I spent most of the day in Grad School City, returning tonight to find a message on my machine from the department chair of Decent Regional U. They want me to do a phone interview.
Now, I did indeed apply to DRU, way back in the mists of time when I was still teaching in sleeveless tops and didn't know how to put my books on reserve at the library at Big Urban. But I haven't heard from them since I got my thanks-for-your-application letter back in October. I know, however, that they interviewed candidates at the MLA, and I even know that they recently brought candidates to campus. (I know these things almost entirely through the magic of the
MLA wiki--no one I know actually had an interview with them.)
So. . . what's this all about? Are you telling me that ALL FOURTEEN (or twelve, or however many) of your MLA interviewees got jobs elsewhere--or sucked so violently--that you're now desperately combing through vitae and writing samples that are practically yellowed with age?
Regardless. I'm pleased to be contacted, although my crappy performance on
that other phone interview doesn't exactly fill me with confidence.
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commented at 12:48 AM~
Ooh, this is good news. I've known more than one person who got a really good job in the spring from an application the previous fall; in both cases, the school brought out three folks, didn't wind up liking any of them, and eventually decided to go back to the drawing board (that is, back to their semi-finalists whom they didn't interview at MLA). So maybe that's what happened here. Good luck on your interview; and having had one phone interview already (even if you thought it sucked) means that you're much more accomplished at them now.
And I had no idea about that MLA wiki!
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Tiruncula commented at 1:22 PM~
I was going to say everything WN said - congrats, and good luck, and Whoa! I totally did not know about that MLA wiki. There should be one for APA (Classics), too. Coolness! I need to get on board with this whole wiki thing.
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Margo, darling commented at 2:17 PM~
I think it actually says really great things about Decent Regional University that they're going back to the drawing board, admitting that they might have been hasty in their initial decisions. It shows a remarkable amount of maturity on the part of someone--whether it's the dean, the dept., or, least likely, the search committee. And your last phone interview will just make you all the more prepared for this one. Good thoughts coming your way from Sfrajett and me.
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Sfrajett commented at 3:41 PM~
Yeah--you're gonna do way better on this phone interview because you've already been through this, and they are also going to be nicer than they might have been because they really need this to work out the second time. That will change the whole tenor of the thing. You'll feel the difference. I have a really strong feeling about this one for you. Fingers and toes are crossed.
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Ancrene Wiseass commented at 11:58 PM~
Weird it may be, but there's no doubt that this is very good news! Congratulations!
And, hey, that MLA wiki is nifty. As is the Academic FAQ, for that matter.
My word verification for this comment: upfuc.
Uh, okay. I'm not even going to say anything.
