From: merolajs@vtcc1.cc.vt.edu (JOSEPH S. MEROLA DEPT OF CHEMISTRY VPI&SU)
Newsgroups: sci.research.careers
Subject: Re: Interview Experiences?
Date: 23 Jul 92 14:52:00 GMT
Distribution: world, local
Organization: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.40

In article <92205.113748CERLPDR@TECHNION.BITNET>, CERLPDR@TECHNION.BITNET writes...
>>merolajs@vtcc1.cc.vt.edu (JOSEPH S. MEROLA DEPT OF CHEMISTRY VPI&SU) writes:
> 
>>department chair and/or the chair of the search committee.  Discuss
>>your qualifications and how they might fit in. (Personal contact is
>>much more effective in getting your qualifications considered.  At the
>>very least, this may spur someone into giving your application a
>>second look.
> 
>   While sound, this advice is a little impractical given the number of
>applications made by the average candidate. When one is sending one or two
>hundred applications one cannot afford to spend several days on each. The
>work to potential gain ratio is too small.



> 
> 
>>     While I appreciate your frustration, I still have to say that I
>>find it amazing that people apply to just about any ad.
> 
>   I find it amazing that you find it amazing :-). This is merely symptomatic
>of the weakness of the academic job market and the desperation of the applicant
>pool. They are not mischievously seeking to make more work for the hiring
>committee, they simply feel that they cannot afford to fail to pursue any
>opportunity - however remote.
> 
> 
>                          John Tolman, PhD

   I find it amazing that you find it amazing that I find it amazing 8-) (This
can get out of hand real fast-- I think it already has 8-) ).  Seriously, if I 
understand you correctly, the sending out of 100-200 applications to ads, no
matter how relevant your background is for the position, is your way of hoping
to cover all bases, no matter how remote.  Okay, that is one approach.  
However, based on my experience, the chances of your getting noticed in this
fashion are nil.   While you may not be able to follow up on all 200, it will
be time well spent in increasing your chances if you follow up on some
percentage of them.

   While personal anecdotes don't always represent the norm, let me share my
experiences in landing my current job and perhaps give you an idea of how
important personal contacts are.   From 1978 to 1987 I had a position in the
Corporate Research Labs of Exxon.  This was an excellent position:  I could
carry out a basic research program of my own choosing.   However, for some
time I had been thinking about making a move to an academic position 
because I really enjoy teaching.  In 1986, I decided to do something about it.
My area of interest is organometallic chemistry.  I only applied to ads that
asked for organometallic chemistry.   (In this case, I applied to about 15
schools.)   The only responses that I got were from departments where I
already knew someone on the faculty and therefore they knew my work.  
From those places where I did not know someone, I got the friendly rejection
letter.   So, even when you are applying to ads that ask for your 
exact field of research, the lack of personal contacts hurts.  You can
imagine how this is magnified if you are applying out of your field.  

    I must add that the personal contact can also apply to your research
advisor.  If your advisor is well-respected and knows someone on the faculty
of the recruiting department, then his or her influence could be
decisive in getting a foot in the door.  It is only human nature for a
committee, when faced with 100-150 applications looks for reasons to
dismiss a large number of them with a cursory glance.  Anything that you
can do to keep your application from getting rejected on this first pass
greatly improves your chances.  (But, as some point out, that may mean 
raising them from none to slim.)  

    While this may sound like the old, "it's not what you know, but who you
know", this really only applies to your getting noticed.  Your interview,
your seminar, and your ideas are what will get you the position.  As one
prominent chemist who wrote letters of recommendation for me said :  "I
can only get you in the door;  it's up to you to get the job."



Newsgroups: sci.research.careers