on phone interviews

As I mentioned earlier this week, this entry is about phone interviews for academic jobs.

I just completed my 2nd phone interview for this academic hiring season, and all in all, I think it went ok. It’s hard to tell, so we’ll see what happens in another couple of weeks once the search committee has talked to all the candidates on the short list. It’s a strong program, and the base pay & teaching load are acceptable to me. The region is acceptable for Hubby’s work-related travel, and it sounds like a nice place to live. It’s early in the hiring season, however, so I’m reluctant to evaluate this option further until I know if/that I’m invited for an on-campus interview. Additionally, I’ve seen the heartbreak caused when a job candidate gets their heart set on a particular position but doesn’t get an interview. I refuse to let that be me.

It’s hard to perform well on an academic phone interview if you’re not prepared, and you can’t be prepared if you don’t have any ideas about the questions the committee will ask. The questions are usually about teaching and research, and the balance between them depends on the type of institution.

Initial/General Questions. The substantive questions about teaching and research might be prefaced by 1 or 2 “let’s get to know each other” questions:

• What attracted you to our position?
• What do you know about the department/program/university/city/geographic region?
• How would you like to divide your time between teaching and research?
• When are you available to start?

It should go without saying that positive answers to these questions are good, and that they should be customized for the position. For example, one should never tell a teaching-oriented institution that they are really interested in research-oriented jobs, or that they don’t care about teaching or mentoring students in research. If research is the school’s #1 priority, the answer to the final question should weigh research more heavily than teaching.

Likewise, if the position is in your home state, don’t say that this job would permit you to come/stay near home.

Teaching. Expect questions about your teaching experiences and interests. Here are some sample questions about teaching:

• What do you like about teaching? What do you dislike about teaching?
• Do you have experience teaching X, Y, or Z courses?
  
• Are you willing to teach X, Y, or Z courses?
• What courses are you currently teaching?
• Have you taught any methods or statistics courses? If you have, could you tell us about this experience? [Relevant for social sciences and sciences; there are probably parallel versions of this question for other fields]
• How prepared would you be to offer courses online, and what would those courses be?

Research. Sample specific questions about research:

• What projects are on your research horizon? What studies are underway, and what’s still being planned for the future?
• What do you like about research? What do you dislike about research?
• What do you need to do your research (e.g., lab space, staff support, participant populations)?
• How do you involve students in your research? [predictably important at teaching schools]
• How would you develop your research program here? How could/would you involve students as you develop your program of study?
• Are you willing to seek external funding to support your research? [predictably more important at research-oriented institutions, but I've also had this question for positions with heavier teaching loads]

Service. I don’t know if questions about service are ever asked. I’ve never experienced them, although I do tend to mention it when answering questions about balancing my time.

What else to expect. Expect to feel nervous before and during the phone call, and to feel like you’re either talking too much or talking too little. This is normal. It’s hard to read people’s reactions when you can’t see them, and this can increase your anxiety level. Expect to remember important details or questions after you’ve ended the call. Expect that there will be awkward silences and pauses in the conversation, and don’t freak out about them.

Search committees will expect you to have questions about the program, position, etc. It’s best to prepare questions in advance. Make these count, and write them down so you can’t forget! I like to ask about what the students are like, and how many students are in various class sections. If they haven’t mentioned the teaching load already, it’s good to ask about it! Service expectations, too.

I don’t ask about salary, but the search committee has voluntarily told me the base salary during my last two phone interviews.

The final question should always be about their decision timeline, if they haven’t told you about it already.

Expect the unexpected. Don’t expect that you’ll get warning about phone interviews, or that search committees will contact you via email to set up a time in advance. Some really like to surprise candidates by calling out of the blue. In fact, this happened to one of my colleagues just a few days ago. If you provide them with your home and office phone numbers, they will feel free to make unscheduled daytime calls to your office number, and surprise evening calls to your home number. It’s best to avoid picking up the phone if you are not prepared. It’s a good idea to have and use caller ID at home. It’s also acceptable to tell the caller that you’re in the middle of a task and would be happy to call them back in 15-20 minutes. This will give you a chance to prepare if you haven’t already.

Closing suggestions. Just a few final thoughts…

• Be honest and be yourself. Don’t try to present yourself as what you think the search committee wants for the position. You’re doing yourself and your potential employer a serious disservice.
• Be professional. Don’t bring up anything personal, particularly if it could be cause for discriminatory hiring practices. It makes the search committee uncomfortable, even if it’s not cause for concern. If you’re an academic with ADD, don’t mention that you have it. If you’re married and have 3 kids, refer to yourself as “I,” not “We.” If you strongly desire a family-friendly institution, it can be addressed during an on-site interview.
• Be polite. Don’t interrupt. Thank them for taking the time to talk to you. Use the interviewers’ names if it’s appropriate.
• Be engaged. Refer to things they’ve already said or the program’s official materials when you answer questions. Don’t try to do other stuff while talking to them. Turn off the music, and close your email program. Let your colleagues know that you have a phone interview, and request that they avoid knocking on your (closed) office door during the scheduled time.
• Be confident, but not arrogant. Know that your phone interviewing skills will improve with practice, and that the right job is out there waiting for you.
• Be brief, but give complete answers to their questions.