Spanish 2008-2009

List Information
Welcome to the Spanish Job Seekers wiki for 2008-2009! This is intended as a collaborative space for all job seekers to pool their resources. ¡Suerte!

''If you know anyone involved in the Spanish job search this year, please tell them about this page. The more people who use it and update it, the more useful it will be.''

WIKI COUNTER I'm on the market and I'm... ... ABD, but defending real soon now: 28  ... ABD, not defending real soon: 2  ... I am about to file my dissertation (no defense where I am): 1 ... a Ph.D., but still at my degree-granting institution: 1 ... in a post-doctoral position (ABD or with degree in hand): 3 ... a visiting assistant professor or adjunct position: 11  ... in a tenure-track position: 5  ... in a tenured position: </li> ... in a non-academic position: 1 </li> Actually, I'm just lurking: 1 </li></ul>

Offers Made
[NOTE: When you list a school, please go ahead and indicate whether or not you received a phone call or an e-mail. Please list in chronological order. Thanks.]


 *  Carleton College (thirdhand knowledge, from a competing candidate)
 *  U of North Texas (12/15)
 *  Macalester College (accepted 12/16)
 *  U of North Dakota (accepted 12/17) [Congratulations!]

Campus Interviews Scheduled
[NOTE: When you list a school, please go ahead and indicate whether or not you received a phone call or an e-mail. Please list in chronological order. Thanks.]


 *  Carleton College (Nov. 2-4, mid November)
 *  Muskingum College (first week of December)
 *  U of North Dakota (second week of December)
 *  U of Otago
 *  SUNY Albany (12/4, email)
 *  Stephen Austin State U (phone call 12/11)
 *  Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (12/13) Jan-Feb
 *  Rutgers University at Newark (phone call, Luso-brazilian position, week of Dec 15th)
 *  Loras College (12/12) Feb
 *  University of Toronto (12/17 email) For January. No MLA interviews, but 4 candidates for campus visits.

Phone Interviews Scheduled
[NOTE: When you list a school, please go ahead and indicate whether or not you received a phone call or an e-mail. Please list in chronological order. Thanks.]


 * <li> Carleton C (Oct)
 * <li> SUNY Albany (mid Nov; campus visits in Feb)
 * <li> U of North Texas (11/14)
 * <li> Muskingum College (11/17)
 * <li> McKendree University (12/1, 12/3)
 * <li> Mercer University (11/17-21)
 * <li> U of Missouri - St. Louis (11/11)Which position? linguistics? A: Spanish (Assistant Teaching Prof)
 * <li> Northern State University - SD (11/14)
 * <li> South Carolina Aiken - SC (11/20)
 * <li> Meredith College (11/22)
 * <li> Macalester College (Nov)
 * <li> U of Otago (Nov)
 * <li> Doane College (Nov)
 * <li> Loras College (12/08)
 * <li> Stephen F Austin State U (12/4)
 * <li> University of Wisconsin Green Bay (Nov)
 * <li> University of Utah (12/4 phone call)
 * <li> University of West Georgia (12/5)
 * <li> Temple University (12/5, phone call)
 * <li> College of William and Mary (12/5, email)
 * <li> California State Los Angeles (12/5, email) 12/8-12/9
 * <li> U Wisconsin, River Falls (12/5, email)
 * <li> U of Wyoming (12/6, email)
 * <li> Texas A&M U Corpus Christi (12/6, phone call)
 * <li> Illinois State U (12/8, phone call)
 * <li> UNC Charlotte (12/8, email)
 * <li> Utah State (12/8 email)
 * <li> University of Massachusetts, Amherst (12/9, email)
 * <li> Wells College (12/9, e-mail)
 * <li> Bennington College (12/11, e-mail)
 * <li> Texas Tech (secondhand knowledge; a friend had a phone interview with them today, 12/11)
 * <li> Calvin College (12/12, email)
 * <li> Colorado State (12/16, phone, Mexicanist)
 * <li> University of southern indiana (12/16, phone)
 * <li> Capital University (ack. letter 12/17, 12/16: will finish reviewing Jan 9th and establish phone interviews then)

MLA Interviews Scheduled
[NOTE: When you list a school, please go ahead and indicate whether or not you received a phone call or an e-mail. Please list in chronological order. Thanks.]


