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Post by Anon on May 26, 2009 12:34:29 GMT -5
well, I just signed up for it...hopefully it'll be worth my $25!
My officemate was told by zer adviser (who is in the know about ASA matters) that ze shouldn't even bother this year with the employment service. My adviser (who is also in the know) thinks it'll be worse off than other years, but still worth my time.
I figure that if the economy keeps improving, in 2 months maybe a bunch of schools will be all "never mind that pessimistic budget we put together 6 months ago, hire away!" :lol: It could happen, right? :lol:
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Post by rsteh on May 28, 2009 10:37:59 GMT -5
I think it can't possibly hurt to do the ASA Employment Service. There is always a debate over whether it actually does any good, even when the job market is wonderful. I got one fly-out interview last year specifically because I impressed someone during the Employment Service interview. So I'd say go for it!
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Post by damastes on May 28, 2009 16:04:16 GMT -5
I would also note its extremely good practice for 'real' interviews. I did it last year, & it really helped me practice talking about my research & interests. Some people interview with various universities & come away with a better idea of the type of job you may wish such as teaching college, R1, or private university. Best of luck!
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Post by Anonymous on Jun 10, 2009 1:47:20 GMT -5
I was told last year by a number of people in my top-10 dept not to bother with it (low status, not really effective), but I did it anyways. And then the only job talks I got seemed to be directly a result of good mini-interviews in the asa employment services. One led to a nice TT job with a 2/2 load in a great school and dream location. So don't let the naysayers (and the awkwardness of the whole setup) discourage you: if you see a dept you might want to work at in the ES, by all means, sign up and request an interview!
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Post by coda on Jun 15, 2009 11:59:30 GMT -5
I also signed up for the ASA employment service. I've heard of another perk associated with subscribing: a job posting database (different than from the ASA job bank) accessible only by employment service subscribers. I haven't seen it, but I guess jobs that will eventually be posted in the ASA job bank are posted here first, weeks, sometimes months (?) earlier. Not sure if this will be maintained under the revamped employment service format.
For those of you who have used the service in the past - Did you request interviews with employers? Did you respond to every interview request? How many interview requests did you get?
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anon
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Post by anon on Jun 15, 2009 15:34:10 GMT -5
Yes, there was a separate "job bank" for the employment service last year. It isn't maintained the whole year but rather up through the time of the conference. This is what allows you to see what employers are going to be there and to request interviews ahead of time, so I'm pretty sure it will still be there in some form for this year. Some positions aren't added until the conference is under way, but even then you access them through the job bank to make last-minute interview requests.
I did request interviews for any school/position I was interested in - I'd say about a third to a half responded back to my request to arrange an interview (some others responded back to say they were already full). Many schools are only doing interviews for a limited time (since faculty may only be there for a day or two) and popular positions may run out of slots even if they are available the entire time, so it is generally a good idea to respond to ad postings as early as possible.
I did not receive any "proactive" requests (from schools expressing interest without me first expressing interest to them) - it does happen but I think it's relatively uncommon. If you do get such a request it's probably a good idea to respond because its a good sign they see you as a close match for the position, or for some other reason see you as a highly desirable candidate.
I think I ended up doing 5-10 interviews total.
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Post by 55wuj on Jun 18, 2009 7:57:13 GMT -5
I received interviews with about half the places where I requested one, a total of 6 interviews. I also received 2 unsolicited requests for interviews which I accepted, one of which eventually lead to a job offer.
I found the process to be very helpful!
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Post by coda on Jun 19, 2009 17:20:07 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing your experiences with the interviews. One additional question: What did you bring along? I anticipate bringing hard copies of my CV, but what about teaching statements, writing samples, etc.?
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anon
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Post by anon on Jun 22, 2009 11:40:01 GMT -5
Last year I didn't do the employment service, but had one job interview (didn't lead to a job sadly, which is why I'm here again). I brought along a few copies of my CV, some copies of my published articles, and copies of my syllabus for the class I've taught. The syllabus was really helpful, as someone asked me how I organized the class, and what readings I assigned, and I was able to whip out the syllabus and talk them through it.
