1. The ACADEMIC Job Interview
The Academic Job Search Series
September 15, 2016

2. Agenda Interviewing Overview and Stages The On-Campus Interview
Responding to Interview Questions
Inappropriate Questions
Peer Interviewing
Q & A

3. Interviewing: General and Overview
Application materials (early fall)
Phone/Skype interviews (early winter)
On-campus interviews (late winter/early spring)

4. Phone/Skype Interviews
20-30 minutes
Field of candidates 5-10
Key is to be concise and interesting
Get names of interviewers, take notes

5. Skype Interviews
Ensure technology works. Do a run through with a friend.
Dress professionally and in a professional environment.
The search committee is looking for fit.
Basic questions about research
Basic questions about teaching
How you see yourself fitting in at that institution
Smile, make eye contact.

6. Sample Skype/Phone Interview Format
Brief introduction of committee members present and job description.
You will be asked 2-4 questions.
You will have time to ask 1-3 questions. Be prepared.

7. Interviewing Stages
Before During After

8. Stage 1: Before the Interview
Research
Institution
Department
Culture

9. History Strategic Plan Mission
What are the institution’s mission, goals, and “brand”?
How big is the department?  Who are the faculty, how prolific are they, and what are their scholarly interests?  Is there anything special about the department’s history?
What are the institution’s strengths and weaknesses?  Are some programs ranked more highly than others?  If so, which ones?
What is the organizational structure of the institution?  Who are the key leaders (e.g. president, chancellor, provost, dean, department head)?
What is the institution’s history?  Historic landmarks?  Athletic programs?
What issues or current/recent events have grabbed the attention of the campus community?
Are there programs or other institutional efforts outside the department in which you could play a role (e.g. interdisciplinary centers, study abroad, intra-institutional collaborations)?
What facilities and resources exist to support faculty teaching and research?
Is the campus on a semester or quarter system?
History
Strategic Plan
Mission
Researching the Institution
Review the institution’s mission, history, philosophy, strategic plan, programs and services, etc. to identify its priorities and “brand.”
Look for recurring key words and phrases.
Familiarize yourself with the work of the department’s faculty, their subfields (read what you can), the courses they teach, and their other professional activities. Very important!
*What role does the department play in the institution’s overall plan?
Researching the Department

10. http://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu Carnegie Classifications
GSAS Career Services Website:
Academic Glossary

11. Researching the Students
In addition to the department’s webpage, consult the pages of the institution’s:
– Office of Admission
– Office of Institutional Research/Data/Assessment
(this sometimes takes a bit of digging)
What is the demographic profile of the student body?
How many majors are there in the department/division compared to others? Are there student recruiting efforts you should know about?
Example: U.Va. Admission Page (screenshot)
Example: U.Va. Institutional Assessment (screenshot)

12. Stage 2: During the Interview
Sample Itinerary
Formal and Non-Formal Interactions
Communicating your Research
Formal Presentations
Interviewing Tips and Common Questions

13. State University, Collegetown, State
Candidate – Jane Doe
State University, Collegetown, State
Monday, 2/26
8:00 am – 9:00 am
Breakfast with Dr. Z, pick up in hotel lobby
9:00 am – 9:30 pm
Meeting with Search Chair
9:30-10:00
Campus Tour
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Lunch with Drs R and S
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Associate Dean of Research
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Dr. A, Dept chair; Dr. B, Associate Chair
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Prep for Seminar
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Seminar – Job Talk
5:30 pm
Dinner with Dr. X and others
Tuesday, 2/27
8:15
Pick up at Hotel
8:30 am – 9:30 am
Dr. J. Fitzpatrick, Dean of College
9:45 am – 10:30 am
Dr. D. Jones, Assistant Provost
10:30 – 11:30
Meeting with undergraduate students
Lunch with graduate students & postdocs
Teaching Demonstration
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Search Committee – Exit Interview
4:00 pm
Departure
Interview Format/Agenda
You should receive this information beforehand
Common components:
Meeting with Search Committee (may include faculty from other departments, students, administrators, etc.)
Meeting with administrators (dean, provost, department chair, human resources rep.) – ask them questions
Job talk/seminar
Teaching demo/meeting with students
Tour of campus and area
Shared meals, receptions, entertainment (Social interaction; be good company; follow their lead – talking shop or general interest)
*Alcohol
Be enthusiastic – you will have to repeat yourself several times. Ask them about their work.
You may not receive the itinerary until shortly before the interview. Build time into your schedule for last-minute research.
Take a snack & water with you. Realize that you may not be able to eat much at meals.

