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Ph.D. INTERVIEW PREPARATION GUIDE
FOR POSITIONS IN ACADEMIA
By Trina Sego and Jef I. Richards
WHAT THEY ARE LOOKING FOR
There is no way to know specifically what a given faculty member looks f
or when interviewing a job candidate. It will vary tremendously from per
son to person. However, there are a few things that are common to the ob
jectives of many faculty members:
* Someone who will fit in with the current facult | o****l
发帖数: 1910 | 2 在www下不容易看到这个
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http://advertising.utexas.edu/JR/InterviewPrep.html
Ph.D. INTERVIEW PREPARATION GUIDE
FOR POSITIONS IN ACADEMIA
By Trina Sego and Jef I. Richards
WHAT THEY ARE LOOKING FOR
There is no way to know specifically what a given faculty member looks f
or when interviewing a job candidate. It will vary tremendously from per
son to person. However, there are a few things that are common to the ob
jectives of many faculty members:
* Someone who will fit in with the current faculty. This means, esse
ntially, someone who has goals and attitudes that are compatible with ot
her members of that faculty. Of course, this also includes general perso
nality. People like to hire someone they would enjoy having around. They
don't want someone who is unpleasant to be around, since they may see t
hem daily.
* Someone who has a proven track record. This is an ideal that is no
t always possible to meet, but if you have teaching experience, have pre
sented papers at conferences, have relevant industry experience, and hav
e published one or more papers, each of these will help you to get an in
terview. Then, you can expect much of your interview to focus on these i
tems, as faculty members try to determine whether those experiences are
valuable and legitimate.
* Someone who is ambitious. Few faculty members want to hire someone
who is lazy. The harder you work, the more you will contribute to their
program.
* Someone who will stay for several years. Hiring new faculty is a t
ime-consuming and tiring process, so no one wants to hire a person who w
ill leave after only 1 or 2 years. In addition, much of a faculty member
's value to a department comes only after a few years experience, so the
y don't want to lose you before you make you greatest contributions.
* Someone who can excel at both teaching and research. Even programs
that place greater weight on one than the other tend to want faculty wh
o can do both.
* Someone who is interested in both teaching and research. In other
words, you don't want to talk about one to the exclusion of the other.
* Someone who is intelligent and adaptable. If another faculty membe
r becomes ill or leaves, it is important to have others who can step in
and cover their classes, even if those classes are not in your area of e
xpertise.
* Someone who has depth (particular expertise) as well as breadth (g
eneral knowledge of the field). Your depth, typically, is in the area of
your dissertation. But you must know more than just that one area (e.g.
, media). Some faculty members may even ask questions designed to determ
ine whether you have knowledge/interests outside of the field.
* Someone who has a solid education. For example, faculty who are qu
antitatively oriented may quiz you about statistics and research methods
to ensure that you have sufficient expertise in those areas to do publi
shable research.
WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT
Although there are some variations in the hiring process, it is fairly s
tandardized. The following should give you an idea of what to expect.
* You must apply to programs by submitting your curriculum vitae (re
sumé) and probably 3 letters of recommendation. Apply to several, and d
on't exclude schools that you think you probably wouldn't like, because
you may be surprised. On the other hand, if you are certain you would no
t accept an offer from a particular school, don't waste their time by ap
plying.
* Most programs will receive several applications, then they will so
rt through them looking for candidates that seem to meet their particula
r needs.
* If they decide to interview you, you will receive a call from some
one -- usually the department chair or search committee chair -- invitin
g you for a visit.
* You will probably be asked to pay for everything, and then to subm
it your receipts to them for reimbursement. This means that you'd better
save room on your credit card, because you may need to pay for airfare
and hotel for every one of your interviews. And it is not uncommon for a
school to take a month or more to reimburse you. This mean that if you
have four interviews in the same month, you may need enough credit to pa
y for all of them before you receive reimbursement from the first one.
* They probably will send you an itinerary, showing your schedule fo
r the visit. Expect a very full schedule. Usually you are invited for 1
or 1 1/2 days of interviewing, and you'll have something scheduled virtu
ally every minute of that time.
* Even your meals will likely be with faculty members who are, eithe
r formally or informally, interviewing you.
