126th Annual Meeting
Job Center
January 5–8, 2012
Chicago Marriott, Grand Ballroom, Salon 1
Availability Update
All rooms on Friday afternoon in the Sheraton Chicago and Chicago Marriott have been reserved; further requests for that time will be placed on the waiting list. Rooms at other times are still available, as are free tables.
Forms
Reservation forms for the 2012 Job Center are available now:
2012 Privately Arranged Suite Information
You may send in one or all of the forms, depending on your institution's needs. Simply download the forms, save them to your computer, fill them out, and then send them back as attachments to Liz Townsend. Please print or type clearly, and be sure all information has been checked carefully before sending in the forms. If you have trouble opening the text files and would like them in an alternate format, please contact Liz Townsend.
The initial deadline is November 15, 2011.
Note that the reservation forms are only intended for search committees. Job candidates do not have to sign up for the Job Center in advance. Most of the jobs will be advertised in autumn issues of Perspectives on History, with late listings included in the Job Center Handout.
If you have any questions please contact Liz Townsend. Include your name, institution name, and telephone number with all inquiries.
2012 Job Center Information
The American Historical Association’s annual Job Center provides institutions and candidates with facilities and administrative support for position interviewing during the AHA annual meeting. In accordance with AHA policy, which supports open listing of employment opportunities, the annual meeting Job Center facility will be open to all annual meeting participants. You must register for the annual meeting in order to participate in the Job Center, the Exhibit Hall, or any of the sessions or to use the AHA’s messaging system.
The meeting preregistration form and hotel reservation information can be found in the September issue of Perspectives on History, and in the annual meeting Program. All forms are also available from the AHA office and the AHA website.
Location
Free Job Center interviewing tables, the Information Booth, the C.V. Collection Booth, the Internet and Messaging Center, and the Electronic Search Committee Locator System will be in the Chicago Marriott, Grand Ballroom, Salon 1. Job Center interview rooms, available for a fee, will be located in the Sheraton Chicago and Chicago Marriott. (Keys for rooms arranged through the Job Center may be picked up at the Information Booth. Do not ask hotel staff for room keys.)
Alternatively, registered attendees can contact the AHA Housing Desk to reserve suites in which they would sleep in the bedroom and then use the parlor for interviews. This allows for greater flexibility and time to conduct interviews. More information on these reservations will be available to attendees when they register. Interview locations for privately arranged suites should be reported to AHA Job Center staff so we can provide job candidates with information should they need it. The AHA will also, if requested, collect c.v.'s and include position listings in the Job Center Handout. Please fill out the above form to reduce confusion for your candidates.
Interview Locations in Chicago
Shuttles will run frequently between the Marriott, Sheraton, Westin, and Courtyard during the annual meeting.
View Interview Locations in Chicago in a larger map
Job Center Hours
Interview tables and c.v. collection will be open Thursday, January 5, 12:30–6:00 p.m. (prearranged interviews only); Friday and Saturday, January 6 and 7, 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.; and Sunday, January 8, 9:00 a.m.–noon. Rooms will be available Thursday, January 5, 1:00–5:00 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, January 6 and 7, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; and Sunday, January 8, 8:00 a.m.–noon.
Reserving Space at the Job Center
All interviewing institutions must have a search committee member complete the room or table reservation forms to reserve up to one table for the entire meeting and/or one room for one full day or two half days at the Job Center. If you need additional tables or rooms, you will be placed on a waiting list, and staff will notify you after the November 15 deadline if we can accommodate your request. Please be sure to complete all sections of the forms, particularly the section for address, contact person, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address (to which the reservation confirmation will be sent).
Prepayment is required when reserving rooms. Tables are free.
Please print or type clearly, and be sure all information has been checked carefully before sending in your reservation. You can download the forms, save them to your computer, fill them out, and then send them back as attachments to Liz Townsend. Job Center rooms and tables are reserved on a first-come/first-served basis. Reservation requests received after the deadline of November 15, 2011, may not be considered.
Collection of C.V.’s
If you wish the Job Center staff to collect c.v.’s for you, please indicate this on the reservation form and attach a copy of the job description(s) or indicate which month it appeared in Perspectives on History. It will be your responsibility to collect c.v.’s from your folder and schedule interviews with applicants via the messaging system. You may return c.v.’s of applicants you do not wish to interview to AHA staff, who will send a standard decline message to the applicant. If you are holding only prearranged interviews, you do not have to send a complete job description. However, please list the field and specialization so the position can be identified.
Room Cancellations
Institutions who reduce or cancel their room reservations may request a refund of their room fee. Cancellations and refund requests must be submitted in writing and postmarked (or e-mailed) by December 15, 2011. Refunds will be processed less a $20 administration fee. No refunds will be issued for requests postmarked or e-mailed after December 15, 2011. Refunds will not be given for no-shows. Cancellations and refund requests should be submitted to American Historical Association, Business Office, 400 A St SE, Washington DC 20003 or e-mailed to staffaccountant@historians.org. Faxed refund requests will not be accepted. Proof of payment—copies of front and back of canceled check or copy of credit card statement—may be required.