14. Non-Formal Interactions
a series of conversations where you are “rehearsing your academic capital” (intellect, skills & experience).
Communicate your accomplishments and plans (teaching and research), interest and enthusiasm.
Know in advance what points you want to make about your fit with the position.
Don’t depend on the interviewers to draw these out. (Sometimes interviewers are inexperienced at interviewing.)
Taking some ownership in the process will help you feel less stress and powerlessness.
Approach it as dialogic – as a conversation with professional colleagues; a series of conversations where you are “rehearsing your academic capital (intellect, skills & experience)
If you have a question – ask it
If you sense they don’t understand what you are saying – clarify
If you don’t know the answer – say so
You will be nervous, but…
Think of the interview as a conversation among colleagues.
Show how invested you are in your profession and what you find attractive about their opening.
Try hard not to act like a graduate student being grilled in an oral defense.
Self-reflection on your knowledge of higher ed is an important part of the prep for an interview.
Practice give & take of interview beforehand important (we’ll do more of this today) – make it a conversation

15. What they REALLY want to know
1) You are a “quick starter.”
What they
REALLY
want to know
2) You will be a good department citizen.
3) Your research & teaching complement the department & institution.
Boice “quick starter” (3-5% who are ready to go); show that you’re “job ready”—that you’re a forward-thinking professional
You’re ready for your role as a scholar, e.g….
You have research ideas beyond your present work
You have concrete publication plans
You know how to secure extramural funding (big!)
You know what it takes to run your project
You’re ready for your role as a teacher, e.g….
You know how to teach (set goals, assess, etc.)
You have syllabi (can design a course)
You know what books are in print
You have ideas for future courses
You know how to mentor/advise students
…and you’re ready to be a good colleague
Personable, professional, help to meet departmental needs (e.g. committee work)
Willing to share load: Assume that as a junior faculty member you will be teaching introductory level classes.
You can work within a flawed and imperfect system!

16. Communicating about Your Research
Talking informally about your research:
Prepare a 1-, 3-, and 5-min description of your research or scholarship
Practice discussing your research with NO props. In addition to formal presentations, you may be asked to do an informal “chalk talk”—a short, tech-free discussion about your research, especially in the sciences.
Informal questions: So, tell us about your research…
Current & Future
Note on handout – have different versions prepared for different audiences
People in your field (not necessarily in your area of specialty)
Educated people outside your field
Practice – short version to someone unfamiliar with your field (I’ll set a timer)
1 min to think
1 min to share
Swap

17. Formal Presentations: Job Talk or Seminar; Teaching Demonstration
For some – the job talk will serve both purposes
For some – you’ll be asked to do both
For some – one or the other
**Very IMPORTANT
Job Talk/Seminar:
Teaching Demonstration:
Chalk Talk: informal discussion

18. Who
Find out the audience: size, composition, level of class (for teaching demo)
What
What should you cover? In what time frame?
Don’t experiment. Express enthusiasm.
Demonstrate your well-roundedness and effective presentation skills. Engage the audience verbally or non-verbally.
How
Research:
They will be assessing your research, how you handle questions/think on your feet, how you perform in a classroom…
*Give context and motivation for your research; convince them why your work is important within first 5 min.
Overview (broad context) and a specific aspect you can discuss in the time alloted.
Effective presentation skills – verbal, nonverbal & slides
Make sure you have a clear conclusion & time for Q&A afterward.
During the Q&A, stay calm; consider how you might respond to off-the-wall questions before hand.
Teaching:
Is this a real course or a simulation?
What have the students covered? Request a copy of the syllabus.
Use proven, comfortable teaching strategies.
Be upfront about artificiality of the situation
Plan for a mixture of lecture & interaction – you’ll be evaluated on both your knowledge & your presentation skills.
Demonstrate your knowledge of other research on the topic, research on teaching effectiveness, etc.
Find out: What technology is available? How is the room arranged?
Where

