Chronicle publishes my latest “Career Confidential” column. David D. Perlmutter. “The Best Problem: Dealing With More Than One Job Offer.” Chronicle of Higher Education, May 10, 2013, pp. A35.
“In the movie Broadcast News, William Hurt’s smooth character, rapidly promoted toward anchorman stardom, asks his less-successful schlumpy colleague, played by Albert Brooks: ‘What do you do when your real life exceeds your dreams?’
Brooks replies: ‘Keep it to yourself.’
Yes, it’s tough on the job market for tenure-track positions. Nevertheless, thousands of tenure-track offers are made every year across the disciplines, and contract negotiation is the important next step. But what if you get more than one offer, or anticipate another one? I have no national statistic on that occurrence, but I have experienced and heard from many department chairs that top candidates for assistant professorships often receive multiple offers.” [Read More]