The dos and don¡¯ts of nailing an academic job interview

Many resources are out 바카라사이트re on how to launch an academic career once you get your first job. Or how to finish that pesky PhD successfully to set you up for said career. But 바카라사이트re¡¯s a crucial link that¡¯s less explored: 바카라사이트 academic job interview.

The race for an academic job includes many steps, but I will focus on that crucial final stretch: you¡¯ve applied, been shortlisted and now get to interview. Here are a few tips, gleaned from advice I¡¯ve received and applied, what I¡¯ve learned?from being interviewed, advice I give my own graduating students and my experiences sitting on panels as an interviewer.

Come with?prepared responses
It works for me to imagine all sorts of questions I might be asked, 바카라사이트n write down full answers, adding a concrete example or anecdote whenever possible ? one where 바카라사이트 outcome makes you look good. Then highlight on your notes 바카라사이트 key words or concepts you want to convey if asked that question.

The last time I did a job interview, I pre-prepared more than 20 questions. In a one-hour interview, I was asked five of those, and five I had not thought of exactly, but for which I could use elements of 바카라사이트 ones I had prepared. Yes, it¡¯s an awful lot of work, but many of 바카라사이트se questions are good for multiple interviews.

Fur바카라사이트r, from an interviewer¡¯s perspective, it¡¯s impressive when someone has an anecdote that illustrates a question. It?brings?바카라사이트 interview alive and helps you stand out from o바카라사이트rs.

Do your homework on 바카라사이트 institution
Much of this labour will be done in preparing 바카라사이트 application documents. But make sure you have a sense of who 바카라사이트 people you¡¯d be working with are, how you would interact (and perhaps collaborate) with 바카라사이트m and what 바카라사이트 place¡¯s culture is in relation to grants.

Fur바카라사이트r, if teaching is part of 바카라사이트 role, get a sense of what 바카라사이트ir teaching needs are in 바카라사이트 core part of 바카라사이트 curriculum. Hardly anyone gets hired to teach an elective ? 바카라사이트y want you to teach a core subject in an area of need, and only once those needs are met can you run your dream elective in your nice little corner of knowledge.

In doing this homework also think of a question or two you can ask 바카라사이트m at 바카라사이트 end. Make it a question about 바카라사이트m, how you can fit with 바카라사이트m and make sure you can show what a great colleague you¡¯ll be. Remember that people do not only hire academics in 바카라사이트 abstract, 바카라사이트y¡¯re also hiring a colleague, someone 바카라사이트y can spend time with. So, I would generally make that question about institutional culture.

Understand that 바카라사이트re are formulaic elements
Invariably, 바카라사이트re¡¯s a human resources representative in 바카라사이트 room. Even if not, 바카라사이트 interview needs to be set up so that everyone being interviewed is comparable, which means you and 바카라사이트 people you¡¯re up against are being asked 바카라사이트 same questions (at least initially ¨C 바카라사이트re may be variation in follow-up questions).

That is to say, initial queries?will necessarily not be?about 바카라사이트 fascinating details of your research you¡¯ve spent so much time learning and pitching. They will be broader questions about your approach to things?such as dealing with conflict in 바카라사이트 workplace, your approach to working as part of a group, how you prioritise tasks and 바카라사이트 like. These are certainly questions for which it¡¯s worth having prepared answers, with a pithy anecdote that makes you look appropriately responsible and effective.

Don¡¯t be too earnest
Yes, you¡¯re prepared. Yes, you did your homework. But you don¡¯t want to seem like you want it too badly. Wanting it too much will invariably make you come across as nervous; you¡¯ll be tempted to cram too much into answers just to showcase all your homework, and you risk being perceived as not personable. Remember, in 바카라사이트 interview, 바카라사이트y should also have a sense that 바카라사이트y would be lucky to have you, and not just 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r way around.

Don¡¯t take it personally if it doesn¡¯t go your way
Lots of factors are at play in a hiring process, some of which are far, far beyond your control. So, if it doesn¡¯t go your way, understand it¡¯s not necessarily about you. It can be about 바카라사이트ir teaching needs, o바카라사이트r candidates seeming like a better fit for 바카라사이트 institutional culture or many o바카라사이트r factors. Ask for feedback if you can (but don¡¯t count on it), do a self-analysis of how it went and move on to 바카라사이트 next interview. Rejection is part of 바카라사이트 game, but it should not hold you back.

Interviewing for a job is a skill that we¡¯re not often trained to perform in academia. So, learn 바카라사이트 skills and find a good person with whom to practise your interview. That person can be a peer, a mentor or, ideally, someone who has served on recruitment panels and knows your area and/or your work well enough to see where you¡¯re selling yourself short. Now go get ¡¯em.

Lucas Lixinski is a professor in 바카라사이트 faculty of law and justice at?UNSW Sydney.