The following post can also be found in the annual meeting supplement handed out during the meeting.

The Job Center at the AHA annual meeting, located this year in the Sheraton New Orleans, Napoleon Ballroom, Salon A, provides facilities and assistance to both job candidates and search committees. Those who went through the job market years ago might not even recognize the current setup of the Job Center; the AHA is constantly evaluating the effectiveness of our services and making changes where possible.

No longer just a bare room filled with tables and noise, the Job Center headquarters consists of an information/waiting area and another room with interview tables separated from each other by drape. Interviews taking place in privately arranged suites are displayed on an electronic list; there are many chairs for candidates to use while waiting for their interviews; there are free terminals with access to the Messaging System and the Internet in the same room; and there is a nearby Quiet Room complete with WiFi where candidates can get away for a while to decompress.

Extensive information about the Job Center is available online or can be found at the Job Center Information Booth in the Napoleon Ballroom, Salon A on the Sheraton’s third floor. We’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have about the interviewing process or about the annual meeting.

Don’t forget to bring your badge; everyone entering the Job Center room is required to display a 2013 annual meeting badge. Here are some quick tips to get you started:

Candidates

1. Come prepared. You’ll need copies of your c.v. or other professional information and all interview details from the search committees, including names and contact info.
2. Pick up a Job Center Handout in the Napoleon Ballroom, Salon A, and look for open positions you may want to apply for. The Handout is also available online.
3. Check the bulletin boards for late-breaking announcements and new positions.
4. Submit c.v.’s early in the meeting for open positions. Most search committees fill their open slots quickly, and there are only a few open positions this year.
5. Go to the Registration Resource Center at www.historians.org and set up your account to receive e-mails or texts from the Messaging System. Check messages often from any Internet-connected device or the free terminals in Salon A.
6. Confirm interview locations at the Information Booth. Ask for help if you don’t find your position listed.
7. Check in for table interviews about 10 minutes before the scheduled time in Salon A.
8. For interviews in suites, go directly to the room at your scheduled time. Knock once on the door at the exact time if it hasn’t been opened by then.
9. Spend time in the Quiet Room in the Sheraton’s Maurepas Room near the Job Center.
10. Attend sessions, receptions, and network with other historians. You’ll be a member of the history profession for years to come, so use this opportunity to meet and talk with historians from across the country and around the world.

Search Committees

1. If you’re interviewing in a privately arranged suite, let us know the hotel and room number by e-mail at ltownsend@historians.org or by coming to the Information Booth in Salon A. Help us help your candidates have as stress-free an experience as possible.
2. If you arranged a room through the Job Center, pick up your key at the Information Booth in Salon A.
3. If interviewing in a room arranged through the Job Center, let us know if there is anything wrong with the room or if you need any assistance. We’ll provide a local number when you pick up the key.
4. Check in for table interviews in Salon A when you’re ready to begin for the day.
5. Let the Search Committee Check-in Booth know when you’re leaving for lunch or when you’re done for the day. We don’t want candidates to be left waiting for a committee that has already gone.
6. Let staff at the Check-In Booth know if there are any problems in the table area or if you’d like to move to another table.
7. Collect c.v.’s often from the C.V. Collection Booth if you have an open position.
8. If you wish to decline the interview request, give the c.v. back to the Information Booth, which will send a generic decline message through the Messaging System. To schedule interviews, contact candidates directly through their cell/local numbers or the Messaging System.
9. Give a copy of the job description to the Information Booth if you have a new position to display on the bulletin boards.
10. Take a look around your table and room when you’re done to be sure you haven’t left anything behind.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.