Brian Leiter has a post up posing the recurring question of whether a lateral move candidate ought to sign up up for the AALS faculty recruiting conference registry. My co-blogger Tim commented in favor of using the book. When I started this post, I initially suggested that this was a tough call. But as I fleshed out the post, I realized that it really ins't a tough call in my mind. Except for unusual cases - such as where the candidate is very new to the academy and has yet to make any contacts - I think candidates are very unwise to use the AALS directory. Here are some issues any candidate needs to consider when making this call.
1. Are you prepared to be public in your search? This will immediately alert your faculty to the search, but also alerts a lot of other people in the law teaching world. Are you ready for that?
2. Is the directory superior to alternative methods of search? The answer is almost always, NO. There are several other ways to notify search committeees that you're on the market. The first, best way is to make a phone call to a friend at a target institution. There is no question that lateral candidates with an internal backer fare better in the hiring process. If you have a friend on a faculty, and he or she is not willing to push you, that's likely to be a death knell - no matter how you apply.
If you don't have such a friend, try to use an intermediary. One degree of separation is still pretty close. Indeed, a well-connected friend who sends emails or makes calls on your behalf is remarkably effective. But even if you don't have a connection to somebody at a target school, you can still reach out directly to the committee. Identify the committee chair and make a direct contact. Discuss the school's needs and your reasons for wanting to move. And follow up by sending your cv. If even that seems too much to bear? Send a cold application, with a cover letter explaining why you want to move to the target school.
Every one of these alternative approaches involves less public exposure. And I suspect that every one of them is more effective than using the directory. There is really only one problem with using these approaches: they each take a lot of time. Some folks might worry that lateral applications will be tossed into a resume pile. That could happen - but it's far less likely if you follow up with a phone call (or at least send your application directly to the committee chair.)
3. Besides exposure, are there other problems with using the AALS directory? YES. Members of search committees may infer negative information about applicants who do use the book. These inferences may be false, but why even introduce the risk? Possible negative messages include:
a. I'm so desperate to get out that I'm using the book (even though so many people recommend against it);
b. I'm so unsavvy about the lateral search process that I didn't know that the common wisdom is to avoid the book;
c. I don't have almost any personal connections to others in the legal academy (and thus I won't bring this highly desirable trait to my new institution);
d. I'm so desperate to get out that I'd go anywhere (which explains why I'm effectively applying to 199 other law schools) ; and
e. I'm so unmotivated that I can't bother doing the one-on-one work required of a non-AALS search (and will presumably bring even less motivation to projects that don't produce a very personal benefit for me.)
By surfacing these risks, I don't want to suggest that these inferences are fair for any particular candidate. But applying to another institution is a strategic act that occurs in a particular social context. If enough lateral candidates buck the common wisdom and use the directory, the stigma may dissipate. But I'm not holding my breath. Take a look at all the lateral moves here. How many of these 115+ folks were in the AALS directory? I'm not going to do the search, but my own bet: under four.
Finally, Tim surfaces the issue of timing for lateral hiring. He is right that many schools make lateral hiring decisions later in the process. But the lateral hiring season also starts well before the AALS conference. Candidates are doing job talks as early as August and September at some insitutions. A serious lateral search starts in the summertime. That said, you should still plan to be in D.C. during the hiring conference. For some schools, that will be an inexpensive way to meet and greet. (One of the issues I don't address here is the fact that certain schools will do a first interview with a lateral candidate, so long as they don't have to pay for the trip.)
It may be possible to use the AALS book, and the AALS schedule, and still come up with a new job somewhere. But if you have grander aspirations than that - if there are particular schools, locations, or institutional traits that you're seeking - roll up your sleeves. And no matter what, make sure to read Paul Secunda's piece on lateral movement here.
I agree with just about everything Dan says, but think there is one caveat. If, for whatever reason, you are trying to move before you have an established record of scholarship equivalent to what a decent school might expect of a senior untenured prof, there are benefits to being in the directory. By placing yourself in the directory under those circumstances, you are essentially asking the law schools to (re)consider you against the entry-level pool. While that can be humbling (and can cost you a year or two on the tenure clock), it can also be effective. I think every year there are at least a handful of individuals in this situation who find good positions through the AALS process. (I have been on the hiring committee five times at two very different second-tier schools and we always seem to interview a few of these folks.)
Posted by: Andrew Siegel | June 16, 2009 at 08:34 AM
oh so funny!
Posted by: Air Jordan | November 11, 2010 at 11:04 PM