This post was edited by Charles Nykamp on Oct, 2021
Questions from today's presentation that were answered during the discussion (The questions below were posed by participants and answered the moderators):
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Q: Can journal subscriptions be negotiated? (Some small 4-year institutions don't have access)
A: It's worth asking for things you need to be successful. If that's a journal subscription - go ahead and ask
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Q: What if you need your own of some instrument is already there?
A: Be able to articulate why you need one of your own, having first considered whether it could be shared. Key is remembering that you ask for what you need to be successful.
And, in line with the specific situation and resources
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Q: Should you talk about prices for start-up items in the interview?
A: I'd say that you should be prepared to be able to talk about what you need . Some people will ask you for a ball park figure, others might ask for specifics - this is more in terms of equipment, but could be others.
A: I'd suggest being familiar with prices in case you are asked the question
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Q: [Who does the negotiations?]
A: Just a point that at my 4-year college, the dean does the negotiations not the chair
A: Same here in Earth Science
A: In my school, the chair does the negotiation but the dean has the money.
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Q: Typically, how negotiable is tenure time-line? And with 5-years previous teaching experience (not tenure-track), might it be negotiable?
A: Usually it is not negotiated upon hire unless you come in with previous faculty experience
A: Yes, with 5 years teaching experience, it might be. Some people and some schools would not want to count all those years as those non tenure-track years may have been very teaching focused and you may be evaluated on your research. So, you might want to count 2, 3, 4, years towards tenure. Some schools will be flexible on this, others not.
Another circumstance in which the time to tenure can be changed is for parental leave. This may depend on the school, but some schools provide for an automatic extension of the tenure time if the parent wants that.
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Q: When do you have to tell them yes you're probably accepting their offer (verbally) or no you're not - what if you need some time to think it over? Do you start the negotiations or wait until you're sure you accepting?
A: You should start negotiating as soon as you feel comfortable. Asking for some time to 'think it over' is perfectly reasonable.
A: I think it is good to be negotiating before you accept. Seems to me that you need to know what will be able to get to be able to make the decision. You can be clear that you are very interested in the position.
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Q: Any suggestions for same-sex couples?
A: I know of situations where there have been dual career hires for same sex couples. I suspect that varies from institution to institution.
A: Following on the above comments, yes, I too know of situations where this has occurred. If you want to see a nice article for a successful example, see sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2005_10_12/noDOI.4906092037166312197
A: A few resources for same-sex couples are available on this page:
http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/careerprep/jobsearch/additional.html
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Q: How long does negotiation take?
A: The answer is "It depends" It can be months, it can be shorter. Some schools will want an answer in less time - might be weeks, to a month. I think this might depend on the type of school and the specific situation.
A: We recently had a negotiation of a junior faculty that dragged on for almost 6 months! Usually, it is far (far!) less.
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Q: How do you know when an issue is a deal breaker or when you should give in?
A: Use your judgement and intuition, if it seems like you're pushing too hard, you may be.
A: Many times you feel like you strike a resonance with someone in the department that you feel comfortable talking with - you could possibly ask this person what they think about the boundary lines.
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Q: What is a reasonable time to wait before replying (in case you are waiting to hear from another institution)?
A: Some schools will give you a deadline - they will ask you to give a response by x date. If need be, you can ask for more time, which they might or might not be willing to give you.
