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  • Career Coach: Never Getting the Offer

    By Susan O'Doherty June 21, 2009 9:44 pm

    I am a 55-year-old woman with a Ph.D. in economic history, 6 books and quite a few scholarly articles on international economics and human rights issues. The bulk of my work focuses on current policies. I have procured grants from major foundations and my university as well as corporations. I have worked at two think tanks that went under, and now I work essentially as an adjunct. I have tried for the last 3 years to get a job at a school of international affairs at the associate level, but in the end they never hire me. Any advice? I believe I suffer from two problems: age and that I am truly multidisciplinary. I have a lot of fundraising and project management experience, but I am also not able to get jobs as an administrator. Any suggestions for how I might do a better job marketing myself?

    --Susan

    Dear Susan:

    It seems to me that your letter covers two issues: ageism and the challenge of marketing multidisciplinary experience.

    Ageism can be difficult to address, because it is so seldom overt. A potential employer can openly question your suitability for a particular position based on the diversity of other positions you have held, allowing you to address any reservations head-on. But if a department is looking for a younger person, either you will be immediately eliminated based on the dates on your CV, or you will be called in for a token EEOC-compliant interview at which no one will show much interest in your ideas or accomplishments.

    It may be helpful to look at why some employers are reluctant to hire workers who are middle-aged or older. Common perceptions about mature workers include the following:

    • They resist direction from younger deans or department heads.
    • They are technophobic.
    • They are inflexible in their thinking and set in their ways.
    • Their passion for their subject has necessarily waned with age and experience. They may be looking only for a safe haven until retirement.

    These stereotypes are unfair, as is the extra work needed to counter them. Presumably, however, as a woman in academia, you are accustomed to combating silly preconceptions. This is no different.

    Depending on the specific position you are seeking and your own strengths, you may wish to find ways to stress your adaptability, flexibility, comfort level with technology, and/or openness to direction and new ideas both in your cover letter and in any interviews. You can talk, for example, about exposure to exciting ideas and the wealth of collegial expertise as benefits of working in a university setting. It might be helpful if your letters of recommendation mentioned these qualities as well.

    It's insulting to have to think this way, I know, but I don't know what else to tell you. Maybe readers have other suggestions.

    Regarding your multidisciplinary background, Cheryl Torok Fleming, assistant dean for teaching and learning of the College of Adult and Professional Studies at the Greenwood Education Center of Indiana Wesleyan University, suggests that you take advantage of the breadth of your experience: "First of all, I think the writer should expand her reach in searching for a job. She states that she has applied at a school of international affairs. Perhaps she should not limit herself in this way, and should look at some private colleges or smaller universities or community colleges. In addition, her skill areas should be quite marketable -- economics! There are never enough econ profs to go around. Also, I wonder if she is able to take advantage of the market for overseas professors and administrators. Finally, some folks from higher ed have found niches in the consulting or research fields in business and industry, although I am not sure of the viability of that market now, given the economic downturn. Maybe she should also check into non-profit organizations."

    Fleming also wonders whether your resume and cover letters are up to date and effective marketing tools. If you aren't getting interviews, you may wish to arrange for a professional resume review.

    Naturally, you will continue to stay active in your field, attending conferences and serving on committees, where you will give other professionals — who may be hiring or know someone who is — the opportunity to experience your skills and collegiality at first hand.

    Have a question for the Career Coach? E-mail her.

Go to comments (6) »
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Comments on Career Coach: Never Getting the Offer

  • You forgot about the Adjunct Stigma
  • Posted by Adjunct Mom on June 22, 2009 at 6:30am EDT

  • While your advice is helpful, you neglected to mention that this person is also likely being stigmatized because she is working as an adjunct, which can often be the kiss of death for academics hoping for full-time positions. Unfortunately, this discrimination is accepted throughout academia.

  • Another potential problem
  • Posted by Practical on June 22, 2009 at 9:30am EDT

  • There may be a simpler reason why Susan has not received any offers at the associate level. She mentions having received grants from a variety of sources. How large were those grants? Are any of them current?

    In these economic times, schools are much more interested in faculty at this level who are likely to fund themselves through research support than those whose external support is likely to be small.

  • exactly right
  • Posted by random thoughts on June 22, 2009 at 10:00am EDT

  • Good counsel.

    There is a larger lesson for all in the advice about addressing potential employer concerns. While older job seekers do have a particular challenge, it is not fundamentally different from the challenge all job seekers face. Potential employers want people with good qualifications (strengths) but also pay attention to potential weaknesses or concerns. Too many job seekers focus on their qualifications, without thinking enough about concerns that an employer may have.

    It might be age or coming from a multidisciplinary perspective. Or it could be inexperience (read "too young") or not interdisciplinary enough. It might be a research background when applying for a position at a teaching-oriented school. It might be adjusting to life in a smaller community.

    Smart job seekers try to put themselves in the employer's shoes and imagine potential concerns with their candidacy so that they can prepare and address those head-on. This starts with the cover letter (why is this researcher applying for a job at our small liberal arts college?), but is even more important in the interview.

    Smart interviewees start tackling potential concerns from the very first questions: "Tell me about yourself?" "What prompted you to apply for this job at our institution?" This is your chance to help them see things about you that may not be evident in your CV."Even though I have a strong research background, the reason I applied to your school is precisely because I have found I love teaching undergraduates even more than I do research." "While I come from a larger city, what my resume doesn't show is that I spent every summer working for 8 weeks on my grandparents' farm outside a small town. I loved the work, the town, and the people I met, and I have always wanted to return to a community like that."

    One recruiter I knew would coach job seekers to ask at the end of an interview whether they had any remaining concerns about the interviewee's ability or suitability for the job. The point was to smoke out any remaining concerns and seek to address them as forcefully as possible.

    To get hired, job seekers must not only show that they have the qualifications for the job, but also relieve any concerns that their potential employers may have. That's not just for older job seekers. It's for all of us.

  • Posted by asst. prof on June 22, 2009 at 6:00pm EDT

  • Shouldn't she also be looking at assistant level jobs? I don't know of many people who jump from adjunct to associate without being a pre-tenure assistant professor first. Also, at least in my field, there are far, far fewer job adds for associates than for assitants.

  • Thank you!
  • Posted by Susan O'Doherty on June 22, 2009 at 9:00pm EDT

  • These are all really thoughtful and constructive comments. Thanks so much to all of you for adding your ideas.

  • Arts & Sciences
  • Posted by Also 55 , Veteran in Higher Ed on June 23, 2009 at 1:30pm EDT

  • If it's not too late I want to add [to the excellent points already made]. There are many things going on behind the scenes that many (perhaps most) job seekers will never know. The colleges might already have someone lined up, perhaps internal, whom they're inclined to hire, but they feel compelled, or are, in fact, compelled, to post the position. If you're not even interviewed for a position that seems to be your MO, and you find out that some candidates have been interviewed, you might not have been selected because you'd outshine the favored one. As for practical advice beyond what's been offered: Have you considered Arts & Sciences departments? I don't know that tenure is a possibility, but you refer to yourself as multidisciplinary. A&S is an area that might be more likely to value what you offer. Try promoting yourself as one who integrates disciplines.

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