Interviewing

Know what to expect when you’re facing a hiring committee

The Initial Interview

The first-round of interviews may take place during the busy APA-AIA annual conference or over Skype. Either way, it is important to be prepared for all the curve balls the hiring committee may throw at you.

The Ice Breaker: ‘Tell us about your dissertation’
Historian and blogger Claire B. Potter offers practical advice from the perspective of the interviewing committee about how not to fumble the easy questions.

Academic Job Interview Advice
As a seasoned veteran of the job market, Mary Corbin Sies provides her advice offered during a job interview workshop at an American Studies Association Annual Meeting.

Advice From ‘The Edge of the American West’
Ari Kelman, University of California, Davis, writes specifically about interviewing at the American Historical Association’s annual conference, but his advice is useful for Classicists who may not interview as historians.

Job Interview Questions
James R. Beebe, University of Buffalo, has collected a list of job questions assembled by a variety of academics, including Mary Corbin Sies.

Conference Interviews
The University of California, Berkeley’s short guide to conference interviews.

Open Letter for a Job Candidate
Robert F. Port, Indiana University, wrote this email to a student applying for computer and cognitive sciences jobs in 1995, but his advisement regarding how to handle an interview is universal and relevant.

The Job Market is a Lot Like the PBS Newshour
Claire Potter, the Tenured Radical, breaks down how ready yourself for your close-up interview over Skype. As many departments slash budgets, it is becoming more common for committees to ditch the conference for a computer.

The On-Campus Interview

What the Department has Planned for You
The University of California, Berkeley’s short guide to on-campus interviews, explaining what the department is thinking and what you should be doing.

Margaret Thatcher Naked on a Cold Day! Or, the Austin Powers Theory of Academic Interviewing
Tenured Radical Claire B. Potter offers some cheeky counsel regarding your approach to an on-campus interview. Namely, defeat the seductive powers of the Fembot interviewers by letting your hosts know that “you are a very desirable candidate.”

Academic Job Interview Advice
As a seasoned veteran of the job market, Mary Corbin Sies provides her advice offered during a job interview workshop at an American Studies Association Annual Meeting.

Questions for the Campus Visit
The Bardiac blogger offers some advice for asking the questions you are not certain are appropriate. Bardiac’s archives contains plenty of other useful tidbits concerning the hiring process as well.