The Academic Job Market: Zoom and phone interviews

A friend recently asked me to share any advice I had for phone and zoom interviews for academic jobs. I had forgotten that I had kept notes from prior interviews for this purpose, and so I’m sharing them here for anyone who might find them useful. I’ve included a list of questions that I or my friends have been asked in prior interviews.

Preparation Tips

• Be ready to answer mainly generic questions about your research, teaching and future plans as well as your interest in the job.

• Identify 3 reasons you are excited about this position and express them.

• Identify your platform - the 4 - 5 key aspects of your academic profile (research agenda, teaching philosophy, methodology) you want to emphasize - and refer back to these as you answer the questions.If you can, find out who is on the search committee (if you have not already found out) and who will be on the call. 

• Make sure to have the names of the committee members & their area of research in front of you.

During the interview

• Have a pen and paper ready - they may ask compound questions, so you want to make sure to answer all parts. It’s okay to write down questions even if you are on Zoom.

• If speaking on the phone especially, make sure to speak so that it is clear when you have finished talking (lower your tone at the end of your sentence)

• Generally, do not talk for more than 2 minutes. Some universities may ask you to restrict your answers to 2 minutes, 5 minutes. Interviews generally last 20 - 40 minutes and the committee will be on a tight schedule, interviewing people back to back. They will cut you off if you talk for too long.

• ALWAYS have questions ready for them at the end (I’d suggest a list of 4 in case you have time). They will make time for you to ask questions at the end. These are important as they reflect on how you are approaching the job (obviously don’t ask about salary, the location, sabbatical, funding etc.).

  • Questions should show you’ve done some background research into the department/university and allow them to expand on something.

  • High risk questions are yes/no questions. For example, if you ask if there are certain opportunities, programs, or resources and these do not exist, they will feel bad and you will be uncomfortable. Ask them about an existing program or initiative they have launched, for example.

  • Read up on the news of the department or school and show awareness of recent events/changes in governance/new hires etc.

• Dress for the interview even if it’s just on the phone.

• Be aware that they may ask to record you.

Example Interview Questions

General

Why did you apply here?

Can you tell us 2-3 reasons that you were interested in the position?

Can you tell us about how you see yourself fitting in this department, and your contributions?

How does your research fit the position, and how will you contribute to the department?

Can you tell us about your research and your main findings?

You are coming from [major city/kind of institution]. Why would you want to come here [small town/different kind of institution].

How would you perform campus service?

Teaching

Can you tell us about your approach to teaching?

Can you describe your dream undergraduate course and dream graduate course to teach?

How would you mentor and support underrepresented groups?

How would you teach our introductory course? If the job ad states that you will be expected to teach a class, you should be ready to talk about it.

Which existing classes would you teach, and which would you like to design?
Make sure to read their course catalog and have a list ready; describe one class in detail - title, aims, some themes/readings, modes of assessment.

What is your teaching philosophy?

How do you support diversity?

Research

Can you tell us about your research agenda?

What is the significance of your research beyond [your research site]?

What's your future research plan? 

Are you aiming to publish articles, or do you have plans for a book?

We are a policy orientated School. How would you engage with local communities?

Can you tell us about a book or article that was particularly influential on you?

 
Questions you might ask :

• I noticed you made/are making several hires in recent years/this year. Can you tell me about the department’s trajectory for the next few years?

• What motivates your students?

• What do students do after graduation?

• What kind of students does your program attract?

• Can you tell me more about XXX initiative/program? 

A bittersweet end to the academic year

Last week, I was awarded our departmental teaching award which was such a joy to win. (Especially since this one actually came with a physical glass award that looks like a TV award!) Research grants are obviously great to win, but teaching awards always feel more valuable and personal, especially since they are based on student nominations. I also said goodbye to many of my favorite students who graduated last week and will be moving on to the next exciting chapter in their lives.

This semester was challenging as it was the first time I taught synchronous classes online but I enjoyed the online format so much more than I expected. I had a lot of fun experimenting with different technologies, making videos, and engaging students with online assignments. I also learned a lot about myself as a teacher, and am learning how to teach in a way that better reflects my values. I will be writing some posts this summer to share what I learned from other faculty members, pedagogy workshops, and online teaching resources, and making the case for teaching with kindness and integrating self-care into teaching.

RSA early career grant

I am really excited to have been awarded an Early Career Grant from the Regional Studies Association. Thank you Mia Bennett, Maria Tsouri, Marion Werner, Davide Luca, Jacopo Canello and Catherine Chang for sharing their proposals and/or advice!

The grant will support my research on speculative urbanism and water crisis in Jakarta over the next 18 months, during which time I’ll spend a total of four months doing fieldwork. You can read more about the project here.

The next round of applications is due in September. In the video below, I share my tips for applying. If you are interested in applying, I’d be happy to share my proposal with you, as others did for me.

Paid Position: OU Undergrad Research Assistant Spring 2021

I am looking to hire an undergraduate research assistant to work with me this Spring semester on a project on affordable housing and resilience via the HRAP program.

The Honors Research Assistant Program provides Honors students the opportunity to work with professors as research assistants on specific projects that the professor is studying. Participants are expected to work for ten hours a week for ten weeks for $1000.00. Honors College students with at least 15 hours of college credit and a 3.4+ GPA are eligible to apply.

See here. Eligible students should contact me for more details.

The Urban Political Podcast: Urban Climate Finance at the edge of viability?

I recently had the pleasure of being a guest on an episode of The Urban Political podcast on the topic of urban climate finance, alongside friends and colleagues Dr. Zac Taylor (KU Leuven), Dr. Sage Ponder (Florida State University), and Dr. Sarah Knuth (Durham University), and moderated by Dr. Hanna Hlbrandt (University of Zurich), who kindly invited us all to convene on this topic.

The Urban Political provides a new forum for reflection on bridging urban activism and scholarship, where regular features offer snapshots of pressing issues and new publications, allowing multiple voices of scholars and activists to enter into a transnational debate directly.

In the episode, we discuss “ the financial and socio-material limits to the viability of urban financialization in the context of climate change. When climate disasters increasingly destroy financial assets and erode returns, how much longer will it take until some financial strategies become unviable? What are the multiple mechanisms finance and state actors use to push these limits into the future and continue to profit from climate change? Which places are indispensable to finance? And what happens when financial strategies become unviable (if that happens at all)?

Bringing together research from Jakarta, Miami and Puerto Rico, amongst other cities, we discuss risk management practices that mine value from rising waters, wildfires, or hurricanes, and open up new markets on the back of urban decay. Thinking through wider questions about disaster capitalism, we delve into the inherent challenges to that system. Talking across multiple research sites, we discuss geographical differences in state interventions ranging from forced evictions to fiscal policies. In conclusion, we reflect on contestations on the ground and possibilities for urban research to support these struggles.”

You can listen to the full episode below.