Job Tracking - Week 21

Ah, job tracking posts, how they've come to measure my days. I should probably do something like this to measure grading. Maybe then I'd get it done.

Anyway, there isn't much to report since last week's last post. Two more rejections, one of which was sent to me three times (I guess they really wanted me to know I hadn't got the job). I, however, have to decide about the first job offer this week, and have heard nothing from the second school. It's funny how the process has worked because having the possibility of Job 2 has robbed the joy of Job 1 from me. I still find myself thinking "Why haven't they called?" rather than "So what? I've got a good job offer."

That said, here's the numbers for this week.

Total # of academic jobs applied for/# of jobs identified: 23/25
Total # of non-academic jobs applied for/# of jobs identified 0/0
COST OF THE SEARCH
Total spent in U.S. dollars on applications: $192.90
Average cost in U.S. dollars per applications: $23.94
Total spent in U.S. dollars on travel, etc: $357.78
Total amount in U.S. dollars reimbursed: $0
WHERE THE CALL CAME FROM:
The Chronicle of Higher Ed: 9
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: 19
Total number of e-submissions: 4
Total weight in pounds of application packets: 22.13
Total number of recommendation letters requested: 48
Total number of requests for references: 5
Total number of "proof of teaching excellence" packs : 9
Total number of requests for Teaching Philosophy :11
Total number of research packs: 13
Total number of transcripts requested: 3
WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING
Total number of acknowledgments of receipt: 21
Total number of confirmed reference contacts: 0
Total number of phone interviews: 2
Total number of conference interviews: 0
Total number of on-campus interviews: 2
Total number of offers: 1
Total number of rejection letters: 13
Total number of canceled or unhired positions: 2

One thing that I'm seeing at this point in the process - primarily from having asked some tough questions on interviews, but also from communicating with friends dealing with job searches from both sides at other places - is that the economic downturn has disrupted the process in more ways than just canceled searches. Things that used to be certainties in the hiring process are now debatable points (for example, types of funding and assistance like moving expenses). Is anyone else hearing/running into this or is it only something happening in the corner of the job market my colleagues and I are in?

That probability that I'll agree to a job by the end of the week does call into question the fate of the job tracking posts, though. Is there a point to seeing this through to rejections from all of the schools I applied to? Or to reimbursement from the places I visited?