Mock Interview

Well, it's after midnight and my gut is churning with anxiety because at 2:00pm today I have a "mock" interview scheduled. This has been arranged by my department as preparation for my campus interview next week. I feel confident that everything will go well. I definitely think that I am suitably prepared, and I tend to think quickly on my feet should anything unexpected arise. Nonetheless, I will be interrogated...excuse me, interviewed, by two faculty members I don't know very well at all. Gulp!

I will post again later with more details after the fact. For now, I'm off to bed to get a good night's rest.

UPDATE: The mock interview went fabulously! Granted, I was a nervous wreck beforehand. I had trouble falling asleep the night before and woke up with what felt like an ulcer in the making. But once I got in there I went into academic mode and managed to hold up pretty well. My two interviewers asked me some great, and at times challenging, questions that I think will come up during the actual interview next week. At the end, they both told me that I had "incredible presence" and even said that I sounded like a professor! :) That one still has me grinning. They also told me that they think I should have no problems at the campus interview next week. This is a HUGE relief. It's one thing to have your friends and loved ones tell you that you are going to be fine, but getting outside affirmation from objective professionals in the field (both of whom did not know me very well) somehow carries more weight. They also gave me some great pointers for a few additional prep ideas before leaving that I found really helpful. All in all, this experience was incredibly worthwhile and has made me feel a great deal more peaceful and confident about the interview next week. That's not to say I'm no longer nervous or that I won't be preparing like a madwoman, but I think my blood pressure has finally managed to drop down to a safer level!

More Tales from the Odd World of the Academic Job Market

Even though I have the unexpectedly early and very exciting job interview lurking on the horizon (deep breath Sparks, deep breath) that does not mean anything is remotely certain for me. Being on the academic job market is a bizarre and disorientingly surreal experience. There are no guarantees that a Ph.D. will secure you a job, and at times it feels like there is very little rhyme or reason to the process itself. What makes review committees favor certain candidates over others? Indeed, what they are looking for on paper and in person doesn't, from what I've learned, always seem to correspond. How does one prepare for these scenarios? In some ways, you can't. You just need to be able to adapt and go with whatever situation you are thrown into.

Needless to say, I'm still a bit baffled by it all but soldiering on doggedly in my determination to land a job.

Thus, I have been continuing to send out myriad applications for other positions in the hopes of securing additional interviews down the road. Because, let me be honest here folks, I HAVE to leave Gainesville this summer. I can't do another year here. As much as I love my department and my network of friends and colleagues, I have hit my restlessness threshold. Like Monkey, I have been a nomad all my life. I think it might be genetic because my father is exactly the same way. We never stay in one place more than a few years. And Gainesville is just too remote and residential for my overall predelictions. I can last far longer in an urban area without losing interest and enthusiasm. But I've pretty much exhausted all that Gainesville has to offer and my feet are itching to move on.

Some of the places I've applied to jobs are in better locations than others. Like many other job market newbies, I'll very likely be waiting down to the wire before I hear anything about potential MLA job interviews. Right now I've been receiving the slew of Affirmative Action response cards and "acknowledgement of application" letters from places that I've sent materials to. But yesterday I received an unusual email request from another BIG NAME SCHOOL asking for a writing sample (they are famous enough that they only requested a CV and cover letter call for applicants as part of the initial application). This is of course a really good sign of interest, but their request was not quite what I'd been expecting. While most schools ask for a publication sample or a chapter of the disseration as the standard request, this school is asking for A FULL MANUSCRIPT of my dissertation. As you might imagine, this freaked me the hell out because 1) I don't have the full manuscript completed, as I'm not going to be defending until April, 2) What does this mean? Do they merely want to ascertain how far along I really am? Or is there some other reason?

Honestly, a complete manuscript is a helluva lot to read. Review committees typically don't want to read submissions of more than 30-50 pages because they have to read a lot of them. Even my committee chair noted that this was a very unusual request, but wasn't sure what to make of it. Basically, I will send them what I have with a cover letter explaining the status of the two chapters that remain to be written. We'll see what happens.

I've been encountering some really odd or atypical things in my first job market search, which just goes to show that even the helpful information your colleagues can provide you with in advance will not necessarily anticipate what you may find.

Shopping Spree on a Thursday

Today I finally had to break down and spend some serious cash to complete my ensemble for the upcoming interview at the end of this month.