 * <li> University of North Carolina-Greensboro (call 11/17)
 * <li> Hendrix College (email and call, 11/19)
 * <li> Union College - Visiting (11/20)
 * <li> CSU Long Beach (11/21)
 * <li> U of Colorado Denver (email 11/21)
 * <li> Iowa State University (11/22, email)
 * <li> U of Chicago (11/24, email)
 * <li> Seattle U (11/26; 12/1)
 * <li> U of Scranton (11/24)
 * <li> Butler (call before Thanks Giving)
 * <li> Randolph-Macon (11/30-12/2)
 * <li> Marlboro (11/28)
 * <li> East Carolina (12/1)
 * <li> Northern Illinois University (12/2)
 * <li> Rice U (12/2)
 * <li> Lafayette College (12/2) and (12/2 email, too)
 * <li> Meredith College (12/2)
 * <li> Tulane (12/2) -- FOR BOTH POSITIONS?
 * <li> Drury (12/2)
 * <li> Texas State, San Marcos (12/3 email) (also 12/3 email)* (12/5 email)
 * <li> Washington and Jefferson (phone call, 12/3)
 * <li> Augustana College (phone call, 12/3)
 * <li> Baker University (12/3 email)
 * <li> University of Michigan (12/4 email)
 * <li> Tufts (12/4 phone call)
 * <li> Grinnell (12/4 phone call)* (12/3 phone call)
 * <li> Scripps (12/4 phone call)
 * <li> Angelo State (12/4 email)
 * <li> Rice Univ (12/4 email and phone call)
 * <li> Lebanon Valley College(12/4 phone call)
 * <li> Virginia Tech (12/5 email and phone call)
 * <li> Dartmouth C (12/5 email)
 * <li> Trinity C (12/5 email)
 * <li> University of St. Thomas (12/5 email)
 * <li> UNC-Chapel Hill (12/5 phone call)
 * <li> West Virginia University, Latin Americanist and Peninsular (12/5 email)
 * <li> Dominican University (12/5 email)
 * <li> Southern Illinois U Edwardsville (12/6 email)
 * <li> University of Iowa, Spanish Am.Lit. (12/7 email)
 * <li> Claremont McKenna - Peninsularist(12/7 email)
 * <li> Gettysburg C (12/8 phone call x 3)
 * <li> Colorado College (12/8 e-mail)
 * <li> University of Arkansas at Little Rock (12/8 e-mail)
 * <li> Guilford College (12/8 email)(12/9 email)
 * <li> Central Michigan ( 12/9 phone-call)
 * <li> Adelphi (12/8 email)
 * <li> Grand Valley State (12/8)
 * <li> Ohio Wesleyan (12/9 email and call x2)
 * <li> UC Riverside (12/9, call)
 * <li> Washington and Lee (date unknown)
 * <li> Saint John Fisher (call 12/10)
 * <li> Dickinson C (call, 12/10)
 * <li> Texas Christian U (call, 12/10) (call 12/10 open)
 * <li> San Francisco State (phone call 12/10) (added to wiki 12/15)
 * <li> North Central College (email, 12/10)
 * <li> University of Indianapolis (phone 12/11)
 * <li> Holy Cross (email 12/11)(email 12/11)
 * <li> University of Colorado at Boulder (phone 12/11) Medieval and Contemporary
 * <li> Ursinus College (phone call 12/11)(phone call 12/12) (phone call 12/15)
 * <li> Kenyon College (Phone Call 12/11, 12/12)
 * <li> Alfred University (Phone Call 12/11, 12/12 phone x2)
 * <li> Lynchburg C (email, 12/11)
 * <li> Middlebury C (email and phone, 12/11)
 * <li> Middlebury C (Portuguese, email 12/12)
 * <li> U of Richmond (phone call, 12/11)
 * <li> Southern Oregon University (phone 12/11)(call 12/15)
 * <li> Sewanee: The University of the South (phone 12/11, 12/12)
 * <li> Hiram College (call 12/11)
 * <li> Oklahoma State University (call 12/12)
 * <li> Boston U (12/12)
 * <li> University of Texas-Austin (email 12/12)
 * <li> Saint Anselm (e-mail 12/13 x2)
 * <li> Muhlenberg College (call 12/13)(email and call 12/13) >Position?< Peninsularist
 * <li> St. Bonaventure (call 12/13)
 * <li> Princeton U (e-mail 12/14) Latin American Position
 * <li> Saint Michael’s College (e-mail 12/14)
 * <li> Alfred U (phone call 12/14)
 * <li> Colby College (phone call 12/15) Peninsularist
 * <li> Colby College (phone call 12/15, phone call 12/15)"B" Colonial/19th C LA
 * <li> Colby College (phone call 12/15) Latin American XX and XXI.
 * <li> Saint Joseph's College (email 12/15)
 * <li> U. of Florida (email 12/15 x3)
 * <li> Fairmont State University (call 12/15)
 * <li> Wittenberg University (Phone Call 12/16 x 2)
 * <li> Concord University (email 12/16)
 * <li> U of San Diego (phone call, 12/16) Which position? Peninsularist 19th-20th Latin American, visiting
 * <li> U Wisconsin, Superior (email, 12/17)
 * <li> Mary Baldwin College (call, 12/17)

