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Interviewing for Jobs

Jane Grande-Allen, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Bioengineering

Rice University

with grateful acknowledgement of resources from Rice University ADVANCE program

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Overview

Application process Faculty position interviews

General advice Expectations and questions Research presentations Teaching considerations

Note on industry position interviews

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Your Application Packet for a Faculty Position

Cover letter Research experience and plans Teaching experience and philosophy List of referees

dissertation advisor, postdoc supervisor, others

You may be asked for: Reference letters Representative/best manuscripts

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Process for the Department

A search committee selects 3-4 candidates from 50-200 applicants. May need to get entire faculty to agree.

The search committee chair or department chair calls the candidates and schedules visits.

An itinerary is constructed for each candidate. The interview occurs. The chair and search committee re-evaluate the candidates. A

recommendation to the department is composed. The department votes to make an offer. The Dean must sign off. You get the call.

It may take some time to get a formal letter with the offer.

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You Got The Call! Now What?

Congratulations! A committee has judged you as a potential good fit. The interview is your chance to seal the deal.

There are lots of details arranging a visit. Have a calendar at hand.

Visits are usually >1 day Being asked to interview first may be a very good sign.

Are you ready with talks, interview outfits, haircut? If you are fortunate enough to be asked by several institutions to

visit, think carefully about conflicts. Time frame of highly ranked vs. lower ranked departments What if you interview on Jan 8 and get an offer good for two

weeks, and your first choice interview is on Feb 12? (You can only say “yes" once.)

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Start Preparing ASAP!

Putting together your talk is the most important item. Preparation (and practice) are key.

Gear up for interviews with 10-20 faculty Anticipate one-on-one interviews with

Department chair Dean of the School Several senior faculty (and junior faculty) A selection of graduate students

Read everything you can about the department

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Preparing to Meet with Faculty

KNOW EVERYBODY ON YOUR SCHEDULE Focus your attention on the Chair and on key faculty

in your research area. Read CVs carefully and thoroughly. Have relevant questions planned.

The conversation will not just be about your thesis research. How will you complement the department's current work? What new area(s) of expertise will you offer?

Read several papers by these faculty. You can suggest possible collaborations. You can ask probing questions.

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Do Your Homework Read about the institution, the department, and the research

group you would belong to Are there other local institutions where there could be possible

collaborators? Ask ahead as many questions as necessary to prepare an

appropriate-level presentation of your research Ask to meet with people you think will help you evaluate how

good a fit the position is Assistant profs in the department Potential collaborators in the department and other departments Female or minority faculty Graduate students Human resources staff

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Prepare to Ask Questions You do not want to leave after two days uncertain if you would

take the job if offered. You should ask about the tenure process

How many assistant professors have received tenure? Does the department have a strategic plan? Teaching expectations (and load) Research priorities? Publication expectations? External funding expectations

Opportunities for internal, local, or bridge funding? Startup benefits (lab, reduced teaching) Shared equipment? (what are your needs?) Social / collegial interactions?

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“Interview”= entire campus visit

One-on-one meetings Formal presentation(s) Informal meetings and interactions

The interview visit starts when host picks you up at the hotel and ends when host drops you off at the hotel or airport You are on even during dinner on the last day of visit

Bring breath mints!!

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What Should You Expect?

Some faculty will view their role as educating (“selling") you about the department, the university, and the town.

Some faculty will focus on your teaching interests, and curriculum development.

Some faculty will probe your understanding of the “big picture." What directions interest you?

The Dean or Department Chair may ask you “What do you plan to undertake in the next five or ten years?”

Some faculty will ask probing questions about your research.

Have answers ready! Ask for clarification rather than ramble. It is OK to say “I don't know," or qualify your answer.

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Describing Your Research

Prepare to do this in numerous ways Elevator version Past/current research seminar - formal The research you propose to do – less formal

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“Elevator Speech”

In the elevator on you way to your next appointment, you are introduced to Dr. Smith, Associate Dean for Research. Dr. Smith is not in your area so after shaking hands he asks: “So, what do you do?” must have a short speech that describes your research

interest in a compelling way to someone outside your area

Must prepare for this: find someone outside your research area, practice

Start with the handshake Remember it is not a very tall building (key: 1-minute but

compelling) Review: figure out what messages you want to convey

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Past/Current Research Seminar

Plan for no more than 45 minutes Keep track of time and plan for flexibility – have slides

you can skip

Expect questions, at end or within your talk Who is your audience? FIND OUT

Not your professional society meeting, not your lab meeting

Err on side of being more formal Omit explanations of common methods Rule of thirds

Practice your talk before coming to campus

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Your Talk -Step By Step

Good technical presentation: Well organized, clear Outline, Introduction, Main presentation,

Conclusions and Outlook Don’t use formulaic outline – be descriptive!

Keep time! Consider numbering your slides

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Introduction –10 minutes

Get the audience interested and excited: Why is the topic important? What is the background and context?

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Main presentation –30 minutes

What you did: Give enough details to make point, show how important

your work is Keep it simple –OK to leave some details out for clarity

Most important results What they mean Only experts may follow the last 10 minutes of this part

Plan on some flexibility: Watch time and be prepared to skip or add slides to keep

time –decide beforehand what to skip or add

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Conclusions and Outlook –10 minutes

What are the implications? “the new technique I developed could be applied

to reinvestigate this decades-old question” “the long-lasting prediction is confirmed by this

new material I developed” Where is the field going as a result of your

work? What direction is your work going to take

from here?

