Always look on the bright side of life

[austin_dern]

So there were three components of the job interview the other day at the university where one of my mother's college friends used to work. On presenting my research everything went great. On meeting the Dean it couldn't have gone better, even if I didn't actually get to go to the hobby shop in the area that I let him know about.

Naturally, I blew it on the teaching part. I got off to a good start, explaining the background for this sort of course and what I would have covered in previous lectures, and then went into the rather marvellous problem of the Galerkin finite element method for solving differential equations by referring back to linear algebra ideas of finding a projection of a vector, which students in a finite elements course should find extremely comfortable. But at a critical point I froze up, and couldn't remember how to get from what I had established to the impressive result I wanted.

I apologized while looking around my old lecture notes, not finding what I wanted, and my audience suggested I try just explaining something more elementary since they want to know more of how I communicate with students, including, yes, what happens when I've completely lost my place. But being encouraged to ditch what I had -- if inadequately -- prepared and go into something fresh, say something from an introductory course (I haven't taught an introductory course except in C in years) was putting me into a nerve-induced deathspiral of useless stammering. I got started again, just barely, in time for me to be lead off to meeting the dean.

Maybe they'll accept it as the ordinary sort of freeze-up that comes when a nervous person really hasn't got enough time for the preparation and screws up in the middle of the interview. And I've got a follow-up letter that hopefully will paper it over, but, really, it's hard to not get the impression of a job evaporating.

The next day, my mother's college friend called; she'd accidentally abandoned her phone in quiver-only mode in her purse and didn't hear my call, nor did she realize there was a message as her phone had run out of battery power, and she only had just now recharged it. She was embarrassed that she'd coincidentally called my parents a few hours after I'd left her a message, but she didn't know to ask to talk to me. She doubted she knew anything useful anyway.

Trivia: By 1712 Boston apothecaries were selling chocolate. Source: Sweets: A History of Temptation, Tim Richardson.

Currently Reading: Goldwyn: A Biography, A Scott Berg. Curiously, nothing in it explains how the studio got to associate with Laserblast, perhaps because Sam Goldwyn died years before it was made.

Comments

[reptilemammal.livejournal.com]

Your interview sounds like you did fine. Remember follow up with a Thank You note if you want the job. Additionally use the Thank you note to explain the point you wew trying to make, if you're really worried about it.

Did you ask the all important question. That is the one that says when will you be making a decision. This gives you a good reason to follow up with an in person visit or at the very least a call.

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

I remembered the thank-you note, although oddly enough, I forgot to ask when they'd make a decision. I suppose by the time it was appropriate for me to ask it was already clear I'd screwed it up.

[bailiff.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear about the small screw-up... It doesn't sound too serious, though, since it's obviously *not* something that happens in every single class, every day! You wouldn't have lasted in NUS as long as you did, if so.

Alas, my own prospects of getting a lecturing job in Singapore seem to have evaporated. NUS turned down my application for a Postdoctoral Fellowship, and NTU... refuses to answer my queries about my job application. Frankly, I thought they were more professional: I've e-mailed everyone from the Dean to the department secretary, with no luck! :(

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

It's not something that happens every class, no, and it is worth seeing what happens when a person does strip a gear in class and how they try to recover. (Only once, to date, have I given in to a bad day and dismissed a class early, but I do remember always that's an option if I'm just not giving a useful lecture.) Just it is a teaching university, primarily, and screwing that up is ... It would have probably been better if I'd had a flawless teaching part and stumbled on presenting my research.

You know, oddly, NTU sort of swallowed my application and never said anything afterwards. I know from my references that they asked them for opinions, but otherwise things fell into an informational void there. I haven't tried hitting them up for further information, though, I suppose on the theory that if they were going to hire me for their open position that I'm qualified for, they'd have said something to me by now ... it's getting close to the start of the semester, particularly when you add the lag required to get the Ministry of Manpower to process needed paperwork.

I hope you're able to find a job in Singapore ... it's a lovely place to work and I'd leap back in a heartbeat.

[bailiff.livejournal.com]

Hmp, I guess NTU's Human Resource department *isn't* as professional as I thought.

Then again... mysterious silences and inconvenient coincidences are the Malaysian/Singaporean bureaucratic way of dealing with awkward situations we'd rather not address openly. Example: my current department has had vacancies for *years* - but there's a tacit understanding that the vacancies are reserved for, shall we say, people with select racial qualifications? Consequently, when the Head asked the HR to advertise the position in the papers, the request was mysteriously "forgotten". They played this trick once, and in subsequent cases other tricks were used... but that's another horror story.

My guess is, NTU's just doing the same thing. Oh, well... You haven't considered Singapore Management University, by any chance? I've heard (but only through word of mouth) that it's popular right now - in the sense that SMU graduates are given top priority by many employers. That's all I know, though.

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

It had occurred to me to wonder if jobs were being reserved that way, yes, but there's just no way to tell. I did get a promising connection to try back at Singapore Day, though, and I don't think that's worked its way through all possible permutations.

I've looked into Singapore Management University but as far as I can tell they don't need anyone with my specialties. I even went to their campus back around the Biennale and couldn't find ... well, anything that looked like anything, really. Still, I ought to put in a nagging application there; can't hurt.

[c-eagle.livejournal.com]

eeeeep... sorry to hear ya hadda hiccup in stage... I hope also it'll be inconsequential, especially if you want this job... *hug*.

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

Thanks ... I'd be glad for the job, but honestly, I screwed up the application and who knows what'll turn up next?

[chefmongoose.livejournal.com]

I do hope that they'll appreciate your moments of strength and ability over a brief lapse in smoothness, but I also understand the nervousness over the job possibility now. I hope you shall get it.

--Chiaroscuro

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

I hope the letter was able to paper it over, and that the other people applying were less lively than I was. If nothing else I can usually work a crowd pretty well, and the person presenting as I filled out some paperwork after meeting the dean sounded like he was having a much dryer talk. It's still paddling uphill, though.

[chefmongoose.livejournal.com]

Indeed, it'll come down to how other applicants did it seems.

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

Yeah ... shame, though. If I'd done as well as on the research part the job would've been mine.