Rejections
[NOTE: When you list a school, please go ahead and indicate whether or not you received a phone call or an e-mail. Please list in chronological order. Thanks.]


 * <li> Carleton College (letter, rcd. 11/21; email, rcd 12/7)
 * <li> Seattle U (letter, 11/26, also 11/26, 11/27,11/28, 12/02, 12/03, 12/12 and 12/15)
 * <li> The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (letter, 12/03)
 * <li> Rice University (email, 12/09 x2)
 * <li> Grinnell College (email, 12/10)
 * <li> Central Michigan University (letter, 12/16, 12/17)

Southern Oregon University (12/18; email)

Canceled Searches
[NOTE: When you list a school, please go ahead and indicate whether or not you received a phone call or an e-mail. Please list in chronological order. Thanks.]


 * <li> Albion C
 * <li> George Mason
 * <li> Catholic U (converted into Visiting Professor search)
 * <li> Connecticut College
 * <li> U of Virginia
 * <li> Miami U of Ohio
 * <li> Villanova (letter)
 * <li> UC-San Diego (Portuguese, 11/19, email)
 * <li> Converse College (letter, 11/22)
 * <li> Saint Joseph's University (around 11/25)
 * <li> University of California, Irvine (letter, 11/26)
 * <li> Claremont McKenna (Latin Americanist; email, 11/27 x2)
 * <li> UNCG - Not the latin americanist position.
 * <li> University of Pittsburgh (letter, 12/1 and 12/10)
 * <li> Florida State University---colonial latin american (letter, 12/04)
 * <li> Rowan U (email, 12/2)
 * <li> University of South Carolina - all three positions (no contact - on website)
 * <li> SUNY Stony Brook: "suspendida", reliable 2nd hand knowledge
 * <li> Dartmouth: postponed (email, 12/9) -- professorship of Portuguese. For this year, it's still up as a visiting position.
 * <li> U of Washington (email, 12/10 x 3)
 * <li> U of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Peninsular 18th-19th. Second hand knowledge: a professor from that department told me.
 * <li> University of Massachusetts, Amherst (email, 12/13) Q. They canceled the search the same week that they scheduled campus interviews??? A.Yes, they did. A. That's harsh.
 * <li>Muhlenberg College (email 12/15 x 5), Latin American Position
 * <li> Calgary University, Canada (email 12/16 they have just sent out letters)
 * <li> Maryville College(12/17, letter)
 * <li> Reed College (12/17 Letter)Which position? Both, I've heard.''Ugh, that's what I figured'

Has Anyone Heard From...?
Please delete information that is no longer useful

Q: Berkeley, Puerto Rico, or Texas Panamerican?

A. Berkeley contacted me and a friend on 12/2 requesting that we send express mail our dissertations in progress. They told us they would make an MLA interview list on the week of 12/15.

A. Puerto Rico. I did not receive acknowledgment of receipt, but I know that in previous years Univ of Puerto Rico contacted people after MLA.

A. Berkeley got about 195 apps -- give them time to read! They might start calling candidates to schedule interviews this week.

Q. Queens College CUNY?

A. Applications were due Nov 28th. I was just called yesterday afternoon for MLA interviews for Univs whose applications were due around Nov 10-15. Give them some time. I am waiting too! [Edit: I got my ack. letter Dec 8th, but did not heard anything afterwards.]

Q: Columbia?

A. Didn't even get a receipt email.

Q: Wofford College?

Q: Princeton (Luso-brazilian)?

A. Luso-Brazilian - haven't heard anything except receipt of materials, but they posted a Lecturer in Portuguese position on higheredjobs.com last week, so the tenure-track job is probably going to get canceled.

Q: College of New Rochelle or EMU?

A. I had to call into EMU to see what was up. No final decisions made yet (as of 12/17)

Q: Siena, San Francisco State U, or Wake Forest?

