by Steven N. Pyser, J.D.

Whether from playing varsity football, neighborhood dodge ball, or attending the eighth grade dance with great optimism, we all remember the awkward moment waiting for an affirming tap on the shoulder–the signal one has been selected. Fast-forward the calendar. You are a credentialed, well-qualified and competent online faculty member. You have successfully finished your online training, mentorship, and have taught or course or two. The student surveys and faculty observations prove your competencies. Despite promises of work and statements you are “next” in the rotation, the phone doesn’t ring. You question whether the training was worth the effort, and quietly resign yourself to possibly never teaching again. You think wistfully, “Look at me, I can be Centerfield.”

Developing the Midas Touch

Some online instructors have a Midas Touch, and teach regularly, even though they may have never met face-to-face with their course scheduler. They routinely land the plum assignments. They are the Faculty “A” List, and enjoy a regular income from their teaching. Just how does one move from being one of many in the system to a regularly employed faculty member? “Success is not a miracle, nor is it a matter of luck. Everything happens for a reason, good or bad, positive or negative” (Tracy, 2000/2002, 14-15). These people are passionate about their teaching, and the people assigning courses know it.

It was Benjamin Franklin who said, “Drive thy business or it will drive thee.” You are an adjunct instructor in the business of providing an educational service for a fee. You can move to the head of the “A” list by understanding that “People don’t buy products or services. They ‘buy’ the people who are selling the products of services. First, you sell yourself as a likable and credible person, and then you sell what you represent” (Tracy, 2000/2002, 213). This point is amplified by Harry Beckwith in Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing:
Our methods for choosing a service are often wild and seemingly arbitrary — anything but intelligent, cost-benefit-oriented behavior … Services are human. Their successes depend on the relationships of people. People are human– frustrating, unpredictable, temperamental, often irrational, and occasionally, half made. But you can spot some patterns in people. The more you can see the patterns and better understand people, the more you will succeed.... (Beckwith, 1997, 245).

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