ON INTERVIEWING FOR AN ACADEMIC POSITION

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ON INTERVIEWING FOR AN ACADEMIC POSITION

• Phil Garcia
• ACE
• University of Illinois

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Introduction

• Background
• Uncertainty about the process
• Heterogeneous opportunities and different types
  of interviews
• Information Needs
• How do I get an interview?
• What do interviews involve?
• How will I be assessed?

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How Do I Get the Interview?

• Procedures
• AAEA Employment Center
• AAEA on-line
• JOE
• The Personal Touch stand out
• Keep the CV current and accurate
• Use university career centers (CV, mock
  interviews)

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What do Interviews involve?

• Convention Interview (structure and objective)
• Structure
• 30 to 45 minutes (?)
• Components position definition questions about
  your research, teaching, and other activities
  identified in CV that might relate to the
  position and time for you to ask questions
• Learn about the position

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Convention Interview

• Make a good impression (Be prepared)
• Research the position and department
• Anticipate questions/responses
• Research (elevator story)
• Teaching
• Service and Outreach
• CV and position statement

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Convention Interview

• Make a good impression
• Prepare questions primarily about the position
  and related faculty
• Be Collegial (reasonably upbeat but relaxed)
• Answer questions in a direct but rather succinct
  manner
• Talk about your experiences
• A variant (phone interview)
• Identify who will participate and

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What do Interviews involve?

• Campus Interview
• Structure
• 2 days
• Components (variable) research seminar meetings
  with the Dean and/or Head of extension,
  department head, search committee, faculty and
  students a teaching opportunity social
  occasions, real estate tour
• Obtain a schedule for the interview and ask the
  department head to identify expectations for the
  position
• Learn about the position and present yourself as
  a potential colleague. Lets start with the
  position.

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Campus Interview

• Heighten your preparation
• Learn about your institution
• Search for information about the position and the
  hiring institution
• Learn about members of the search committee and
  faculty you are scheduled to meet (particularly
  in your area)

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Campus Interview

• Preparation
• Anticipate and think carefully about the
  inevitable questionsGoogle academic position
  interview
• U of MinnesotaTeaching and Learning Center
  (tutorials)
• Darmouth CollegeKathryn Cottingham (questions)
• U of MarylandMary Corbin (advice)
• CornellJohn Cawley A Guide (and Advice) for
  Economists on the US Junior Job Market

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Campus Interview

• Preparation
• Realize that your response to similar questions
  may vary depending on the situation and/or
  individual
• Tailor and ask more detailed questions on the
  position, department, college, and university
• Dont forget that Land Grant Institutions have a
  responsibility for service and outreach

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Campus Interview

• Develop carefully and practice the research
  seminar
• An opportunity to show your stuff
• Motivate and emphasize the importance of the
  research question
• Clearly and quickly identify the value of the
  work and your contribution

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Campus Interview

• Research Seminar
• Get the story straight (link problem, theory,
  procedures and data, and institutions)
• Dont lose your audience with tedious derivations
  or endless tables and figures
• Anticipate questions (general and specific)

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Campus Interview

• Research Seminar
• Anticipate how you will handle unexpected
  questions and problematic questioners
• When possible, at the end link your research to
  the position
• Allocate your time well
• Remember academics want you to tell them
  something they didnt know so they can better
  understand a problem

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Campus Interview

• Teaching Opportunity
• Identify your audience and preparation
• Explore alternative topics find comfort zone
• Identify clearly what you are going to discuss
• Present students with information (e.g. outline,
  figures)
• Use concrete examples (e.g. put numbers on it)

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Campus Interview

• Teaching
• Keep the presentation short and focused
• Use different procedures (ask questions, ppt
  presentation, blackboard) to communicate your
  message, but be selective
• Summarize, answering the so what? question

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Campus Interview

• Present yourself as a potential colleague
• Academics look for good colleagues
• Engaged and enthusiastic about their work
• Contribute to the growth of knowledge and
  development of the department
• Resolve relevant problems
• Communicate knowledge to audiences and decision
  makers
• Use the knowledge to inform and enhance the
  quality of their instructional and outreach
  activities

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Campus Interview

• Potential colleague
• The campus interview is an opportunity to show
  you can be a good colleague
• Be engaged in your work
• Demonstrate your are connected with the
  literature and your faculty
• Be informed and interested in the faculty and
  their work at the hiring institution
• In addition, it doesnt hurt to be affable,
  initiate conversations, and to follow accepted
  behavioral norms (you are a candidate) during and
  after the interview

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Some Concluding Thoughts

• Start early
• Learn about your institution
• Interact with your professors and study how they
  interact with others
• Find and involve yourself with research
• Explore teaching opportunities and instructional
  centers on campus
• Be prepared
• Remember the Maine

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Other Slides

• Inevitable questions
• Questions for you to ask

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Some Inevitable Questions

• Research
• Generic Tell me about your research (and/or
  your specific papers in CV) and the contribution
  you are making? How did you get the idea for
  your work?
• Specific In light of Sanders and Manfredo
  (2006), I question your assumption that markets
  are efficient? Is the procedure you used
  appropriate for the data? Is their independent
  evidence to support your claims? Why should we
  care about your findings?

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Some inevitable Questions

• Research
• The Future Where do you plan to publish your
  work? Where do you plan to take this line of
  research? Are you going to look for research
  funding? How do you see your current research
  direction fitting into the position?

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Some inevitable Questions

• Teaching
• General What is your teaching experience and how
  do you think it qualifies you for the position?
  What is your teaching philosophy?
• Specific What courses would like to teach and
  what books would you use? How have you used
  technology in the class? How would you handle a
  situation where 50 of your class simply fails?

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Some inevitable Questions

• Other
• How do you see yourself in this position in 5 or
  10 years? What are your professional goals? Is
  there a match?
• What form of service or outreach do you see
  yourself providing to the university and/or
  outside community?
• In what ways do you see your research interests
  providing information to private and/or public
  decision makers?

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Some Inevitable Questions

• Other
• Why this position? In this department? At this
  university?
• How do you think your research, teaching, and
  other experiences uniquely prepare you for this
  position?

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Interviewer Questions

• Position
• How does the position fit into the departments
  activities and direction?
• What are T/R/O responsibilities and expectations?
  (teaching load?)
• Are there other faculty working on related
  issues? Is there much professional interaction?

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Interviewer Questions

• Position
• What criteria will be used to assess performance?
• How does the tenure process work? What is the
  importance of T/R/O in promotion? What is the
  recent track record of the department in
  promoting junior faculty? What role does the
  college play in this process?

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Interviewer Questions

• Position
• In which journals are faculty expected to
  publish?
• What resources are available? Are there start
  up funds or instructional centers on campus to
  assist junior faculty? Are there funds to
  support research assistants for junior faculty?
• What are the grant writing expectations for
  junior faculty?
• Is there much mentoring of junior faculty?

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Interviewer Questions

• Department, College, and University
• How is the D/C/U organized?
• How are decisions made and resources allocated?
• What are the plans for growth or hiring?
• Is this a good place to work and develop a
  career?

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Interviewer Questions

• Department, College, and University
• Tell me about the research environment?
• Is there much professional interaction among
  faculty, departments and/or colleges?
• Tell me about the quality of the undergraduate
  and graduate students? Where do they find jobs?
• Tell me about the departments seminar series?
  Recent presenters? Attendance?

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Interviewer Questions

• Department, College, and University
• What contacts and programs do the department and
  faculty maintain with agriculture, industry,
  and/or relevant public and private institutions
  and decision makers?
• In what direction is the college/university
  moving? How does the department fit into this
  picture?
• Is this a good place to live?