The following is a slightly tweaked but basically true story: “Bob” had taught as an adjunct for a year at an institution in his hometown, sharing an office with another adjunct, “Rob,” who vaguely resembled him physically. Bob moved on to take a full-time job in another area but had hopes of returning one day to be near his extended family. When a position that matched his expertise came open, he applied for it. Not long afterward, he bumped into a friend from that campus at a conference and mentioned his hope of returning. The friend said, “Actually, I was talking about you the other day with the academic dean, and he mentioned to me that he could not recommend hiring you because of some disciplinary problems he found in your permanent file. Do you know what he’s talking about?”
When Bob began to check into the situation, he found out that some female students had confused him and “Rob” and had filed a grievance for harassment. Apparently, before the grievance could be processed, Rob had resigned but the name confusion in the permanent file had never been corrected. Everyone was apologetic for the error but it was caught only because of a chance conversation and an investigation.
I’ve rarely heard anyone offer this advice but I am a big believer in it: Never leave an institution, no matter your position, without first asking to review your official personnel file. At most institutions, you have a right to not only review it but to rebut any errors in it or even to ask for incorrect data to be deleted. For most folks this would be a rare thing to find, but it would be totally worthwhile, especially if you had any interest in returning to the institution.
http://chronicle.com/blogs/onhiring/your-permanent-record/29907?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
