Ph.D. INTERVIEW PREPARATION GUIDE

FOR POSITIONS IN ACADEMIA


By Trina Sego and Jef I. Richards

WHAT THEY ARE LOOKING FOR

There is no way to know specifically what a given faculty member looks for when interviewing a job candidate. It will vary tremendously from person to person. However, there are a few things that are common to the objectives of many faculty members:


WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT

Although there are some variations in the hiring process, it is fairly standardized. The following should give you an idea of what to expect.


HOW TO PREPARE

There are a few steps you can take in preparation for your interviews:


SOME QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD EXPECT

It is not uncommon for candidates seeking faculty positions to be asked any or all of the questions listed below. Think about each of these before you go to your first interview, so you will be prepared with a cogent and appropriate answer.

In addition, you should expect questions about anything and everything on your curriculum vitae. And it is quite common to get the same type of interview questions that you might when seeking any type of job, such as "What is the last book you read for fun?" or "What are your hobbies?"


SOME QUESTIONS YOU CAN (OR SHOULD) ASK

You will be meeting many different people, and will need to be prepared to ask intelligent questions of each of them. The following are some ideas of what you can or, in some cases, should ask. They are roughly categorized to give you an idea of whom you might ask them. In addition, of course, as you progress through the interview you should constantly try to develop additional questions based upon what you see or hear.

Search Committee Chair, your contact person, or whoever picks you up at the airport

Dean of College

Department Chair and Senior Faculty

Junior Faculty

Graduate Students

Faculty Member in Another Department

Last Meeting with the Chair


SOME QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD NOT ASK (UNTIL LATER)

Generally, avoid discussing salary until they bring it up. Don't try to negotiate your salary when you don't yet have an offer. Not only is it tacky, they may have one amount in mind before you arrive, and that amount may change as they learn more about your value to their program. Consequently, unless they specifically ask you about salary or make you an offer, save those questions. It may be that you won't get an offer until weeks later. You can ask the following questions at that time:


GENERAL ADVICE


1995 Trina Sego and Jef I. Richards