A tale of faculty-search woe :).
Rejection Letters for a faculty position
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Rejection Letters for a faculty position
1–10 of 84 posts
Re: Rejection Letters for a faculty position
#2So this guy is an employed PhD (at the job he "wanted most") and writes a blog post about how emotionally traumatic receiving rejection notices at normal (if not below normal) rates was. I don't get it.
Re: Rejection Letters for a faculty position
#3As the author got the 1 job he wanted out of 30+ applications, I feel this point is appropriate.
The college I went to had a pub with the policy that a rejection letter (for a job, post graduate position, etc) could be traded for one free beer. It was a brilliant policy for encouraging people to try. From one perspective 30+ letters of rejection to get what you want is depressing. From my perspective that would have been getting the thing you wanted along with thirty free drinks.
Re: Rejection Letters for a faculty position
#4There's an understandably human tendency to highlight our accomplishments and bury our failures, which can give inexperienced outsiders/novices in some field a warped perception of what's "normal," exacerbating their self-doubt. I think it's admirable that he posted the letters and was honest about how they made him feel.
Re: Rejection Letters for a faculty position
#5So this guy is an employed PhD (at the job he "wanted most") and writes a blog post about how emotionally traumatic receiving rejection notices at normal (if not below normal) rates was. I don't get it.
Listen people, here's how HN works.
If you disagree with somebody, you reply.
You don't downvote just because you disagree, and you definitely don't downvote without a reply just because you disagree.
Downvotes are for trolls/rude people.
Explain to this person why you disagree, I want to know.
Re: Rejection Letters for a faculty position
#6It would be nice if more startups did this. Just a nice letter saying "While your qualifications are outstanding, we regret to inform you that your expertise-in-X is not what we are looking for at this time." If someone takes the time to fill out a five page web-based form and goes through your online fizzbuzz tests, a customized letter is only appropriate.
Re: Rejection Letters for a faculty position
#7So this guy is an employed PhD (at the job he "wanted most") and writes a blog post about how emotionally traumatic receiving rejection notices at normal (if not below normal) rates was. I don't get it.
Listen people, here's how HN works. If you disagree with somebody, you reply. You don't downvote just because you disagree, and you definitely don't downvote without a reply just because you disagree. Downvotes are for trolls/rude people. Explain to this person why you disagree, I want to know.
I don't know that people disagree. I didn't downvote him, but I can imagine that people might have because his comment is a no more than an uninteresting summary of the blog post. It's not really adding much to the conversation.
Re: Rejection Letters for a faculty position
#8Earlier quoted context omitted.
Listen people, here's how HN works. If you disagree with somebody, you reply. You don't downvote just because you disagree, and you definitely don't downvote without a reply just because you disagree. Downvotes are for trolls/rude people. Explain to this person why you disagree, I want to know.
I don't know that people disagree. I didn't downvote him, but I can imagine that people might have because his comment is a no more than an uninteresting summary of the blog post. It's not really adding much to the conversation.
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Re: Rejection Letters for a faculty position
#9As the author got the 1 job he wanted out of 30+ applications, I feel this point is appropriate. The college I went to had a pub with the policy that a rejection letter (for a job, post graduate position, etc) could be traded for one free beer. It was a brilliant policy for encouraging people to try. From one perspective 30+ letters of rejection to get what you want is depressing. From my perspective that would have…
That pub has a brilliant idea!
Re: Rejection Letters for a faculty position
#10Ouch, being rejected from University of Arizona AND Arizona State University?