If you haven't taught a class yet, maybe mock up a sample syllabus for a class in your subfield that you will probably be asked to teach?
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anon
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Post by anon on Jun 24, 2009 9:10:34 GMT -5
As someone who has both been an interviewer and an interviewee through ASA's employment service, I would recommend participating, including for those people from "top" schools. From the interviewee side, as another person has posted it is a good experience for the 'real' interview/s with regard to answering questions (and finding out the kinds that may be asked), summarizing research and teaching interests, asking questions, and getting to know a bit about some places that may be hiring in the fall. My first TT job was with a place I interviewed with at the ASA meetings through the service, along with another interview. As an interviewer, it is useful to at least find out a bit about potential applicants, whether their interests are consistent with what we are looking for, and whether they might be a good fit on a personal level. (some people who came off as arrogant and too good for our position also helped to separate themselves as well.) If you participate in the service, bring along copies of your CV; it is helpful for the interviewers who may not have ready access to the complete CV rather than just the summary page. R1's likely will not need to see teaching materials; other types of schools may well want to see such information.
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Post by accrit on Jul 1, 2009 6:56:50 GMT -5
I'm based overseas while finishing my PhD and I'm trying to decide if the service is worth the $1300 plane ticket back to the states. Seems like a lot of pros, but I'm not sure it warrants spending so much. I know the money will be a drop in the bucket if it helps me get a job, but I'm not sure how I can convince my partner on this.
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Post by pseudonym on Jul 1, 2009 9:55:32 GMT -5
ASA employment service is great, but I'm not sure it warrants such an investment. I went last year and I was grateful for the interviewing experience. I found out that I'm far more comfortable talking to interviewers than I thought, which gave me more confidence for future interviews. It also forced me to prepare my job search materials early and work on practice interviews. I had one fly-out as a result of the service. Although I had a great experience, two of my colleagues did not feel the service was useful and regretted the expenses they incurred.
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anon
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Post by anon on Jul 1, 2009 11:05:14 GMT -5
I've also had a good experience with Employment Services. I think it's important to meet on a relatively personal level because I think it makes you more memorable for when you do submit an application (assuming that it goes well!). I also think it's important to get a feel for how the interviewers interact with one another and you.
I interviewed with one school and could feel the tension between the interviewers and there was definitely some fall out in my interview. It was a bizarre dynamic throughout. I was treated rudely by one person who then launched into this embarrassingly long lecture about how great the maternity leave was at the school. As a woman (who does not plan on having children--not that it matters), I had to wonder if a man interviewing would have been given the same lecture. I realized by the end of the interview I had no interest in applying or having some of the interviewers as colleagues.
I spoke with someone else who had a really "off" experience with them too so I felt better knowing it was not just me flubbing this interview.
I would say overall it's a mixed bag. I have friends who did it last year who will not be doing it again this year, saying it felt silly doing it two years in a row.
Does anyone else know when the ES portal typically opens? Is it running late this year (and does anyone else think that it's because there aren't that many openings yet?)
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Post by damastes on Jul 1, 2009 14:53:16 GMT -5
I can't speak for employers, but the cost of attending ASA in San Fransisco is a major reason I am not using the ES this year. Hopefully, (1) tight budgets, logistics, etc. might be behind such a trend and (2) its not a harbinger for the overall 2009-2010 market!
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sk
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Post by sk on Jul 1, 2009 15:25:01 GMT -5
I was on the market last year, did not use service, did not get job (though of course many other folks also did not get jobs). I am going to use it this year even though I have again been advised not to. Since I will be there anyway, I figured the extra cash for the ES was a small price. But I don't think I would spend $1300 for it.
Out of curiosity, as I will be out of the country as well, do you anticipate any difficulties with being out of country and on the market? Perhaps we should start another thread?
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