Job Tracking - Week 7

Three more applications this week, and not a lot that's new to report. Jobs in my particular area have tapered off pretty dramatically, which is a shame, as I was hoping to get 30 applications out this year.

My roommate is also on the market this year, and we've been comparing application processes since he's in another field. One thing I've been fortunate about is that very few jobs I've applied for have asked for transcripts. And I'm lucky my alma mater isn't currently charging to send copies out. I feel bad for him, a graduate of a California school, because he's being required to pay $13 per transcript. His estimate is that at least 50 percent of the jobs he's applying for (he says that's conservative) ask for transcripts (some even ask for undergraduate transcripts). For me, if the cost were the same, that would mean an additional $130 onto my costs. That's a lot to ask, particularly for people coming out of graduate school.

Really, the transcript requirement is a ridiculous one this early in the process. One thing that I think the school I'm at did right in the job process was to wait to ask for transcripts until I had made a cut or two. I understand the need for demonstrating you've really got the education you claim, but anything that you're not going to look at until near the end - and transcripts are usually a part of the bureaucracy that goes with completing a job offer - shouldn't be asked for until the end because of the cost to candidates and because they aren't used until later in the process.

Here is last week's post with the numbers for it. And, of course, here's the numbers for this week:

Total # of academic jobs applied for/# of jobs identified: 15/20
Total # of non-academic jobs applied for/# of jobs identified 0/0
COST OF THE SEARCH
Total spent in U.S. dollars on applications: $124.82
Average cost in U.S. dollars per applications: $8.32
Total spent in U.S. dollars on travel, etc: $0
Total amount in U.S. dollars reimbursed: $0
WHERE THE CALL CAME FROM:
The Chronicle of Higher Ed: 3
HigherEdJobs.com: 0
Other online service (listserv, etc): 14
Friend/Colleague: 2
Personal Research: 1
THE JOB IS IN THE DETAILS
Total number of paper submissions: 13
Total number of e-submissions: 2
Total weight in pounds of application packets: 15.79
Total number of recommendation letters requested: 27
Total number of requests for references: 5
Total number of "proof of teaching excellence" packs : 7
Total number of requests for Teaching Philosophy :6
Total number of research packs: 9
Total number of transcripts requested: 2
WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING
Total number of acknowledgments of receipt: 11
Total number of confirmed reference contacts: 0
Total number of phone interviews: 0
Total number of conference interviews: 0
Total number of on-campus interviews: 0
Total number of offers: 0
Total number of rejection letters: 0
Total number of canceled or unhired positions: 0

I'm expecting a big week next week, possibly getting all of the last five applications out (assuming no new positions out).