academic coach

Academic Jobs: Salary Negotiation

When I lived in Bangkok, Thailand, for two years in the early '80s, I became very comfortable with bargaining.  When you need to haggle for every taxi ride, and every market purchase, for a couple of years, your comfort with money talk increases.  In fact, like most Thais, I've come to find friendly bargaining fun.  This has served me well because I enjoy shopping for junktique collectibles where asking for price reductions is the norm. 

In Thailand, as I traveled alone through the country, there were two questions that I was asked routinely.  The first was whether or not I was married (I was not.)  The second, which shocked me at first, was how much money I made.  Thais were very curious about just how rich I was: there were few white American women traveling around their country whom they could ask because there were few who spoke Thai (which I did in a rudimentary sort of way.)  All these questions about my paychecks made me much more comfortable than most Americans talking about money.

My relative comfort with paycheck discussions has served me well, I think, throughout my self-employed career, as I keep the fees for my private psychotherapy and coaching practice in line with "industry standards" and in my part of the country, Chapel Hill, NC. (My fee is $125 per hour for psychotherapy or coaching -- insurance usually covers a portion of psychotherapy; coaching is tax-deductible as a professional expense.)

This comfort with money talk, is in stark contrast with most of my academic coaching clients, who are extremely uncomfortable talking about green stuff.  In our society, it is a much greater taboo to ask about people's salary and net worth than it is to discuss their sex life.

All this is a prelude to the point of today's post: there is a VERY IMPORTANT CHRONICLE ARTICLE that I'd like you all to read.

Using the pseudonym "Catherine Conrad", a savvy postdoc in the social sciences writes about how she negotiated her salary and start up package when she was offered a tenure track job.

I'm impressed that Catherine, the mom of a five year old, and nine months pregnant with her second child, has gotten a new job in the midst of her visible pregnancy.  Go Girl!  And I'm even more impressed by how she handled her salary negotiations and the 'research' she conducted to find out how colleagues had handled the process.

She found, and I agree, that women tend to be terrible at asking for and getting equitable salaries.  Her descriptions of the passive way many of her peers have handled salary negotiations are instructive for us all.  There are many Great Quotes in the piece.

In my coaching practice, I've found that most of the women I work with are very uncomfortable with the process of salary negotiation.  Among the men I work with, however, there seems to be a much wider range of comfort and skill with the process.  In my experience, there are some men who are brilliant at cocky paycheck requests, but I know many guys out there who "play like a girl" when it comes to salary negotiation.

For example, I've worked with one client for many years who is only just now negotiating for an equitable salary.  He was a few years into a tenure track position but still hadn't finished his dissertation when he sought my help.  He now has tenure.  We hadn't discussed his salary until recently when I suggested that he look up his colleague’s salaries (easy to do because he's at a public university.)  Sure enough, he was underpaid.  We've worked together on this issue, and I won't go into our strategies, but suffice to say; now his pay is comparable to his peers at the same stage.  Sometimes, all you need to do is ask and you shall receive.  (I'm amazed at how many academics don't even want to ask.)

Another example: one coaching client found out, post-tenure, the details of everyone's salary by working on the Executive Committee.  The client also got to read, while on this committee, every tenure package and annual review report, of every faculty member.  All of a sudden this person had inside access to all sorts of important information.  In passing, the client told me that it would have been possible to serve on this committee pre-tenure: one junior faculty member did each year.  My client had decided not to lobby to work on the committee because it was known for being a big time commitment. 

"WHAT?" I said, "You could have seen EVERYONE's salary, resume, yearly review report, and tenure packages and you didn't even try to get on the committee?  Are you crazy?" 

Fortunately, this client did get tenure (it was a close call.)  But now I ask everyone I work with if they have a similar opportunity because I can't think of anything more helpful than having complete access to this information.  As it is, I routinely recommend that my clients try to get their hands on as much of this material as possible -- usually by directly asking peers and mentors to see a copy of tenure applications, teaching portfolios, resumes and the like.

O.K.  Now one of my clients needs your help: she needs to find out the salary of peers and we can't figure out an ethical way to do so besides asking directly.  She is at an elite institution and one of the top departments in her field.  Her salary is Very Good in comparison with the national range for the field -- numbers that are accessible via professional organizations.  However, my client recently helped write a collaborative grant application that included requests for portions of the summer salaries of some tenured faculty members.  When my client did the math, she found that these salaries were HUGE by national standards -- and that the lucrative paychecks were standard even for recent associate profs who weren't big names in the field.

She doesn't know what the salaries are for other assistant profs in her department (all male).  But we both suspect that she may be significantly underpaid in comparison with some peers.

