INTERVIEW For Faculty Positions
http://career.studentaffairs.duke.edu/graduate/find_job/interview/faculty.html

Types of Interviews: Just as in other sectors, faculty job
interviews begin with screening candidates to find 3-5 finalists.
Screening is customarily done via the telephone ( or for adjunct
positions via email) or through professional conference systems
where hiring faculty representatives prearrange to talk briefly with
several candidates. Once candidates are selected out of a larger
pool, they are invited to visit the campus for a more extended
interview that may last 2 days. In most instances, campus interviews
are funded by the hiring department. The most successful campus
interview is a conversation between colleagues, not a repetition of
the doctoral prelim examination or the dissertation defense.

Preparation

    * Research the institution, the department and faculty expertise
    * If not provided, ask for names of interviewers and an interview schedule
    * Anticipate questions ( samples below) about
    *
          o Details in your CV and cover letter
          o Research agenda
          o Course plans
    * Practice a 30 second and 3-minute oral presentation about your research

    * Schedule a mock interview/ job talk with faculty mentors, your counselor or peers;
    use the feedback to revise your presentation

Campus Interviews

    * Relax, smile, make eye contact

    * Remember names/professional data ; include everyone

    * Keep your answers brief and to the point, but provide specifics so that
    your listeners can imagine your research discoveries and your best teaching moments

    * Take all interactions seriously: with chair and dean, faculty,
    graduate students, staff. Treat informal social gatherings as part of your interview

Job Talks

    * Don’t assume that everyone will have the knowledge to understand your
    most complex research specifics.
    Provide background information but limit it to 5-8 minutes;
    finish in the time allotted. Pitch your talk to a general audience,
    but also provide meat for the specialists.
    * Present research information you are confident of, not material
    that hasn’t yet been thoroughly analyzed.
    * Remember that your ability to handle questions will demonstrate
    your self confidence and communication skills in the classroom.


Sample Interview Questions

    * General Questions
    *
          o Tell us about yourself.
          o Do you consider yourself to be more a scholar or a teacher?
          o Where do you think the discipline of _______________ stands today?

    * Questions on Research
    *
          o Who  was on your dissertation committee?
          o Tell us about your dissertation research findings.
          o Explain your use of theory/methodology in your dissertation.
          o How prevalent is the scholarly interest in the area of your dissertation topic?
          o In what ways are your dissertation findings "new"?
          o What makes your project an interdisciplinary project?
          o What will your next research project be?
          o Which funding agencies will want to support your research?
          o Which publishers will you be working with as you move towards tenure?

    * Questions on Teaching
    *
          o What kinds of students have you worked with in the past?
          o How would you deal with teaching a primarily white / diverse/ adult /commuting / working student body?
          o What would you want your students to learn in an introduction to French film for undergraduates?
          o What texts would you use to teach a survey course in French cultural history?
          o What methods would you use to teach a 19th century French literature course?
          o Describe the undergraduate seminar  that you taught on_______________.
          o Describe your most innovative teaching method.
          o If down the road you were invited to teach a graduate seminar, what would you offer?

    * Unspoken questions
    *
          o Has this person researched our department/program history and the interests of our faculty?
          o Does this person ask discerning questions?
          o What kind of a colleague will this person be?
          o Will this candidate become a productive scholar?  Qualify for tenure?
          o Does this candidate seem interested in students?  in our students?
          o Will our students flock to his/her courses?
          o Does this candidate seem enthusiastic about the prospect of taking this position?