A. SF State: I got a request to send in missing parts of my package (transcripts) on or around 12/5. I'm not sure if that was a "nibble" (as in "finish your packet so we can consider you officially") or standard operating procedure.

A. I got a request for missing documents around 12/9; I suspect it was SOP, given that they called to schedule interviews on 12/10.

A. I also got a request on 12/5.

'''Q: University of Texas at San Antonio? (I know they are not going to the MLA)'''

A. Got an email of receipt 11/12.

Q: Yale (medieval)?

'''Q: King's College? Wartburg? Lawrence? High Point?'''

Q: Puget Sound, Western Michigan, Pittsburgh State?

A. I received a letter from Puget Sound a week ago, more or less (around Dec. 9th) telling me that they might take several months to go through applications. It seemed like a typical HR form letter, however.

Q: University of Alabama?

Q: University of British Columbia?

A. Make sure the search is not canceled (BC already canceled the modern peninsularist position last year). A. I got a letter of acknowledgment stating that they would be meeting in December to establish a shortlist of candidates.

Q: Albright College, Southern Methodist U, Duke, Wash U (St. Louis)? Albright C scheduled interviews in Nov.

Q: Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University, Eastern Washington University, U Penn lecturer position?

Q: Arizona State U? (Golden Age/Medieval) A. Got an acknowledgment email soon after sending in my application material. Haven't heard a thing since then, except rumors that ASU was getting rid of hundreds of part-timers.

Q: Purdue-Calumet? A: Purdue has already called to schedule MLA interviews

Q: What about Hofstra?

'''Q: Furman?

Search-Related Comments, Questions, Tips, FAQs, Etc.
'''Q: With the economy in turmoil, is there a real chance that MLA and/or final interviews will be canceled? Will institutions try to save a buck by doing more over the phone? Is there precedent for actions like these?'''

A: I spoke to the chair of my dept. and he said that anything is possible and that they can cancel a search at anytime, including after campus visits. So I guess we need to prepare for a long, uncertain and nerve-wracking process. The only "good" thing is that it is expected for many places to post visiting positions in spring. So there will be a second round.

A: There is always a second round. I have known several colleagues and friends who have received very attractive positions in the spring after having an unsuccessful fall.

'''Q: I'm new to this. If places have already scheduled MLA interviews, does that mean they definitely won't be contacting you?'''

A: From what I know, if those universities established MLA interviews some weeks ago, it is possible you did not make it for the MLA interviews. But I got the email for an MLA interview 3 days ago, before another person I know who also got it today.

A: That an institution has already scheduled MLA interviews with candidate is an indication that you may not be considered for the position, but it is relatively common for institutions to extend invites over the course ofseveral days, for various reasons. In other words, there may be a chance you get an interview, but the odds aren't the greatest.

A: In some cases, departments make an "A" list to interview at the MLA, and a "B" list as backup to interview by phone during the spring if the MLA interviews don't work out. It's not over until you get the rejection letter/e-mail.

'''Q: I have recently received an e-mail from an institution saying that i did not make the list for the MLA interview but they would like to keep my application active. What does that mean?'''

A: It possibly means you are in the B list... Read above. Good luck!

'''Q: Just trying to get a sense of where I stand and whether now is a good moment to panic for only having 1 MLA interview scheduled so far. How many does everyone else have? (12/11)

A. No se preocupen mucho por el número de entrevistas. Yo sé de gente que el año pasado tuvo al rededor de 15 entrevistas y sólo recibió una oferta de trabajo. El número de entrevistas no garantiza nada.

A. I've got 3 interviews so far, last year I had 2 total. This is going to be a BRUTAL year and hyper competitive. The good thing is that w/ less interviews, you'll have less loose ends bogging you down and depressing you. That will make it easier to get over this whole process and begin making yourself a better candidate for next year.

A. I like your approach. (3) '''Thanks!! Viene por sangre y sudor, eh.'''

A. I've heard of people that have gotten invitations to interviews until the 23rd of December.

A. I expect that most searches are running late this year, given that renewed conversations about budgets had to happen before committees could start evaluating files and contacting people. At least, that's what happened at my school. Also: fewer interviews = greater prep time for each. (5 interviews total; 2 at the MLA)

A. Actually, this year is a lot better than the late 90s if you look at the numbers the MLA published. 1600 jobs in foreign languages vs around 900. Even with the searches that'll be cut from the crisis, it's still about 50% more and ph. d. programs are small. Good jobs come up in February and later. It's a matter of sticking with it. A. I also have only one interview and my CV is not bad at all. It seems some positions were cooked even before publishing them e.g. Albany and Carleton.