How can she find this information?  My experience is mostly at public universities where this info is published.  Is there an ethical way for her to discover the numbers given that social etiquette prevents her from asking people directly?  Do you think that she should engage in a Watergate-esque break in? (Just kidding, sort of....)

People, share your experiences, please.  We all need the info.

How have you handled salary negotiations?  Are there things that you're glad you did?  Things you wished you did differently?  Suggestions you have for newbies on the job market?  Any horror stories so that I can warn others?

Eating the Elephant One Bite at a Time

O.K., all you writing academics, here's a portion of a post by the Elephant Eater in which she gives such a good summary of some basic writing goals that I wanted to remind us all of these strategies:

Histgrad writes about her plan of attack on her mostly-done dissertation:

"1. Look over introduction, make a list of the sections and paragraphs that need work.
2. Break that down into do-able daily goals.
3. Break those daily goals down into even smaller goals. Today I worked paragraph by paragraph. After writing one paragraph, I could take a quick "break" to hang up laundry or empty the dishwasher, etc.
4. Just write! Go! Say something! I've learned that something is better than nothing, so I'm trying very hard just to put down sentences that vaguely resemble what I want to say. It makes the revising process more painful and makes it much more likely that I will grow quite tired of this before it is finished, but at least I've got something written. As a friend of mine says, "Black words on white paper. Black words on white paper. Black words on white paper."

So those are my four golden rules, and they seem to be working."

Histgrad, Go Girl!

Escaping Academia -- and Fattening Fantasies

O.K. Here's the job I want: food critic in New Orleans. Wow, what a fantasy-fulfilling career.

The fun article in today's Chronicle is the first person narrative of Todd Price, an academic who didn't get hired by a university after 115 applications, 27 informational interviews, and 6 job interviews.

Well, his failure to become a professor has certainly served him well: here's what he does now.

"Three or four times a week, I make reservations under a fake name. I find friends who are willing to eat for free, which is never difficult. At the restaurant, I tell everyone what to order and, when the food arrives, I demand that they pass me their plates for a taste."

And the lucky gourmand gets to indulge in this envious paid passtime in New Orleans, no less, my very favorite food capital of the country (well... San Fran and NYC are fabulous too.)

What do you think of this, Ianqui? You recently posted that if you could change one thing about yourself it would be "not to think about food all the time."  And lots of commenters confessed that they share the same obsession.  Don't try to change your thought patterns, tripleSK, BrightStar, Jo(e), New Kid, and Phantom Scribbler.  No, Ladies!  Let's just make friends with Todd and help him use his many assumed-name, expense account credit cards.  Yuuuuuuum.

But seriously, folks  ---- (not a good way to start this new, "why am I really writing this article anyway" theme. I'm actually Very Serious about my food)  ---- Todd ended up in his heavenly job because HE'S A GREAT WRITER. And he risked writing about what he cared about. There may not be a place for him in academia -- let's face it, positions for specialists in Baroque Spanish theater are few and far between.  But positions for good writers abound.  Todd's story is inspiring and I plan to save it to show to ABDs and post-docs who are worried about, or unsuccessful at, their search for a tenure track position.

Let me give you a sample of Todd's great writing -- an eloquent story of his People Magazine approach to authors:

"I'll admit, when I'm honest with myself, that I went to graduate school not so much because of my love of literature but because of an infatuation with writers. I've always turned to the "About the Author" blurb before reading the first chapter. Where was the writer born? What school did she attend? What odd jobs did he pursue before first seeing his name in print?

"If that dreadful Julia Roberts movie Runaway Bride comes on cable, I'll watch it again, with no concern about whether he gets the girl, just to see the fictional magazine writer get his story about the commitment-phobic bride. "

Suddenly, with those personal examples, and that vivid film-based example, I'm right there with him saying "Oh yeah, I always read those author blurbs too."

I can see why he's a good food critic.  This is a mouth watering piece of journalism.  I'll be salivating with envy all day......

O.K. Dearest food-obsessed friends who posted with Ianqui that you think about food all the time, eat frequently and gobble quickly.  And anyone else who LOVES FOOD and WRITES OFTEN. I'd like to attempt to start a new meme called:

Consuming and Composing

1) What would you like to eat when you go out with Todd?

2) Why is writing important in your life?

Tag, you're it.

P.S. Jo(e), frankly I'm curious to see if you'll come up with a vegan fantasy that will tickle my taste buds -- but feel free to stop chopping veggies while you dine in your mind with Dr. Price.

Fight Depression - Everyone Deserves a Level Playing Field

A Math Teacher commented that my post  against depression had prompted him to seek treatment.  I wrote a response on his blog, and as my post grew longer and longer, I realized the strength of my views on the topic.  I'm pro-therapy, pro-medication, pro-anything-that-effectively-fights-the-disease-of-depression.