Noninterviewing Vacancy Announcements and Late Notices
Send in a noninterviewing job announcement to Liz Townsend and we will include it in the Job Center Handout. We will also have bulletin boards available for posting late-breaking notices; see staff at the Job Center Information Booth for posting.
Electronic Search Committee Locator System
The Job Center features an electronic database system designed to aid job candidates in finding the locations of interviews in all interviewing facilities: at tables, in Job Center rooms, and in privately arranged suites. The system, located at the Information Booth in the Chicago Marriott, Grand Ballroom, Salon 1, will use a large monitor to display a scrolling list of institutions and their interview locations, if known. The system will also indicate whether an institution is currently collecting c.v.’s for any position. All information regarding changes in interview locations, times, and c.v. collection status will be updated and appear on this monitor.
Bulletin boards, also in Ballroom A, will display job descriptions for institutions that have decided to collect c.v.’s at the meeting, or who have posted new job descriptions. Please note: These billboards are intended for AHA Job Center information only. Any other material posted to the billboards will be removed.
Accessibility
The AHA is committed to providing equal access to all participants. If you need reasonable accommodations, please contact Liz Townsend with your requests by December 15, 2011. AHA staff at the Job Center Information Booth in the Chicago Marriott, Grand Ballroom, Salon 1, will assist candidates with visual impairments with the Electronic Search Committee Locator System and information posted on the bulletin boards.
Arranging Interviews
Institutions
Prearranged Interviews. After advertising their positions in Perspectives on History, most institutions will contact selected candidates to prearrange interviews at the Job Center.
Institutions must prearrange specific times with interviewees. Please do not simply tell interviewees to contact you at the meeting to set up a time. Although the messaging system facilitates communication between candidates and committees at the Job Center, it is generally less stressful for all concerned if interview times are set up and confirmed before the annual meeting.
Open Interviews. Institutions wishing to arrange some or all of their interviews at the meeting can request c.v. collection. Job Center staff WILL NOT sign up candidates for interviews. Staff will collect c.v.’s and place them in the appropriate folders. It will be the responsibility of the interviewers to contact the candidates and schedule interviews.
Although many institutions may find they are overwhelmed with responses to their job listing(s), the AHA strongly urges schools to acknowledge the receipt of all c.v.’s. Such an action demonstrates professional courtesy and recognizes the efforts of fellow historians in a tight job market. Institutions should use the messaging system to schedule appointments with applicants. Message forms for applicants whom institutions do not wish to interview should be returned to AHA staff, who will notify candidates through the messaging system.
Candidates
Prearranged Interviews. Candidates with prearranged interviews in a room may proceed directly to the specified room at the assigned time. If the prearranged interview is at a table, candidates will need to check in 15 minutes prior to their interview at the Candidate Check-In Booth in the Chicago Marriott, Grand Ballroom, Salon 1, and wait to be called. If the location is unknown, the Job Center Information Booth may have more information.
Open Interviews. Read the Job Center Handout for position openings. There will also be bulletin boards where late-breaking announcements will be posted. Candidates should review the positions for which they are qualified and determine when they are available for an interview.
Positions in the handout are organized by geographic area, then by state, then by institution, then by field or specialization. (Some departments announcing positions will not interview at the Job Center, but will provide an address for further inquiries from interested candidates.)
Candidates will then submit c.v.’s for positions of interest at the C.V. Collection Booth. Candidates should submit one c.v. with an attached message sheet (provided by the Job Center) for each position they would like to apply for.
Come prepared with a sufficient supply of c.v.’s, paper, and pens. Please do not rely on copying facilities at the hotels. The prices are often high and the lines can be quite long. Candidates should include their local telephone number (hotel room or other local lodging) or cell phone number on their message forms, as some schools will contact candidates by phone to set up interviews.
Institutions that have reviewed c.v.’s and wish to set up interviews will contact candidates directly through local phone numbers or the annual meeting messaging system, in the Message Center in Chicago Marriott, Grand Ballroom, Salon 1 or online. Institutions not wishing to interview a candidate at the meeting will submit the response form to AHA staff, who will then send a standard decline message via the messaging system.
Candidates and interviewers alike should review the AHA’s Guidelines for the Hiring Process before the annual meeting. It sets out the rights and responsibilities of everyone involved in the job search to ensure fairness and prevent abuses.
Job Center "How-to Guide for First Time Users" Video
This explanatory video is for all history job-seekers about to use the AHA's Job Center—which provides search committees and candidates with interviewing facilities at the AHA's annual meeting—for the first time.
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