When I was on the job market as a PhD candidate at UCLA, I was extremely fortunate to learn from the advice of other graduate students and faculty members : Judy Carney, Abigail Cooke, Colin Gleason, Juan Herrera, Helga Leitner, Shaina Potts and Eric Sheppard - thank you all! I also read a ton of material online and spoke to friends who had previously interviewed and/or landed jobs.
Recently, several friends have reached out to ask about preparing for the job market and I’ve found myself giving the same advice over and over. I thought it would make sense to offer some of my insights in one place. I am by no means an expert on the job market. However, I have done my fair share of Skype/zoom/phone interviews and collected what I found to be really useful information over the past few years. So I will be offering my two cents, for what it’s worth.
In this post, I’ll focus on phone/Skype interviews. I’ll discuss campus visits in a forthcoming post. If you have any questions and/or suggestions, please comment below!
Congratulations, you’ve been invited for a phone interview!
What now? Interviews are typically 20-30 minutes and you can expect to be asked about 5-7 questions. You are probably one of 16-20 candidates being interviewed, and interviews are often conducted in a short span of time, usually back to back. This is to say that the search committee will be speeding through with no time for hiccups, and they will probably be tired by the end of the day so be courteous. If they ask you to keep your answers to 1-2 minutes, do so. Do not expect extra time if you experience problems getting connected. I once lost ten minutes to awful UCLA wifi. FYI: They may also ask to record you.
Setting up for the interview
Make sure you agree to a time that works for you and which you feel comfortable with. You don’t have to agree to the first time offered. Hopefully, they will be using zoom or Skype (it’s much easier to relate to/read people and express enthusiasm than over the phone) so check everything works: your speakers, your microphone, your set up. You’ll want to make sure you’re not sitting in front of anything too busy or distracting. Find a room that is guaranteed to be quiet and adjust the lighting and height of the camera as needed. Obviously wear something appropriate (this goes also for phone interviews, as it helps put you in the right frame of mind) and put a Do Not Disturb sign on your door!
Preparing for the interview
At this stage you can expect mainly generic questions about your research, teaching and future plans as well as your interest in the job, though you may get 1-2 follow up questions. Most questions are easy to anticipate and you should spend some time developing responses. Post it notes worked well for me, as you can keep these around your laptop during the interview. I include a list of questions I have been asked previously at the end of this post.
Dr. Karen Kelsey writes a highly useful blog that I recommend and everyone seems to refer to these days, called The Professor Is In. Her book is also very useful and in my opinion worth purchasing, but make sure to always check disciplinary norms. She recommends developing your “platform” : the 4 - 5 key aspects of your academic profile (research agenda, teaching philosophy, methodology) you want to emphasize - and referring back to these as you answer the questions. You should think about how these relate to the specifics of the job post and the department.
Do your homework: find out who is on the search committee and who will be on the call. (I have in the past contacted the search committee chair prior to submitting my application to express interest and ask to talk more about the position on the phone. This is a good way to find out who is on the committee and to get a better sense of who they envision filling the position). Have the names of the committee members and their area of expertise in front of you.
Identify 3 reasons you are excited about this position. Show that you’ve done your research and talk to specific aspects of the department/institution. That you want to live near the mountains is (understandable but) irrelevant. Perhaps there is a campus initiative you’re interested in, great resources for your research, or opportunities for mentorship.
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 Skype, and it’s okay to take your time to think about them before responding.
If you are on the phone/without video, make sure to speak so that it is clear when you have finished talking (lower your tone at the end of your sentence). If you’re using zoom - smile! Be enthusiastic! You’re excited about the job, right?
Lastly, ALWAYS have questions ready for them at the end, as they will make time for this. Have a list of 3-4. These are important as they reflect on how you are approaching the job. No questions about salary/start up, teaching releases or sabbatical. That’s for the campus visit.
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 there are not, they may be embarrassed and you will be too. Ask them about an existing program or initiative they have recently launched, for example. Read up on campus news relating to the department or college and show awareness of recent events/changes in governance/new hires etc. And keep your notes in case you land a campus visit.
Some questions you might ask:
Can you tell me about the department’s trajectory for the next few years? How does this hire fit within those plans?
What kind of students does your program attract? What do they do after graduation?
Can you tell me more about [department/campus initiative]?
After the interview
This part isn’t fun. Either you’ll get an email inviting you for a campus visit (within maybe 1-3 weeks) or you likely won’t hear anything. Departments like to keep it open until a candidate has signed a contract, in case none of the campus interviews go well and they need to go back to their short list. In 2018, I applied for a job at UC Irvine and didn’t get a rejection until 6 months later - telling me they had over 1000 applicants. That was an unusual case (the job was broadly defined in an interdisciplinary department) but a reminder that the job search can be soul crushing. Rejection is probably the norm in academia, but with job interviews it’s higher stakes and hard not to feel deflated sometimes. And in this case, it’s really not you - it’s them. So in the meantime, while you wait for an email that may or may not ever come, keep applying for jobs and keep writing. The best thing you can do while on the market is work on a publication to get out. It could make a big difference later on.
Below is a list of questions I myself or my friends have been asked:
Why did you apply here?
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/R1 institution]. Why would you want to come here [rural/small town/R2]?
How would you perform campus service?
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 what your contributions would be?
Can you tell us about a book or article that was particularly influential on your development as. ?
Teaching
Can you describe your dream undergraduate course and dream graduate course to teach?
Tell us about your approach to teaching.
What is your teaching philosophy?
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.)
What classes would you like to teach? (Look at classes on the books but be wary of classes that may “belong” to a particular faculty member.)
Which existing classes would you teach, and which would you like to design?
(Make sure to read their syllabus and have a list ready; describe one new class you’d like to teach - title, aims, some themes/readings, modes of assessment)How would you mentor and support underrepresented groups?
How do you support diversity?
Research
Can you tell us about your research agenda and trajectory?
Can you tell us about your Ph.D. research?
What is the significance of your research beyond [your case study/field site]?
What's your future research plan? (Assuming you are early career, best to talk through your fieldwork plans and plans for publication up to tenure)
Are you aiming to publish articles, or do you have plans for a book? (Be ready to specific which journals or publisher)
We are a policy orientated school. How would you engage with local communities?
Do you have any questions for us?