This is a collection of interview questions that I or others have been asked in job interviews followed by some other ideas on how to interview well.

Interview process

Usually you arrive in the late afternoon or early evening. Someone will pick you up. You will most likely have dinner with some or all of the search committee. The dinner may or may not be followed by a tour of the area or a brief interview. The next day, you will be expected to present a seminar. This can be in the form of a lecture or a seminar on your work, it just depends on the school. Hopefully, they schedule it early in the day so you can get it over with but that is not always the case. Usually, the seminar is open to any interested students and faculty. You will meet individually with various members of the search committee for ½ hour to an hour each. You will also meet with a dean that will explain the benefits, etc. Often you will have lunch with students. You will most likely be given a tour of the campus and possibly the surrounding area. You will (usually) leave within 24 hours from the time you arrived.

Questions that I or others have been asked:

Describe your resume/teaching experience. (This is usually to get you talking and for them to assess how you view yourself. BE POSITIVE!) Describe your approach to teaching/teaching philosophy. HOW will you teach what you teach? (This is very important at most places!!!!) What do you expect from this position? What are your professional goals? What courses could you teach? Would you feel comfortable teaching a variety of courses? They may describe courses you would teach and ask you what topics you would cover in those courses/labs. Why do you want to teach (and not pursue research at a large university)? (If appropriate) Why do you want to teach at a small school? (or at THIS specific school?) Compare/contrast THIS school to where you went. What are your best/worst qualities as a teacher? How would you characterize the kind of teacher you are/want to be? Who - if anyone- would you model your teaching after? What impressed/depressed you most about your interview here at XXX college/university? What textbook would you use for (blank) class? Why? What kinds of exams would you write? How would you assess whether students are learning in the lab? How will you evaluate yourself as a teacher? What would you do if you received very bad evaluations? If you were to teach a course in your specialty, describe what format (i.e. lecture, lab, seminar) you would use and what you would cover. They may also give you a "scenario" (many students fail an exam, you catch someone cheating, etc.) and ask you how you would handle the situation.

I had prepared sample syllabi for courses that they expected me to teach including ideas for labs if appropriate. I had a research proposal ready, including specific projects, how long they will take, what equipment is needed, what supplies are needed and how much space/money you will need to accomplish these projects.

Be sure to ask questions of all people that you talk to during your interview. It impresses them and there are a lot of things that you can tell just by how people answer your questions.

Questions that you should ask:

What is expected for tenure (if appropriate)? How much of their decision for tenure is based on teaching (evaluations), research (do you have to publish?) and other scholarly activity (what types of activities are included here)? Is the department chair involved with the new faculty? Will s/he evaluate your progress at regular intervals so you are always aware of how you stand? How involved are you expected to be in the college as a whole (i.e. committees, etc.)? Are there certain methods of grading that everyone is required to follow? How much input do you have in designing the courses/labs? Will you have TA's or student help to set up labs or grade papers? What is the average size of a class?

I think that it is important to ask everyone questions like: Are you happy here? Does the administration respect everyone? Does everyone get along?

Try to meet with students so that you can get a feel for the type of student that is at that school. Most small schools have students involved in the hiring process and will typically have them take you to lunch. You should also ask the students what they think of the department and the faculty. You can learn a lot by talking to the students (they have nothing to hide).

Find out what they expect you to teach and how that fits into their curriculum.

Check out their library (what journals do they get?) and their labs (what sort of equipment do they have?)

Check ahead of time to see if any of the faculty have published recently and possibly look up their papers.

Find out about student biology organizations such as Tri-Beta. These associations provide students an opportunity to present their research at Tri-Beta meetings or to publish it in their journal.

Find out exactly what is included in the start-up package (this will depend a great deal on the type of teaching position). Every place that I interviewed provides an office and a computer and some minimal lab space (may be part of a prep room or part of a teaching lab).

You also may run into a situation where they ask personal questions (i.e. marital status, religion, etc.). I believe that you are not required to answer any of these types of questions. But you may want to try and figure out their motivation for asking such questions and decide if you would want to work for a place that values such things. As far as providing that sort of information, you can certainly do so, especially if it is important to taking the job. (i.e. Your significant other will need to find a job too, you are planning to start a family and want to know about pregnancy leave policies, etc.) You will have to play it by ear.

Keep in mind that they are looking for someone that will work well with/in the environment (faculty, students, facilities, etc.). You want to be professional but not forced. It is not useful to worry about whether they will "like" you. You would not want to take a job where you could not be yourself. The interview is the time for both sides to see whether you mesh with the department.

What I have found is that for the most part, they are really trying to impress you with their school/program. If you have made it to in the interview, they are probably already impressed with your credentials and the interview gives them a chance to "show off" their program to you to try and attract you to come. Most people who teach, especially at small schools are very proud of their departments and are looking for someone who will "fit in" with their faculty and students. Take everything in and try to imagine yourself at that place, then you can decide whether you think that you could be happy there.

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