Anonymous

    One side point in response to last anon/op: I don’t agree that one shouldn’t apply for a job without the intention to accept the offer. If that’s what you’ve been told, it’s too demanding. A more sensible version is : don’t apply for a job with the intention of turning it down. Short of that, as long as there’s a non-negligible chance you could end up accepting the offer, then it’s perfectly fine to apply. Or, put more narrowly, you wouldn’t be in any way wronging the job offerer in the latter case.

    If, however, you think you’re very likely to get tenure, and you want tenure where you are, and you think your dept colleagues will be surprised and a bit less into you if they knew you’re applying elsewhere, I’d say don’t do it. It probably wouldn’t sink you, but why mess with a good situation?

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  5. Anonymous

    I will be very surprised “if not applying out is itself a red flag to my colleagues–signaling that I have little market worth”. But I am working at an undergraduate-only department at a low-ranked R1. I will actually be a bit disappointed if this is what is going on in the elite programs.

    I was also told that one shouldn’t apply to a job without the intention to accept the offer, especially in the context that OP describes. This is primarily because you should prepare for the following scenario to happen: you use the offer to negotiate with your current dean for something you want, but your dean declines your request and wishes you best of luck. If this happens, people say that you just need to leave. I take that this is the reason why “one shouldn’t apply to a job without the intention to accept the offer”.

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