Once again humiliated – Job interviews in academia
fine – no, not fine! Nothing is fine. Nearly two whole weeks, over 300€ and some nerves wasted for being humiliated That can only happen in academia.
But I’ll start where someone can follow. I had a job interview for a position I already forgot I had applied for in January in a fit of fearing unemployment (it’s July when I get the invitation). So I am reading the announcement again (fortunately I save them). And I am confused. There is no hint what they really want and what position they are offering. It only says for „teaching XML“. But for what term and how many hours, with what chance for postdoctoral qualification? I can’t believe they only need someone who teaches XML (XML!? I thought of it as obsolete) –
So I switched back to the invitation mail. The real shock was when I realized that they wanted me to be there at 8 a.m. sharp to give a teaching example about „markup languages“ (why ever that must be taught enlarged). As a convinced night worker nothing seems to be worse than speaking before 9 o’clock. I thought I’ve found a loophole. They didn’t write anything like „we can’t pay travel costs“. And over 300km away from my hometown, I had to spend some more money on hotel costs, that other applicants. So I wrote them in the hope they would transfer my interview to lunchtime or later. I also added some questions to the technical situation in the room the interview would be placed in. „For teaching computer code you need computers for the students“ I thought. The answer came view days later. They replied that there would be no computers to make the teaching situation more „natural“ (whatever that means). Concerning the payment for the hotel/train the answer just said, that they have to discuss this internally (I never got an answer). A shift with other candidates wouldn’t be possible because of the schedule of the other candidates.
So good. I tried my best to prepare myself for teaching markup languages (with an overview of their possibilities and an outlook forprogramming languages. Five days before I recognize that in the Mails they didn’t give the exact timepiece they would give me for the teaching example. So I wrote them again. The answer came on the day before the interview and it also contained some irritating and vague sentences concerning the content of the teaching example. I got tensed. Thanks for that.
After waking up at 6 a.m. for 8 days I managed to be there in time and not that much brain-dead as I normally am at that time. It was the most awkward interview I ever took part in. No one was introducing themselves to me. I know one was the dean of the faculty and one was a professor of computer science. But who where the other tree? There was no equal opportunities officer, nor a staff council. They just wanted me to start the teaching. … so I thought.
Afterwards, in a round of questions I found myself and the scope of markup languages misunderstood. They alleged I would only focus on text production (with LaTeX) and didn’t see that I mentioned HTML, XML, TEI as much as LaTeX. And they seemed being disappointed that one can do so little with markup languages. For more you need programming languages I said. One of the unknowns (the only women in the room) really sounded aggressive and disappointed. Another one of the unknowns criticized that my example of a cluster analysis wouldn’t work with Japanese – how to deal with stupidity? – Why on earth shouldn’t it work with Data from, Japanese? I felt estranged.
In the end, I got the chance asking them. So I asked about the perspectives of own qualification. The answer was: of course they want me to qualify. I asked further what would happen if one of my submitted applications for research projects would be accepted. If they would willingly incorporate them. The answer didn’t soundenthusiastic. „I would have time for this during the semester breaks“ – that was the only answer I got. I thought now would be the best time finding out what position I was currently about not to get. I was surprised as I heard that it would be a tenured position. Who on earth would install a tenured position for teaching markup languages to students of the arts?
Leaving the place, the next candidate got welcomed. A skinny and insecure guy and I thought „I am definitive the tougher one“.
What happened next was something between sleepwalking and feeling something like hope for a normal, quite live growing. I was very tired and nearly missed getting on my train two times because I felt so tired. And then I tasted the sweet thought of having a tenure position.
Two ours later I searched their Web pages to find out who all those present ones were. I didn’t wind answers on this, but I found how the candidate after I was: He is still working at the institute, teaching XML, has utterly no knowledge of informatics and a bad list of publications (nothing really scientific). So everything becomes clear and all the hope died suddenly:
– The Reason why it took them so long to process the announcement: Their candidate wasn’t fully graduated by now.
– Why 8 a.m. sharp? (Their candidate shouldn’t have trouble coming early when he lives there): That's a simple one. If I am the first and he is the second, the interviewer knows my benefits and disadvantages and can direct the interview of their favorite much better.
– Why didn’t they give full information about the position (tenure)? To diminish the number of applicants. There was a comparable position open at a library. They wrote me in the rejection letter, that they had over 100 applicants. With little competition their candidate wouldn’t get into serious trouble.
And there was me. Just the perfect victim. A woman in tech – like a joke itself. I just can’t compete with their master of markup languages. Because I don’t to preschool coding.
The sad thing: It wasn’t the first time something like this happened. The other time the candidate who got the job was present during my interview. And there were only two interviewers...











