Interviewing for a Faculty Position

Speed dating would be a cinch compared to the interview process for a faculty position.  The process remains a mystery not only to those outside of academia, but also to most would be faculty members.  Here's how the speed dating for a faculty slot goes....

First there is the blind submission of the personal details. Your CV (the full, long version, NOT a resume) gets sent to the search committee, along with a three page letter espousing your virtues and fit with the position. Letters of recommendation also need to be sent.  Those letters are the stamp of approval from your most prestigious peers.

After the deadline for getting those materials submitted, the search committee might hold a brief teleconference to screen for obvious red flags. Red flags like not knowing the main textbooks in the field, looking for a position that isn't quite the one advertised, or just sounding dumb on the phone.  If you pass that screening, the speed dating is next.

You get flown to the university for wining, dining, grilling, drilling, and a hefty dose of show and tell. The speed dating comes into play as you move through the day, meeting with faculty at the prospective university in groups of one or two for 30-60 minutes. The questions are predictable: what is your research interest, what would you like to teach, how do you feel about this workload, why are you interviewing for this faculty position, and what do you have to offer us that we don't have. Answered. On to the next date.

Somewhere in the middle of all that moving from office to office, time is set aside to give a presentation to the faculty as a whole. The presentation needs to have a wow factor as well as a high rigor factor. Ideally, it ought to also touch on enough of the interests of the faculty to be broadly appealing. I'm not sure I succeeded on these points. But, I enjoyed what I did. That's got to count for something.

One of the the interviewers is, of course, the Dean. Maybe a couple of students will show up for a meeting. Staff from a key project get included. Faculty who are retiring and you would be their replacement have the least interesting questions. Faculty from other departments who are keen to meet you also get some time across the table from me.

At the end comes the dinner. Admittedly, by the time the appetizer comes around, I'm worn out. Even if I really like my dinner guests, it's hard to pay deep attention and act sharp.

Then, like in speed dating, comes the waiting. Will I get chosen and if so, will I choose back? So much in life hinges on first impressions and meeting expectations.