Steve Tippins shares two stories of candidates who cost themselves job offers: one asked for a hotel room upgrade, another ordered extra lunch to take back to her room. During campus visits, stick to what's offered and ask nothing extra.
Here's an example of a story I've heard at a school. There was someone who was brought in for a campus visit, brought to the hotel where they were staying, went up to their room, went back down to the front desk and said, "Oh, I don't like this room. Can I have one, a room that has a view of the lake?" Which was a more expensive room. The hotel made the switch. They didn't care. But the school ended up having a higher cost because of this and because of the request. I also know of a candidate who came in for an interview. They went to lunch and then the candidate said, "Oh, can I order an extra lunch so I can bring it up to my room and have a snack later?" and the university's paying for the lunch. It just doesn't make you look good in front of the committee. If you want more food later, order it on your own. But just try to be as professional and following the rules as much as possible. The Scholar Career Network exists specifically to support Ph.D.s through moments like this and help them find meaningful careers.