First on the agenda, and very desperately needed, was a new carry-on bag for the plane. All the suitcases I own are gigantic and cumbersome things used to transport all my important worldly goods across the globe during my many adventures abroad. Thus, they are lacking in any utilitarian function for a business trip. I also needed the carry-on suitcase because I have to get onto 3 different planes in order to get from my neck of the woods all the way out to my interview location and I just know any checked luggage would likely get lost or halted along the way. I was originally looking to totally cheap out on a suitcase, but then I found a rare treasure at Ross--a beautiful Diane von Furstenberg in magenta, silver, and white. This puppy normally retails for over $300, but I got it at Ross for $48!

I am TOTALLY in love with this bag. I have some fears that I might get distracted watching it trail behind me as I walk through the airport....

Next on my list was a pair of comfortable but business appropriate shoes. I know Monkey thought I should wear a skirt for the interview, but I'm gonna butch it out with slacks. Apparently it is cool and rainy at the interview location right now and I really want to be comfortable while I go through a day long academic obstable course. I'm also going to be on my feet most of the day giving presentations and the like, so I decided to go with the tried and true UK shoe company Clark's. I bought these in black.

You can check them out here. They are soooo comfortable. I felt like I was gliding on air, and they made my big honkin' size 10 feet appear smaller! A truly amazing feat (ha! I love homonym puns...), I assure everyone.

A week or two ago I had bought a jacket with the hope of potential interviews, and that has certainly paid off! In my professional realm we don't have to get totally pimped out in conservative suits--unlike those spiffy lawyers :)--so I took a bit of leeway and picked something funky but also professional. And let me just add that being a full-figured gal can make it difficult to find clothing that doesn't make you look like a 60 year old librarian! Honestly, it sucks sometimes. So this jacket was an exciting find at Lane Bryant, plus--it's crushed velvet!!! (Squee!)



I love this color, which really brought out my grey eyes. I'm going to wear it with a nice pair of black slacks and my new shoes. I'm still debating on what blouse to wear underneath though. I have a nice silvery satin one that might work. Or I'll probably go with plain white. I'm not sure yet.

I've spent way more money that I should have, but I feel good. Let's hope it all leads to a positive end result! :) Thanks Monkey and Violet for your wonderful words of encouragement!

OMG!!!!!!!!!

Okay, today had to be one of the most bizarre, exciting, and stress-filled days in recent memory. Let me start at the beginning. I woke up ass-early in order to finish editing a paper that I was scheduled to give later in the afternoon at a conference being held on my campus. As a result, I hadn't slept very well (nervous anticipation) and I had to down some strong coffee just to get into my zone in order to finish my last minute tweakings before noon. After I finished everything I took a speedy shower, got dressed, and had a scant few minutes to spare before my friend Joanna came to pick me up. Thus, I decided "oh, why don't I check my email really quickly." When I opened my inbox I discovered one particular email awaiting me with a decidedly nerve-wracking subject heading: "[insert big name university here] Women's Studies Interview."

I think I sat there for a full minute, frozen, trying to magically determine the contents of the email without opening it. Finally, I got my nerve back and opened it. And I shit you not, I nearly keeled over when I read the message.

I'VE BEEN INVITED FOR A CAMPUS INTERVIEW.

OMG. Let me just say, I am still stunned. Excited, to be sure. But still, stunned. And as the shock wears off, starting to feel incredibly freaked out.

Why is Sparks' usually cool composure so ruffled you might ask? Uh...could it be the fact they want me to come out THIS MONTH!? Quite frankly, from everything I'd been led to believe about the academic job market, I couldn't expect any campus interviews until the Spring semester-- January at the very earliest. Consequently, I am going to have to scramble now to prepare a research and a teaching presentation for these people. I know that I can do it, but I'm more concerned that I might develop an ulcer in the few short weeks I have before I have to fly out there.

Not only that, but now there's a lot of hope riding on this interview because this was my #1 job choice, not to mention the first place I applied! I don't want to fuck this up, but I also don't want to get my hopes too high only to have them brutally crushed after the fact.

So, of course, after I found out this fantastic news (which sent me into a mental tizzy) I had to go and present my paper at the conference. Seriously folks, I was SHAKING for like an hour! But I made it through the presentation and got some excellent feedback and questions at the end. The entire time, however, in the back of my mind I was hyperventilating about the job interview.

Urgh. I'm still a bit shaky. I seriously don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight. This has been such a surreal day. I just hope things don't come crashing down in disaster....