A. 1

A. Don´t panic. 4 by now. I have second-hand knowledge of at least 4 universities I applied to who are going to establish the MLA interviews by the middle-end of next week. Of the 18 universities I applied I know of 4 for MLA, 1 rejection, 1 cancelled. So there is still time to see...I am ABD, if that helps.

A. I have 5 interviews (in the MLA field) and I sent 14 applications, but 2 jobs were canceled, which makes it 12--two of which are in a non-MLA field. Last year I sent 40 apps. for the first round and I got 10 interviews, but only 7 seemed to be serious interviews in the end, so the number of interviews does not mean too much. It's the quality of the interview that matters. This time I was more choosy, applying only to places which I would seriously consider. Also, having more interviews can work against you if you fail to remember the details for each of the schools and their programs during the interview.

A. I applied to 36 or so, I now have 7 MLA interviews and 8 canceled searches. About the question on area, my area in LA and gender(ABD). But I honestly believe that as important as the area and research qualifications what can make a difference is teaching experience both on language and lit. That is why it makes no sense that so many universities don´t give their Phds opportunity to teach different kinds of courses and levels. Just a thought. Buena suerte!

A. If it makes you feel better, this year all universities have seen record numbers of applications, Boston U had over 230! So you would have to be in what they think are their top 5% to get an interview. That's tough!

Q: How many applications?

A. 40

A. 10. a friend encouraged me to apply more, and I sent another 6. So, total 16 and 8 of them were already canceled… but I’ve never been in SFO :)

A. 85 so far.

A. 10. Two interviews, one cancelled and one rejection so far.

A. 32

A. upwards of 30

A. 21 and I will apply to 3 or 4 more, so 25 could be my final number

A. 95

A. I just hit 40, although there are a few visiting/clinical positions I will be applying for after the New Year that will bump the number up.

A. 18 (with 4 MLA interviews by now). People in my department applied to around 40 (I thought that´s crazy but oh well). I intend to apply to a couple more due in January (no MLA). Who is applying to 85??? Wow!!

A. 1, for the dept head position at Western KY. But since I haven't heard a word since acknowledgement in Oct, and the deadline was Nov 3, I think the position will be canceled, or they aren't interested in a Spanish candidate.

NOTA El comite de busqueda de WKU acabo de seleccionar a los candidatos para la entrevista telefonica hace una semana. No van a la MLA. Se pondran en contacto con los seleccionados en enero, despues de las vacaciones. Estan interesados en cualquier lengua (espanol, frances, aleman...).

A. Gracias por la información.

A. I sent out 22 applications and have 3 interviews at the MLA. 2 rejections, 3 canceled, 1 converted to a visiting. 2 in "B list", 5 acknowledge my app., nothing from the rest.

A. 12; would've been more but I was defending the diss during application season.

A. 15; 1 interview, 1 rejection, 4 canceled searches, 1 converted to a visiting, and that means 8 big question marks… but at this stage, I figure I will just have one interview.

A. 16; 1 interview, 1 rejection, 9 canceled searches.

A. 22; 2 interviews, 0 rejections, 5 canceled searches, 2 still out there...

'''Q: Just curious: what fields are represented by people who are getting multiple interviews? Peninsularists? Latin Americanists? If the latter, what region?'''

A. Linguists, Peninsularists and Latin Americanists all are getting multiple interviews. There are more positions for Lat Am than for Spain, but way more candidates. Don't forget transatlantic, as well. For Lat Am, it seems that the "hot topics" mirror demographics of US Latinos (Mexico, the Caribbean) and the neo-socialist/populist regimes of So. Am. (Andean region, Venezuela). I could be wrong, though.

A: Thanks. Colleagues who do Southern Cone (and myself) haven't done as well as we hoped this year. I noticed a lot of preferences for Mexicanists this year. Other people that have been on the market before, how does this year compare?

A: If I were a Southern Conist (??), I would try to link indigeneity of Chile and/or Argentina to general regional issues for the next round.

A: Before anyone starts reframing her dissertation just to suit what she perceives as being "marketable" (e.g. "Borges, Córtazar, and Indigenism"), remember that the market is in constant flux. Specialists in the Southern Cone, such as myself, have a tough MLA this year. This by no means is indicative of what the market will look like next year (or even in the spring for that matter): it could be much, much better (e.g. those positions that were cancelled might be restored, a number of older faculty might retire, etc.) and it could be even worse than this year. Quite simply, there is no way of telling. In a similar vein, there is no way of telling what might be "hot" next year. Golden Age scholars might find this market to be great, while those entering next year might be vying for one of a total of six jobs.