19. Sample Job Talk Structure
Content
Timing
(mins)
Target Audience
Level of detail or
Purpose
Background 15
Everyone present
Your parents would understand it.
Your Approach 10
People in related fields
Demonstrate that you know the field.
Your Results
People in your field
Show your area of expertise.
Summary
Relate your results to the big picture.
Jonathan Dantzig, Engineering Professor at the Univ of Illinois.

20. Suggestions Know the material. Have a flexible plan.
Practice -your opening and closing (at minimum) in front of a live audience
Engage the audience.
End on time.

21. Formal Interactions (Interviews)
Be positive, enthusiastic.
Be yourself.
Attitude
Be confident and sincere.
Ask for clarification if you don’t understand.
Pause to think when necessary.
Presence
Approach it as dialogic – as a conversation with professional colleagues; a series of conversations where you are “rehearsing your academic capital (intellect, skills & experience)
If you have a question – ask it
If you sense they don’t understand what you are saying – clarify
If you don’t know the answer – say so
You will be nervous, but…
Think of the interview as a conversation among colleagues.
Show how invested you are in your profession and what you find attractive about their opening.
Try hard not to act like a graduate student being grilled in an oral defense.
Self-reflection on your knowledge of higher ed is an important part of the prep for an interview.
Practice give & take of interview beforehand important (we’ll do more of this today) – make it a conversation
Demonstrate collegiality.
Highlight your achievements.
Convince them you are ready to start today.
Competence

22. SAR Interviewing Technique
Describe specific task, event or situation. Give details for understanding.
Situation
Describe the action you took.
Focus on you.
Tell what you did not what you might do.
Action
Interviewing Technique: S.A.R. (also called STAR)
Prepare stories/examples prior to
interview focusing on:
Situation Action Result
– Concise, vivid, concrete
– Approximately 1-2 minutes
– Address outcomes
Use the present and past tenses at least as much as the future tense to underscore your accomplishments, not make promises.
Example: How have you used technology in your teaching?
What happened?
How did the event end?
What did you accomplish?
What did you learn?
Result

23. Inappropriate or Illegal Questions
Employers cannot lawfully ask you questions that lead to illegal discrimination on the basis of race, sex, age, religion, national origin, physical disability or (in some states) sexual orientation.

24. Why did you choose your research topic?
Warm-up Question #1:
Why did you choose your research topic?
Get 2 volunteers
When applicable, address how you will make the transition from a research institution to a school with a different mission, focus, size, etc. Do your homework on the school, the department, and the students.
* Aim for 3-5 sentences in 1-2 minutes.

25. In reviewing responses, consider:
What was effective? Is there anything you would like to have heard more about?

26. What has been your best teaching moment? Why?
Warm-up Question #2:
What has been your best teaching moment? Why?
Get 2 volunteers
Consider the department’s needs as well as your interests. Start with your goals for student learning and discuss how these influence the curriculum. Committees may also want to know what specific books you would use, whether they are in print, etc.
* Aim for 3-5 sentences in 1-2 minutes.

27. In reviewing responses, consider:
What was effective? Is there anything you would like to have heard more about?

28. Instructions Form groups of 2. Interviewees: Select a question to ask
Prepare a response
Interviewee: Answer the question
Interviewers: Offer feedback
Switch roles until everyone has answered.

29. Instructions Form groups of 2 with a new partner.
Interviewers: Select a question for your partner
Interviewee: Answer the question
Interviewers: Offer feedback
Switch roles until everyone has answered.