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I recently got an email from an associate professor who thinks he won’t be getting tenure in his current position because the fit isn’t good. He asks, with respect to his next job interview,
“How do I handle the question ‘Why are you leaving and can we contact your present supervisor?’”
So, readers, how would you handle this question? Here’s the answer I sent back:
First, I think these are two different questions that you’d be met with in your next job interview. The interviewer may not actually ask “Why are you leaving academia?” but rather, “Why do you want to work at organization X?” Either way, though, I think the smartest way to answer this is to say exactly what you’ve said to me–the fit between you and academia (or your department) is just not a good one.
There’s no need to then elaborate by saying, you know, “My colleagues were assholes and the pay sucked.” You can follow up the “it’s not a good fit” line by emphasizing what kind of work you DO want to do–”I found the fit between me and Hell University didn’t work as well as I wanted because I’m really interested in doing more hands-on work,” or “I want to cultivate my X skills, and my old job just didn’t afford that,” or “I’ve always been interested in working with X, which was my favourite part of my old job, even though the other parts of the job just didn’t mesh well with me.”
The question of contacting your present supervisor falls under that whole tricky matter of references that worries a lot of people. References aren’t an insurmountable problem, but it does require a bit of finessing. There are a few different approaches. One would be to ask a colleague with whom you have a good relationship to serve as a reference. It doesn’t actually need to be a department chair or grad program director or dean or any kind of a senior position (though, obviously, if you can think of someone suitable, that would be great). But if you’ve worked closely with any of your colleagues on a project or journal or research or anything, that person can serve as a reference for you because they can testify to the things that matter when it comes to references (is the person professional? Prompt? Meet the minimum standards or give a little bit extra?).
And for the record, here’s what Brazen Careerist Penelope Trunk says about references. But what do you think, readers? What’s the best way of addressing these questions?
(As an aside, I’m forming a list of questions from scholars that actually would be best posed to employers, and this question is on that list. I’d love to know what fields and sectors you’re interested in hearing from, i.e. what types of employers would you like me to interview? And what other questions might you have for what industry?)
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Comments
05.05.09
My responses - no matter what the job are these:
1. I am happy with my job, however I looking around because I want to cultivate my interest in X and your job is interesting because X is the focus of it. If the money is substantially higher I always make a passing reference to it in a joking fashion
2. No you cannot contact my current manager because they do not know I am looking. If it leaks around the officer that Dr. Pepper is looking for another jobs it can cause bad morale before I leave and ill-will if I end up staying.
The only exception to rule #2 is if there is a lay-off, or the job was under contract and the contract is up, so the boss knows full well that I will be looking around afterwards.
05.05.09
In regards to the first question, I think we've nailed that one. Tell your "future" job that you are looking to extend your skills and you don't see that happening at your current job. In regards to the second, it depends on the situation but also involves work from the moment you start your job. I am always very upfront with my boss regarding career direction and salary. We are in constant communication about what is expected of me and what I expect in return. What this does is open the door to begin the job search should someone's expectations not be met. You both know where you are trying to go and what short falls are present, so starting the search is easy. Now, in the state that I live in, people may only contact the HR department of your current job to verify employment dates. So the question of "Can I contact your current Suprevisor" never comes up. It's usually, "Can I contact your current employer to verify employment" in which case you always answer Yes. Your references are the only people they can contact to have discussions about your qualities - but as we all know we line those up in advance.
05.05.09
Here's the trick with the first question. You need to understand that in asking it, an interviewer is looking for patterns, so be honest and don't let yourself get trapped. A good interviewer will ask that question about all of your transitions,so using a canned answer can backfire, as the follow ups could be damaging. Example: If you consistently say you've left a job to grow your career, after 2 times, it may begin to become suspect whether it's been you or your jobs that have inhibited career growth.
Be honest, in a polite fashion. If your reason is legitimate, you have nothing to fear.
05.08.09
Dr. Pepper, Matthew and Jimmy, thanks for all your comments. I will forward them on to the faculty who asked me the question in the first place.
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