Dear Editor,

Constance Bouchard's article, "Reassessing the Value of the Job Register," (Viewpoints, p. 21, April 1990, Perspectives) is accurate in pointing out that interviewing candidates at the AHA annual meeting places monetarily poorer candidates at a disadvantage. That fact has bothered our conscience. On the other hand, we have found very valuable the opportunity to meet with candidates before inviting the "short list" to campus. A partial remedy that we have used is to conduct telephone interviews, reproducing as best we can the interview at the AHA meeting.

Another partial solution would be the use of videos. I think it would be wise for candidates to offer videos of classes they have conducted. That would give hiring departments more substantial grounds for selecting their final candidates than what they find on pieces of paper.

John C. Moore
Chair, Department of History
Hofstra University