Here's a copy of my reply to "Vito":

Thank you for letting me know that my post about the physical dangers of depression may have be one of the reasons that you are seeking treatment.

Go for it.

I'm a clinical psychologist and committed to helping people fight depression. I think that "depression" is a simple word for a complex, multifacited condition that has many causes, symptoms, meanings, repercussions and cures. I don't think an antidepressant drug, or psychotherapy, or acupuncture, or good nutrition, or exercise, or ECT, or any other single elixir is the answer in all cases. However, I think that all of these current treatments, and many others, may help in some cases, some of the time. Many studies indicate that antidepressants in conjunction with good therapy give people the best chance of full recovery. Exercise, nutrition and social support are also shown to be helpful. My experience is that all forms of self-care and support from others are important.

The basic message is that the disease is worth fighting whatever it takes.
Trying to live a 'normal' life while suffering from depression is like trying to play soccer on an uphill field. You need to be talented, and constantly kick the ball, just to keep it from rolling backwards. It's really hard to score when you're kicking up a mountain slope.

Whatever the cause of your depression, the consequence is that you're not playing the game of life on a level playing field.

Frankly, I'm awed by how many people accomplish challenging tasks while suffering from crippling symptoms of depression -- there are so many courageous people struggling against this disease.

In my experience, antidepressants (like the classics - prozac, paxil and zoloft - or the newer, fashionable flavors, such as lexipro) level the playing field for some people. The drugs seem to tweak some people's biochemistries so that they have an equal shot at happiness, contentment, success and satisfaction. But drugs (including St. Johnswort, SAM-E or other "natural" chemicals) are certainly not a magic panacea. For some people they just don't work. For some, they have problematic side effects. For some, the psychic cost of feeling dependent on an outside substance is too high a price to pay for fewer symptoms.

Although I'm a psychologist rather than a psychiatrist, and thus never prescribe drugs, I do feel frustrated sometimes when people rigidly rule out medication even though other measures, including therapy, have not relieved their suffering. To those people who fear "dependence" on anti-depressants I say: "Do you think that diabetics who take insulin are weak-willed?"

There is no single way to fight depression. And for some people, unfortunately, the fight is never won. However, if you've been chronically depressed, and then are able to overcome the disease, your life is suddenly yours to enjoy rather than bemoan.

Go for it. Seek to be one of those people who win the fight against this disease. Try as  many methods as needed. Don't give up the quest to free yourself of the misery of depression. When you succeed it will be well worth the battle.

I wish you well in your quest to level your personal playing field.

                                                                  

Dissertation Advisor Avoidance

Staying away from the department halls when you've handed something in late -- and then, to your chagrin, running in to your advisor -- has to be among the most uncomfortable of grad student experiences. Eeeek.

Stewgad posts a very funny story about Advisor Avoidance. She felt awkward and embarrassed when he "caught her" sneaking about the department halls.  However, running into him, and telling him (again) that she'd have something to him by the end of the week, has reved up her writing pace.

Deadlines. Hate 'em.  But can't write without 'em.

A student taking one of my dissertation skills workshops once told the group a memorable Advisor Avoidance tale.  She was a week late handing in the chapter she'd promised her advisor.  Late one evening, she was grocery shopping and almost bumped into his cart.

"Oh, hello," she said.  "I'm so sorry I haven't handed in my chapter yet.  I'll have it to you first thing Monday morning."

"Um, actually," he said. "It's late on a Friday evening.  I'm doing my grocery shopping.  I wasn't really thinking about your dissertation."

"This really reminded me," said the student, "that whether or not my dissertation gets done matters only to me."

We often forget that our own agendas are not on the minds of others. When we miss our self-imposed deadlines, the guilt and shame-inspiring 'incomplete' looms large in our own ruminations. We forget that ofthers are not focusing on the delay.  It is not as though our advisors are sitting at their desks checking their watches and email in-boxes. They are much more likely to be worried about meeting their own goals.  And when our advisors do set deadlines for us, it is often to try to help us move forward.  They're usually well-intentioned.  Unfortunately, a 'tough love' approach rarely works: we often feel more anxious rather than motivated when our advisors scold us for running late.

For those of us with benign advisors, olympic-caliber advisor avoidance is rarely needed. Few professors will browbeat their advisees in the hallway. Many suffered similar work difficulties during their doctoral work and can empathize with our struggles. But even though we may know intellectually that we won't be chastised, when we're running late we'll still probably slink around the halls, hide in stairwells, and avoid campus altogether.

Grad school can inspire infantile responses:  "Ooops, I'm being bad.  And mommy, or daddy, is going to catch me."  Let's get over our guilt and get to work.