* Someone -- either a faculty member or a graduate student -- probab
ly will pick you up at the airport and escort you to your hotel. During
the ride they may informally interview you.
* One of your appointments will normally be with the Dean of the col
lege in which you interview.
* You will be interviewed by most, if not all, of the faculty in the
department, probably one at a time. We usually schedule at least 30 min
utes with each faculty member.
* If there is someone outside that department you'd like to meet (e.
g., because you might be able to do some joint research with them), be s
ure to tell your contact (e.g., the department chair) in the weeks befor
e you go for your interview. Don't wait until the last minute.
* In most instances you will be required to make a presentation of y
our research (usually your dissertation research). This may be a present
ation to all of the faculty, or it may even be open to others who want t
o hear it.
* Some schools ask candidates to teach a class in lieu of, or in add
ition to, the research presentation.
HOW TO PREPARE
There are a few steps you can take in preparation for your interviews:
* When candidates interview with our own faculty, attend their prese
ntation. This is the single most valuable step you can take in preparati
on for your own interview, because you can see what they do right/wrong
and the questions that are asked.
* Try to make significant progress on your dissertation before you b
egin interviewing. A candidate who is farther along is almost always mor
e impressive. If you are in the proposal stage and you are competing aga
inst someone who already has collected their data, you are at an inheren
t disadvantage.
* Attend conferences, such as the AAA, AEJMC, and ICA conference, an
d get to know people. Even if you have a couple of years before you star
t searching for your job, people may take notice of you and watch your p
rogress with an eye toward hiring you.
* Go through the interviewing process at those conferences.
* Go through the interviewing process at the AMA Summer Educator's C
onference, whether or not you desire a job in a marketing department. Th
is is excellent practice, some ad programs do interview candidates there
, and you might find a position that really interests you.
* Prepare your presentation carefully.
- Find out how long you will have. I common length of time is one
hour, but that includes time for questions. Consequently, your presentat
ion might be 30 - 40 minutes. Your contact (e.g., the department chair)
should be able to give you some idea how long it should be.
- Plan it so it won't go over the allotted time. Bad planning can
result in people not being able to ask the questions they want, or even
missing something that could help to convince them to hire you.
- Make it easy to understand. Remember that you (should) know the
subject matter of your dissertation better than anyone else, so don't as
sume that your audience will know everything you do about the topic. Def
ine your terms, explain the basics of the theoretical basis of your stud
y, show them what previous researchers have found, and how your study ad
ds to that knowledge. Make it simple, but not condescending.
- Spend more time on what you are doing, than you spend discussing
what has been done in the past.
- In only 30 minutes you can't possibly cover everything that is i
n your dissertation, so remember that what you are presenting is a summa
ry. Hit only the high points.
- Be specific. Give plenty of detail about your sampling, question
naires, experimental design, analytical methods, etc.
- Use plenty of visuals, and keep them clear and simple. Put all o
f your key points on visuals, along with any charts, etc., that will hel
p them to understand what you are doing. If you will need certain equipm
ent, such as a slide projector or videotape machine, be sure to let them
know well in advance.
- Know exactly what you intend to say, and when you will say it. H
ave your presentation absolutely organized. Don't try to handle it on th
e fly. A disorganized or awkward organization is not impressive.
- Know precisely how you will handle your visuals, and when you wi
ll show them. Again, you want to avoid the appearance of being disorgani
zed.
- Practice, practice, practice. This should be the smoothest lectu
re you've ever given. Faculty members will be watching your presentation
with an eye toward assessing your ability to teach.
* Give a brown bag presentation of your lecture here, before you do
it at any other school. This not only will allow you some additional pra
ctice, it will permit you to obtain some feedback from a "friendly" audi
ence. You may find that you want to make a few adjustments as a result o
f that feedback.
* Read through -- and think about -- each of the questions outlined
in the next sections, before you go on your first interview.
SOME QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD EXPECT
It is not uncommon for candidates seeking faculty positions to be asked
any or all of the questions listed below. Think about each of these befo
re you go to your first interview, so you will be prepared with a cogent
and appropriate answer.
* Why do you want to come to [this school]?
* Tell me about your dissertation.
* How far along is your dissertation?
* When do you expect to defend your dissertation?
* What classes do you like to teach?
