Declining an On-Campus Interview

Recently, I declined a request for an on-campus interview. Yes, I am aware that I am not suppose to apply at places where I am not going to go. But I applied anyway because of the fear that I might not get interviews this year (which does not seem to be the case).

The university was in a big city and had some interesting research going on in the department. However, the amount of teaching and research did not seem to be right for me i.e. teaching counted way more than research for tenure and promotion. This is what the head of the department told me over the phone/email and this is what I gauged from the faculty profiles. Hence, it would not have been a best fit for me and therefore, a waste of time, energy and resources for both parties.

I had double thoughts when declining the interview because I really liked the city (from what I have heard) and do not have an invitation for another on-campus interview, yet.

I still think it was the right thing to do. I want to conserve my energy for future interviews that could be a potential fit for me, for the department and for my family.

Interviews this season

Since the number of interviews is increasing at a rather rapid pace, I am going to keep a log of progress here:

Phone/Google_hangout/skype Interview(s) = 3 4 5 8 11 12          

On-Campus Interview(s) accepted = 1 2 34
On-Campus Interview(s) request declined = 12
On-Campus Interview(s) completed = 1234

Offer(s) = 1  (YES ! )