BackStage

Okay, so the stuff I found most helpful/useful:

1. Jenn Lena’s list of advice. And, in my exhaustion, I wrote that it was Tina’s advice for chapstick. That was actually in this list of advice. On this list are also included questions. Take those questions. Memorize a few of them. Sometimes they’ll just sit there and expect you to question them for 30 minutes. Also, her “bag that will save your interview” follow that… exactly. I didn’t use it all. But I needed kleenex, excedrin, chapstick, a second pen, the little notebook, and an energy bar. Since I followed that list, I had everything i needed. I may have had more than I needed, but that’s O.K.

2. Think about and have good answers for (also see Jenn’s list):

• Why do you want to be here? (Especially geography and teaching v. research)
• Where are you in your dissertation? Will you be done?
• Questions about children/husband — how are you going to handle those

3. No one told me to do this, but I used this a lot. After you get your itinerary, make a microsoft word (or excel) spreadsheet with three columns: Time, Who Meet, Summary of their work/research/teaching and questions to ask them. That way you can just glance at this between (on the way) to meetings and remind yourself of who is who and what work they do. I was able to start conversations with, “I know you’ve researched on X, are you still doing that?” Or “I saw the article you did with Y, did you ever go back and do more analysis like you suggested in the article?” This is NOT fail proof. A lot of times the website was not up-to-date, so they were like “Yeah, I did that once, but it’s not really what I’m interested in now.” I also googled, but that doesn’t always reveal all. But, hell, I figure it shows that you are interested and trying to pay attention to them as researchers. Then, I wrote notes on another copy of the itinerary on notes for my follow-up emails. I didn’t have time to write after every meeting, but did do so when I found time. Thanks to Blue who printed out all the faculty webpages and copies of articles for me to review.

4. Talking to current faculty at your U and others about how they would answer questions. For example, it WAS the lovely Tina from Scatterplot who gave me advice on how to speak about one area of research (also film and book suggestions). I also talked to other researchers in that area. I talked to a few about the purpose of general education classes. About how to mentor grad students. How to bring undergrads into your research. Basically, this was an exercise of just listening to the language used. How you answer should be what you believe because that’s the only way that it will seem sincere. But, it helps with professionalization through how to frame your answers (in my opinion).

5. It was also Tina who suggested to let my enthusiasm show through during my job talk. To give them insight into how I teach. I think this worked very well for me. I approached the methods of my presentation (network junk) as if I was teaching how to do it on a very basic level. I got a lot of comments that indicated to me that they appreciated that, and how I seemed approachable.

6. “F it in the A!” as Kristina pointed out earlier (btw, I totally picture the hand motions that Tom Cruise uses in Jerry McGuire). Indeed. Be yourself (although a glossier shinier version in nice clothes). It’s not like I’ve been offered this job. So I can’t say that this worked. However, I can say that being myself, being genuine, laughing and making jokes, made the experience enjoyable for me. Yes, it was friggin exhausting. But I also liked it. And, by being myself rather than who I thought they wanted me to be, I think that means that if I do get the offer: (1) They are hiring ME and not this fake character; and (2) I know that I enjoy them as me (possibly even more important). By the time I got there, I was in almost this Zen-like state where I was totally “F it in the A!” Yes, I wanted to do well, but I was going to do well as me (if that makes sense).

7. Bring copies of syllabi, manuscripts (that you present on), any other materials. I had several people that couldn’t come to the job talk, so I had to talk it through with them during meetings. I then was able to offer them the manscript that the presentation came from. A few that were at the job talk were interested in it, and they took copies too. The chair was really interested in my syllabi. At my final meeting with him, he referred to how I structure courses and how inventive I was. This is not something I was able to discuss with him, so it gave him more insight into how I teach. This is good. I made a lot more copies than I needed, but that was ok. I hated dragging my bag around with me the entire time, but it was useful when a professor saw me in the hallway and said, “Hey, can I get a copy of your paper?” Which did happen.

8. Not just comfortable shoes — but a different pair of comfortable shoes FOR EACH DAY. Basically, I had pretty darn comfortable shoes, but after 12 hours in them, they started rubbing in a few places. The next day being in the same shoes was suddenly painful. I suggest a separate pair that will not rub in the same places the first pair did.

9. Do a practice job talk. Invite all the faculty that you are scared of because of their huge brains. When I got my presentation past some of the scariest faculty I have ever had the privilege of knowing, suddenly this room full of strangers did not feel at all scary. After you get practice grilled on your talk, the real grilling seems so much nicer.

Hmm.. I think that’s all I got. Of course, keep in mind this comes from someone who has NO IDEA if she landed a job. However, I did enjoy my experience and that’s got to count for something.

**UPDATE**

10. Know your body. Know what you can eat or drink without causing pain or upset stomach. For example, I did not drink soda the entire time because soda makes me tired. I also was able to arrange to go places where it was appropriate just to have tea for breakfast (breakfast also can make me sleepy). I ate a light lunch for the same reason. It’s just the way my body is and how it reacts to food. Know that and act on it.