* What are the strengths/weaknesses of you Ph.D. program?
* What do you think of our curriculum?
* Do you know, or what do you think of, [a specific professor at U.T
.]?
* What do you think of qualitative/quantitative research?
* Tell me about your teaching techniques (e.g., group projects, case
method, etc.).
* How would you teach [a specific class, e.g., media]?
* Are you interested in working with the Ad Club (or taking a team t
o the AAF Competition)?
* What specific ideas do you have for improving our Ad Club?
* What do you think of "Integrated Marketing Communications" (or Int
eractive Media, or any current "hot" topic)?
* What is your favorite lecture, and why?
* What research do you want to do in the next 5 years?
* In what journals do you expect to publish?
* Tell me about your industry experience (if you have any)? How woul
d you bring that industry experience to the classroom?
* How important do you feel industry experience is for an advertisin
g professor?
* If you have no industry experience: How do you expect to be able t
o teach students about the field if you've never worked in it?
* What is your favorite theory or theorist?
* What do you consider your teaching strengths/weaknesses?
* What do you consider your research strengths/weaknesses?
In addition, you should expect questions about anything and everything o
n your curriculum vitae. And it is quite common to get the same type of
interview questions that you might when seeking any type of job, such as
"What is the last book you read for fun?" or "What are your hobbies?"
SOME QUESTIONS YOU CAN (OR SHOULD) ASK
You will be meeting many different people, and will need to be prepared
to ask intelligent questions of each of them. The following are some ide
as of what you can or, in some cases, should ask. They are roughly categ
orized to give you an idea of whom you might ask them. In addition, of c
ourse, as you progress through the interview you should constantly try t
o develop additional questions based upon what you see or hear.
Search Committee Chair, your contact person, or whoever picks you up at
the airport
* What are you looking for in filling this position? (i.e., what qua
lifications?)
* Do other faculty members have different expectations/desires regar
ding what they are looking for?
* Are there any "land mines" of which I should be aware? [E.g., any
topics to avoid discussing, any faculty members who might be difficult .
...]
* What courses are most/least in need of instructors?
* Is there anything I should expect when talking to the Dean? To the
Chair?
Dean of College
* How much interaction will an assistant professor have with the Dea
n?
* What research funds are available at different levels of the unive
rsity?
* Tell me about the health plan.
* Tell me about the retirement plan.
* Is this position fully funded (or might it disappear before anyone
is hired)?
* What are the most dramatic changes you expect for the college in t
he next 5 years? How about 10 years?
* Where do you expect the advertising department/program to be in 5
years? 10 years?
* What is the financial state of the college? Of the department?
* How is tenure approved at different levels of the university admin
istration?
* Is there an annual review of performance for assistant professors,
so they know whether or not they are making adequate progress toward te
nure?
* As Dean, you are in the position to see many tenure decisions. Wha
t practical advice would you give to a new assistant professor about sec
uring tenure?
* How might you describe the advertising department/program to a fel
low administrator? [I.e., try to assess their attitudes toward the progr
am.]
Department Chair and Senior Faculty
* When does the faculty meet as a group, and for what reasons do the
y meet?
* What is the teaching load? Will it change over time?
* How many new preps can I expect in the first 3 years?
* How large are the classes? [Ask about specific classes.]
* Do faculty have any input as to when and where their classes meet?
* Is there any teaching relief for service activities such as Ad Clu
b, directing theses and independent studies, etc.?
* Who makes teaching assignments, and how is that done?
* Is there a sabbatical system? How does it work?
* Are there opportunities to develop new courses?
* Do assistant professors teach graduate courses?
* Which courses are in greatest demand by faculty?
* For which courses does the department have the hardest time findin
g instructors?
* How are graduate student applications evaluated? [Follow up with o
ther questions about the grad program, if any, such as how many grad stu
dents come from the department's own undergrad program.]
* Where are your undergrad students usually placed? Your grad studen
ts?
* What are the strengths/weaknesses of the department?
* What, in particular, are you looking for in filling this position?
Are there different agendas within the faculty?
* What are the most dramatic changes you predict for the department
in the next 5 years? 10 years?