A. I disagree with the Southern Cone perspective above. I do Southern Cone, I applied to only 18 places, and I have 6 MLA interviews scheduled by now, and most from excellent colleges/univ., while my friends on other fields in Linguistics, Peninsular and other areas of Latin American Lit/Culture have in general 2 or 3 MLA interviews scheduled. A friend of mine last year had 2 interviews and got one offer. Another had 8 and got one offer too. The number does not mean anything. But this year there were many Southern Cone searches. I could not apply to some cause they were looking for 20th/21st and I do Colonial and 19th C. Much more this year were for transatlantic studies.

A: I saw very few 20th century Southern Cone jobs this year (I believe there were 2)...Maybe we're looking at different job listings? Transatlantic: yes.

A: Ni yo tampoco. Unless we were looking at different listings, I didn't see hardly any 20th/21st C Southern Cone searches. However, I did see quite a few searches that specifically stated "No Southern Cone." Compared to last year, perhaps due to the economy (fewer positions and less variety) it seems that there is definitely a preference for certain specializations. Also even the searches that were announced as "open" or with multiple options, are actually looking for a specific profile. It would be much more beneficial if these announcements stated this clearly, instead of wasting our time.

A: I second (or third, or fourth) the lamentations about Southern Cone jobs this year. But at least next year isn't likely to be worse.

A: I agree with the lamentations about Southern Cone jobs this year. many of the searches announced as 'open specialization' were actually looking for mexicanist.

'''Q: Do anybody know why some institutions (not necessarily the prestigious ones) do not even acknowledge receipt? What does it mean? Is it despise of just lack of organization? (12/12)

A. Don't take it personally. No one despises you. At worst, they're indifferent. If your entire academic career has been at top-rate institutions, you may not realize how understaffed and under-resourced many small colleges and universities are. Searches are led by faculty with high teaching loads and high administrative loads. If they don't have secretarial help, they may not have time to send out letters. The good news is that you haven't gotten a rejection letter either.

'''Q: What kind of questions should we ask the interviewers at the MLA meetings? is it common to ask about tenure requirements and such things on this early stage?

A. Check this link http://www.mla.org/job_interviews

A. Having had several interviews last year, my impression was that many committees did not want me to ask any questions. This seemed especially true if they were behind schedule or if it was apparent in the course of the interview they had decided that I wasn't the right candidate. In general, the best advice is to try to read the committee and play to WHAT THEY WANT TO HEAR. I don't think that NOT asking a question means you are not interested in the job (often the interview will consist of a long description of the job and institution that answers many of your legitimate questions anyway). And frankly, even though they may ask at the end if you have any questions, this only creates the illusion that you are able to interview them to see if the job will be a good fit - in reality, at this point the interview is over (for the committee) and your questions are irrelevant as they eliminate people from their pool of candidates. You should probably save questions for any possible campus interviews (which you will accept regardless of how they answered you questions).

A. I disagree with the poster above. One of my MLA interviews enthusiastically requested that I come with questions. If there's no time for them in some interviews, that will be clear from the committee's attitude, but when that's not the case our questions are a good chance to show how much we've familiarized ourselves with the institution, department, and curriculum, and show ways in which we see ourselves fitting in there. Also, questions that could lead to answers that might turn off a candidate (salary, tenure review policies, class size) are best saved for later, at least until they invite you back to campus. Let them think you love them for now.

'''Q. Could anybody tell me what one is expected to bring when they tell you that you can bring teaching materials to an MLA interview? This is my first MLA. The only material I can think of is a syllabus. Is that it? Thanks for the advice.'''

A. You can also bring copies of your teaching portfolio and CV.

A CV. If you do not have a complete "Teaching portfolio" (including teaching philosophy, students evaluations, letter from faculty's observation to your class as TA, syllabus that you have design, etc.) make sure to have at least copies of your teaching philosophy with you. You can also have syllabus that you've used or syllabus for courses that you can propose.

 Q. Can anyone give me some "tips" on the dress code (women) for the MLA interview?

A. I have been very strongly advised against wearing skirts. A pant suit seems to be the norm. I don't think it's worth being transgressive at this point, but I do admire those who dare to.

A. Second pant suit suggestion. If you are like me, I'd be worrying about the skirt instead of being focused. Also, try to keep it simple and not wear anything distracting so the focus is on you not your outfit.