The
Academic Job Interview
Frequent questions in an academic job interview
1. What is
your teaching philosophy?
2. How do
you evaluate your students?
3. What
was your major challenge? Tell us about a teaching challenge you have faced and
how you overcame it.
4. What courses
would you like to teach? What courses offered at our University would you be
qualified to teach? Would you teach a methods course?
5. How would
you work with our students as opposed to those in your institution? Many of our
students are more/less talented than those you are used to at your present
institution. How successful would you be with them?
6. Suppose
two students argue heatedly and fight about a topic. What do you do?
7. How
will you handle teaching a diverse student body (racial, religion, economic,
and simply different styles of learning)?
8. How do
you address culture, language, ethnicity, and race in your courses? Give us an example.
9. Has your
teaching been evaluated? How?
10.
Tell us about your teaching experience.
11.
How would you teach this
course?
1. What is your research agenda?/Describe your research.
2. Describe
your research at the level you would to a non-expert/undergraduate student?
3. How has
your research influenced your teaching?
5. How do
you plan to support your research? How will you seek funding to support your
research? Do you plan to apply for research funding?
6. What
are your plans for integrating students into your research?
1. How
would you see yourself contributing to our mission and campus atmosphere?
2. How would
you contribute to our Department?
3.
What service experience do you have? Are you willing to be
involved in committee work?
4. Tell us
about your experience working with difficult a colleague.
5. Why are
you interested in our school/department?
6. Identify
your strengths and weaknesses.
7. What do
you think is the proper balance between research and teaching?
Inappropriate questions
1. Are you
married? What does your spouse do? Is he/she
an academic?
The
interview process is rather long. You are expected to ask questions at many
stages of the process and to different people. At the end of the interview,
they will give you the opportunity to ask questions to the search committee. These
are very important. But you will also have to ask questions during the campus
tour, at lunch, at dinner, while waiting for the research talk or teaching
demonstration to start, etc.
There are
many resources to prepare for these questions. Here is a list of some of the
questions and an article with some ideas on
how to ask the right questions.
1.
Who are the students? Where do they come from?
2.
Do students work part time? Full time?
3.
What do students want to do after they graduate?
4.
Do you have international students? Do you have plans for
internationalization?
5.
How many students in each class?
1.
Do students have to write a thesis to graduate?
2.
What is the relationship with other departments?
3.
Is there room for research collaboration?
4.
May courses be cross-listed?
5.
Are courses taught over a full year or over a term?
6.
Plan for expanding?
7.
Do you have plans for an M.A. program?/Do you plan to
offer a Ph.D. in the near future?
8.
Do you offer a Fieldwork Practicum? Is it a requirement?
9. Do
students take other courses? Can students outside the program take courses in
your Department?
10.
Has there been a recent external review of the programs?
What have been the main recommendations?
11.
Do you have or plan to have international exchange
programs?
12.
How do you evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the
program?
1.
How did this position become open? Has a colleague
retired?
2. What
kind of a colleague are you looking for?
3.
What does the work load consist of in terms of courses,
advisees, etc.?
1. What is
the Department's atmosphere? Is it friendly?
2.
Is there institutional support for research?
3.
Is the administration supportive of the department and
its program? How does that support manifest itself?
4.
What are the relationships like among the various
departments in the college/university?
5.
What are the areas of conflict in the department? How is
the conflict handled?
6.
What are the challenges currently facing the department
or program?
7.
What are the procedures for promotion and tenure?
8.
Are there any standards or guidelines for tenure?
9.
What resources are available, such as research
assistants, teaching assistants, computer services, and secretarial assistance?
10.
How is the economy affecting the financial budget for the
university? The department?
11.
What have been the enrollment trends in the Department?
In the university? Why?