* What kind of summer support is available? [Be sure to find out how
it is calculated. Some schools offer 1/6 of salary for teaching a summe
r class, while others offer 1/9. And, summer teaching may be available o
nly upon a seniority basis.]
* What does it usually take to obtain tenure (e.g., number of public
ations)? [Ask specifics about the process, e.g., "A" vs. "B" journals, e
xternal reviewers, number of years before you can go up for tenure, bala
nce of teaching vs. research vs. service.]
* What are your expectations for tenure?
* Who was the last person to go up for tenure, and what happened?
* What is the role of part-time, adjunct instructors/professors?
* What is the relationship between sub disciplines (e.g., speech & j
ournalism)?
* How much interaction is there between advertising professors and [
journalism, marketing, PR, etc.] professors?
* How does being housed in [this college or department] affect the a
dvertising program's mission?
* What travel money is available?
* Are there set limits on such things as phone calls, Xerox copies,
etc., that can be done by a professor?
* How is teaching evaluated? [E.g., student evaluations, peer review
s, etc.]
* Especially if you're a woman: Who is the highest ranking woman in
the department/college/university?
* Who is the highest ranking minority in the department/college/univ
ersity?
* How active is the Ad Club? What involvement do faculty have?
* In what competitions do students compete? [E.g., AAF's NSAC, One C
lub, Direct Marketing Assoc., Yellow Pages, etc.]
* Who does advising for undergrad/grad students?
* How many grad/undergrad students are enrolled in the program? Is t
his number increasing or decreasing?
* Ask about specific courses, e.g., how they're taught, prerequisite
s, etc.
* What is the financial outlook for the department/program?
* How are raises determined? [e.g., merit, cost of living, do less a
ctive people get the same raises, etc.]
* What would you like your new hire to teach during their first seme
ster here?
* Are there an labs for experimental research, or phone banks for su
rvey research? [More specifics on research facilities?]
* In what areas do you consider this department to be a leader?
* What research are you doing?
Junior Faculty
* Ask about parking, postage, photocopies, computers, software, long
-distance telephone charges, and office space.
* What classes did you teach in the last year? How many students wer
e in each? How many preps? How much influence did you have regarding whi
ch classes you taught and when?
* How is your teaching evaluated?
* How are you expected to spend your summers?
* What support do you receive for your classes? [E.g., TA support, A
V support, availability of videos, secretarial support, teaching trainin
g, faculty advise/assistance, supplies, etc.]
* Is there any formal mentoring system for new faculty?
* What support do you receive for research? [E.g., RA support, photo
copies, postage, teaching release, secretarial support, computer & stati
stical consulting, grants, etc.]
* Is there a distinction made between "skills" courses and others?
* Do you like living in this city/town?
* Are you satisfied with your benefits? [E.g., health, retirement]
* What do you consider to be the strengths/weaknesses of the departm
ent?
* What is your greatest frustration with your job?
* What is your opinion regarding the quality of undergrad/grad stude
nts here?
* To what extent do faculty members socialize with one another?
* Where and with whom do you usually eat lunch?
* What service are you involved in?
* What are the expectations regarding service? [Including university
service, community service & professional service.]
* Do you find the journals you need are available in the library? [O
ther specifics about the library and research materials?]
* When you teach a course that has been taught before, or is simulta
neously being taught by someone else, are you encouraged to depart from
the previous syllabus? Do you independently select the text used?
* Is consulting encouraged or discouraged?
* How many office hours are required for every hour in the classroom
?
Graduate Students
* How do you address faculty members? [E.g., "Dr.," "Professor," fir
st name, ....]
* What kind of support do you get from faculty? [E.g., reading & com
menting on your work, research collaboration, helping to secure funding,
etc.]
* Are you working with anyone in particular? Do you co-author papers
together?
* Which professor serves on the most graduate student committees?
* Do you have more class contact with some professors than others?
* Where do you go when you have questions about research methods? Ab
out theoretical issues? About industry issues? About teaching?
* Do graduate students get travel funds?
* Do graduate students and faculty socialize with one another? When?
[E.g., eat lunch together, do faculty socialize with particular grad st
udents or as a group?]
* Why did you choose to get your graduate degree at this school?
Faculty Member in Another Department
* You are probably meeting this person because of his/her research i
nterests, so obviously you want to ask them about their research, suppor
t they receive, whether anyone in Advertising seems interested in their
research, etc.