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The Good Slide(images courtesy of Emilia Morosan)

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The Bad Slide

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Just Plain Ugly!!

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Important Considerations

Clean slides, no typos, large font Don’t use crazy animation or slide transitions Appropriately cite other’s related work,

especially if in the audience Have backup of your presentation If possible check out the room and AV

equipment before talk Beware of “wandering laser pointer”

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More Considerations

Begin by saying, “Good Morning! It’s such a pleasure to be here.”

Face the audience as much as possible Don’t read off slides At the end, say, “Thank You, I’d be happy to

take any questions.”

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PRACTICE!!

Practice talk in front of varied audience (if possible your lab mates, your supervisor, family or friends outside area, undergraduate students) It may be very helpful (and sometimes painful) to

record your talk and then review

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Practice Answering HARD Questions / Comments

Don’t get defensive! “You acknowledge all these collaborators –what

exactly did you do?” “This is a project you started working on as a

postdoc in Prof. X’s group. Will you be continuing this work? How will your work be distinct from that of your postdoc (or graduate) supervisor?”

“Have you any validation for this model?” “Why did you not consider the effects of _____?” “I don’t think that ____ is a good approach.”

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Good Responses to Hard Questions

“That’s a really good question...thank you for asking it.”

“You make a very good point…I have a couple responses…”

“We’ve discussed this question a lot in our research group and here’s what I think…”

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Possible: Seminar on Your Planned Research / Teaching

Audience is more likely just faculty Plan a 30 minute talk since you will have

interruptions What is your big picture goal for your research lab? Go over 3-4 anticipated research projects

Have motivation/aims/strategy well defined for 1-2 projects Think about time frame and personnel to perform this work Where will you submit these proposals for funding?

Teaching capabilities Summarize your teaching experience What existing courses in the department could you teach? What courses would you like to create?

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Sample Teaching Lecture Rare but a possibility, depends on type of school You ought to have your choice of topic Ask questions about expectations Reasonable to plan for mixture of:

Motivation for study of selected topic A fundamental concept behind topic Historical development of topic Explanation and evidence for competing theories Applications – classical and cutting edge Close with questions people are now pursuing about topic

Someone in audience may know this topic well. Don’t let this unnerve you. They are not the students who will be taking the course.

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The Interview is the Whole Visit

The interview does not end with interviews and your talk. Conversations at meals/receptions are just as important. You probably have been incredibly busy with your research and

writing. You may have given up reading the newspaper or watching TV

news.

It is not OK to have nothing to offer on current events. You need a crash course. Pick up a copy of The Economist, TIME, etc.

Be prepared to engage in a conversation about hobbies/activities you enjoy. The total package: what is your favorite movie?

Have at least a couple of conversation starters ready. Re-use questions from earlier if needed.

Obviously, don’t bad-mouth anybody.

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Just Plain Illegal to Ask

The faculty should have been clearly instructed that it is illegal to ask you about Marriage, children, religion, active military service Age, disability, pregnancy, health issues Sexual orientation, criminal record Race, ethnicity, native language

However, if you bring up an issue they are allowed to answer your questions.

Some bonehead may ask anyway Options: answer; decline to answer; answer the intent of

the question as it pertains to the job; ask how question relates to the job requirements

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Pregnant?

Not visibly pregnant Reveal pregnancy after getting offer

Visibly pregnant Best to acknowledge during interview Do HW ahead of time about family policies

Express enthusiasm for family-friendly dept, school, etc.

You may get asked “When would you be available to take this position?” – legitimate question for anyone; better to be honest

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As the Interview Ends

Typically, you will have a final meeting with the Department Chair

“Do you have any last questions?" Don't be disappointed if the signals are ambiguous “We'll be in touch." It is appropriate to express your appreciation of all

the work and time spent on your interview. If someone drives you to the airport, keep the

conversation going. “I was very impressed by the questions the graduate students made..."

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After the Interview

A thank you note to the Department Chair is a good idea.

If you promised Professor X a copy of your paper, be sure to follow through. (Keep notes. You will be completely exhausted by the end

and your memory may blur important details.) Think critically about what you learned during the

interview. If during a later interview, you realize you did not

cover a particular topic, you can contact the Chair. Or maybe you should wait for “the phone call."

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More Academic Search Tips

Tips for a massive academic job search by Ellen Spertus (Mills College). Highly detailed, deals with 2-body problem: http://people.mills.edu/spertus/job-search/job.html

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Note on Non-Faculty Interviews

It is just as important to do your homework ahead of time, to be “on” the entire time, and to follow up afterwards

Headed to an “industry” interview? Review case studies of relevant products and how they

were developed and marketed. Become familiar with product regulations. Dress code for interview – find out from HR. You may still have to give a seminar, but consider

audience! Be prepared for psychological interview questions.

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Psychological Question Examples

What color best describes your personality? How do you define success? What is your dream job? If you won the lottery, what would you do with

the money?

Mainly intended to see how you think on your feet.

Reiterate: don’t bad-mouth anybody.

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Stay Healthy!!

Here’s hoping you have oodles of interviews Travel takes its toll – prepare your own

emergency kit