How To Talk Turkey With The Chairman

Let's say you're a new Ph.D. and you've got your heart set on becoming an assistant professor in a university science department. And let's say you've survived the selection procedure by the search committee at the school you wish to join. As one of, say, the top three candidates for an assistant professorship, you'll soon have to have a negotiating session with the chairman—who by this time either wants you, needs you, or is unable to live without you. As a department chairman, I've had my share of these sessions, and I have a good idea of how the job candidate should prepare. One thing you surely should keep in mind is that hiring in the academic world is not at all like hiring in the business world—so the kind of tough-guy advice dispensed in such books as Winning Through Intimidation and Donald Trump's How To Make A Deal isn't going to help you. If you're seeking a tenure track position, keep in mind that what you're looking for is not just a job; it's really more of a marriage, and the terms negotiated with the chairman make the prenuptial agreement. So be prepared with a clear idea of what you need from the very start to make the arrangement a productive one. The most difficult thing for candidates is to figure out and ask for those needs in the scientist's four important areas of negotiation: time, salary, space, and, set-up funds. First, a word on attitude. Some job candidates approach negotiations as if they are in a poker game where the candidate has only one card, albeit the "ace" of saying no, and the chairman has all the other cards. But in fact, there is only one way to look at negotiations: in terms of trust. That is, how much do you trust the chairman? A good chairman will not really be bargaining with you, just trying to tell you what can be offered and to understand what you need to be successful. (The chairman's haggling comes later—in presenting your needs to the dean.) Suggesting that you be straightforward with chairmen would make sense to me even if I weren't one. If you feel you cannot trust the chairman, then ask yourself if you really want to work at the place. Time Bomb Regarding the negotiation of your time: You should definitely come out of the chairman's meeting with a clear idea of what is required for tenure—something potential appointees do not ask about often. Tenure is the ticking time bomb of academic life. If the university requires 10 published papers in four years, you can't take on a huge teaching load plus membership in the task force on parking. As for salary, don't let it become the stumbling block to your negotiation. Before you arrive for your meeting 'with the chairman, you should already have gained a good idea of what the salaries are in that particular university. This information is easy to find. Most state schools have the salaries published, and even for private schools, there are surveys such as the American Medical Association Survey and single-subject reports like the Association of Chairmen of Departments of Physiology Survey, If you are looking for, say $37,000 and the starting salary offered is $36,700, don't quibble. That can come later if everything else is okay. A chairman doesn't want to hire somebody whose highest priority centers around $300. Unlike salaries with their built-in annual increases, space doss not expand regularly—and the way people fight to protect their lab areas, you'd think chunks of priceless real estate in New York or Atlantic City were at stake. Therefore, you have to start angling for space right away—and it's not easy. A chairman may be able to offer offices or labs only as a result of very creative space management—like renovating the toilets or turning cupboards into offices, or adding a second floor to a high-ceilinged lab and hiring short people. It is best to at least walk through the space that you will be working in. The last big issue—the amount of set-up money you can obtain—depends on how much you need to do your kinds of experiments, If you must have a mass spec or an NMR, which are not exactly casual purchases, you have to request what it will take. But if the chairman says "we can do that" without blinking, make sure that this nice person is agreeing with you and not simply dreaming with you. Once you and the chairman come to terms on these points, should you get all of your agreements in writing? Not necessarily. Look at it this way. If you want all the details in writing, then what is written may end up being all you ever get—and if inflation takes over, you may regret that. The difficulty with a fully written agreement for chairmen is that they can seldom get the state legislature or the president of the university to even look at such an agreement, much less honor one. A Handshake So far, academic appointments have not been negotiated by attorneys, agents, or fight promoter Don King. It should not be necessary to have a lawyer go over your letter of offer. If a chairman says to you after you have been on the faculty for a year, "Well, we gave you a scintillation counter, but you didn't ask for a working one," then it is not just the contract that was wrong; you picked the wrong chairman. So present an outline of your agreement in writing, allowing for some flexibility. It should be sealed with a handshake. One last thing. When you're nearing that handshake and everything else looks agreeable, now you can ask for that extra $300. M. Ian Phillips chairs the Department of Physiology at the University of Florida College of Medicine and is president of the Association of Chairmen of Departments of Physiology.

How To Talk Turkey With The Chairman

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