* Do you work with anyone in Advertising? In what capacity? [E.g., r
esearch, committees, team teaching, etc.]
* Would you be interested in collaborating with someone in advertisi
ng who had research interests similar to yours?
* As an outsider, what would you say are the strengths/weaknesses of
the advertising program/department?
* For someone in the same college or school: What is the relationshi
p between the disciplines?
* For someone in the same college or school: How does being housed i
n [this college or school] affect your program's mission?
Last Meeting with the Chair
* Will you be interviewing other candidates?
* Who will make the decision regarding whom to hire?
* What is your timetable for filling this position?
* At this point you may want to clarify: tenure requirements, teachi
ng requirements, travel money, summer support, computer equipment, etc.
* If you are asked about salary expectations: What salary range has
been established for this position? Aim a little high when you state you
r expectation, and back it up with a good rationale.
SOME QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD NOT ASK (UNTIL LATER)
Generally, avoid discussing salary until they bring it up. Don't try to
negotiate your salary when you don't yet have an offer. Not only is it t
acky, they may have one amount in mind before you arrive, and that amoun
t may change as they learn more about your value to their program. Conse
quently, unless they specifically ask you about salary or make you an of
fer, save those questions. It may be that you won't get an offer until w
eeks later. You can ask the following questions at that time:
* Always thank them for the offer, even if you're not interested.
* Clarify teaching load for the first year.
* What kind of computer hardware/software and office space can I exp
ect? [Ask for the best, then negotiate down if necessary. You probably w
on't get another computer for years.]
* Will moving expenses of your new hire be covered? [Probably not! G
enerally, universities only pay moving expenses for high level positions
(e.g., Chairs).]
* In some cases you may want to ask for something special. For examp
le, if you do experimental research, you may want to try and negotiate f
or laboratory space and equipment.
* Is there any summer research support available for a new hire? [Tr
y to get at least the first summer paid, without teaching, so you can ge
t your research program moving.]
* How much time do I have to decide? [You should get 2 - 4 weeks. Wh
atever you do, don't accept their offer on the spot. Give yourself some
time to think about it, and to check other places you have interviewed,
to see if they intend to extend an offer to you.]
* If salary is lower than expected, say: I am very excited about the
prospect of coming to work here, but I am a little disappointed about t
he salary. Is this still open to negotiation?
* If you already have another offer, and it's higher, be sure to tel
l them. They may be able to go back to their Dean and get more, using yo
ur other offer as leverage.
* Make the best deal you can, because you will never again be in a b
argaining position unless you have offers to move to another school.
If you decline the offer, be diplomatic. Never burn your bridges.
Express appreciation for the confidence in you as a candidate, and say s
omething positive about the department. Focus on your personal reasons f
or declining the offer.
GENERAL ADVICE
* Perhaps it goes without saying, but show a definite interest in ea
ch of these people and in the research/teaching/projects they are doing.
People tend to be more positively disposed to someone who is interested
in their work than someone who shows no interest in it. Where possible,
point out how their work might dovetail with your own, and how there mi
ght be an opportunity for joint research later.
* Show a sincere interest in their program/department. I've seen can
didates come to our Advertising Department to interview, and all they ta
lk about is their research & teaching of journalism classes, without eve
r mentioning how that experience would transfer to, or benefit, our depa
rtment. They seemed to forget what department they were in! If you're no
t really interested in their program, don't interview there.
* Mention ways that you could see yourself contributing to their cur
rent efforts. Talk as if you could see yourself working there, to help t
hem visualize you working there.
* Tact! Remember that different faculty members have different opini
ons and agendas. For example, some feel that classes should focus on giv
ing students useful skills, while others feel classes should help studen
ts learn to think without any need to teach them practical skills. Be ho
nest, but don't unnecessarily offend.
* Think before you answer a question.
* Be a good listener. Don't talk when someone else is talking.
* Don't call a faculty member by their first name unless they invite
you to do so.
* Be confident and show your knowledge, but avoid arrogance.
* Be nice ... to everyone.
1995 Trina Sego and Jef I. Richards | L******9
发帖数: 866 | | b**********o
发帖数: 94 | |
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