Educating Applicants

Over the years I’ve been shocked at the demands that some applicants have inserted in their cover letters. I’ve seen people with little higher education experience demand senior faculty rank, I’ve grimaced at salary expectations that were completely unrealistic, I’ve flinched at presumptions about outlandish teaching loads, and I’ve chuckled aloud at demands for benefits that would make a corporate executive flinch.

What strikes me about such demands is not really the boldness of the assertions but rather the depth of professional ignorance that was demonstrated. I suppose that each of us has stories about our own ignorance in a previous job search, but most of us have learned the ropes, at least through trial and error.

Here’s what I’m wondering, though: How can we better educate folks about the realities, the proprieties, and even the basic terminologies of our profession? What resources have helped you as you have entered into academe or advanced in your field?