A few months ago, I wrote about creating a well-crafted résumé for development jobs. Let’s assume you followed my edicts, foisted your revised résumé upon an unsuspecting search committee, and managed to impress the members so much that they called you for an interview. Now what?
Wait ... don’t hang up that phone so quickly. When the interview offer comes, be sure to ask the caller for some background information. Request the college’s latest annual report, an alumni magazine, and a campaign brochure, if applicable. You might also inquire about a full job description and an organizational chart. What’s more, determine who will be interviewing you and what the schedule will be. Remember to get titles as well as names. And ask your caller to send you via e-mail a confirmation of your interview schedule and, if necessary, directions to campus.
To complement this information, do a little snooping, Web-style. Search the institution’s Web site to learn what you can about people and programs, history and traditions. Visit the communications or public-affairs page to get the latest campus news. Read recent press releases to learn about key academic and administrative appointments; you might find something noteworthy about your interviewers. Certainly go to the development-office page and read about the latest gifts and, perhaps, the capital campaign. Sniff around and begin to formulate questions.
What is the point of all this furtive Web hunting? To quote Francis Bacon, “Knowledge is power.” The more you know about the institution and the people who constitute it -- including your interviewers -- the more equipped you are to have an informed conversation. So don’t limit your comments to acknowledging the law school’s good reputation; be prepared to discuss recent campus events and developments.
The day of the interview, arrive on campus early and take the opportunity to walk around and get a feel for the place. Remember that while you’re being interviewed you are, at the same time, conducting your own interview. Both sides are determining if this job, this institution, and you match. Along your travels, find a copy of that day’s or week’s student newspaper -- it’s good for all kinds of tidbits to break the ice and make for lively chitchat.
Now, finally, with extra résumés in hand and dozens of facts and figures swirling in your head to match the butterflies fluttering in your stomach, you’re ready for the interview. So fix your hair, check your clothes, lose the gum, and head on in.
Of course, if you’re properly prepared, you’ll know what to expect before you enter. Will you be meeting with a group of people all at once or several people in succession? The dynamics, naturally, vary considerably. I’ve had interviews under both scenarios and prefer the group setting. As daunting as facing seven people across a table might seem, I find it less taxing than shuffling from one office to the next answering the same questions again and again.
That said, group interviews can be a bit awkward if not orchestrated well. I once interviewed at a major research university with eight people simultaneously. Upon my entrance, they told me they had 20 questions for me to answer and took turns posing queries, numbering them as they went (“Question No. 11: You enjoying this torture so far?”). Other such situations have been less structured and more conversational, allowing for a natural give and take. If you do find yourself in a group interview, remember to make good eye contact with each member at some point. You’ll make it a more personal experience for everyone involved.
Once you’re settled in your seat, you’ll likely first encounter the obligatory, “Tell us a little about yourself.” Take this opportunity to move beyond what’s on your résumé; your interviewers have either already read it or are reviewing it while you speak. Go into more detail. Answer any obvious questions, such as why you left a job after only one year or were out of work for three months. You might even offer reasons why you left each job you’ve held. Talk about your accomplishments using specific examples: fund-raising goals surpassed, new populations cultivated, special events thrown, promotions earned. Be careful not to denigrate former bosses or colleagues; your audience will consider themselves likely future targets.
At some point you’ll invariably face two standard questions. The first goes something like this: “Can you tell us about a couple of significant gifts you’ve brought in and your specific role in the process?” Interviewers might find you an affable chap, perfectly at ease talking development shop, but they will eventually get down to business and ask about your fund-raising successes. Choose examples -- the more recent, the better -- that demonstrate your leadership qualities as well as your ability to manage others in a solicitation process. Did you work with a dean or the provost? Did you coordinate a complex “ask” -- fund-raiser parlance for a gift solicitation -- between the major-gifts and planned-giving offices? Did you convene a faculty committee to create a new program and craft a successful grant proposal?
Share credit where it’s due, but make it clear that you steered the process and landed the gift. Add some detail about how you’ve stewarded donors and perhaps garnered publicity for them by working with the communications staff. Be mindful, at the same time, about privacy and anonymity, even if the gift is public knowledge.
The second standard question follows this theme: “What attracts you to our institution?” Now, I’ve heard some strange answers to this one over the years. People I’ve interviewed have touted programs or facilities we don’t have. (“I’ve always wanted to earn my M.F.A. in poetry.” Really? Well, Lady Luck’s not smiling on you today because we don’t offer one.) They’ve cited our favorable proximity to a city that’s hours away and not the least bit desirable anyway. Or they’ve been just plain strange (“I had a cousin in this area a long time ago”).
Here again, if you’ve done your homework, you’ll have a ready answer. Talk about the nature of the institution -- your preference for liberal-arts colleges or expansive research universities. Highlight its physical setting (e.g., rural, urban) and suggest why you prefer it. If the college has a distinct mission, curriculum, or student population, say why that attracts you. Whatever your answer, make it relevant and personal.
Finally, when the conversation lands on your turn to ask questions, never say you have none. Refusing that opportunity implies you’re not interested enough, not creative enough, not spontaneous enough, or not knowledgeable enough to formulate good questions. If your preconceived questions were answered during the discussion, make up new ones. Who would be your boss? Presumably that person is part of the interviewing team, but not always, especially during a first-round interview. Who was in the position before you? How long was that person’s tenure? Was it successful? What are the department’s goals for the current year? What expectations do they have for the new hire? What about your experience made them conclude that you are a potential good fit?
Ask about next steps. How many candidates are they interviewing? Are they bringing in many people, anticipating subsequent rounds, or are you already a finalist? How long do they expect to take, and when should you next hear from them? What’s their target hire date? If you’re currently employed, you’ll want to keep in mind a notice of at least two weeks. Tell them that. Don’t say you can start Monday. Also, ask to see your prospective office. Can you picture yourself happy there?
And if you don’t know already, ask about salary. Some people feel awkward talking about salary, but if it’s not posted, you have every right to inquire about a range or minimum. Again, assuming you’re interviewing them as much as they’re interviewing you, if the salary doesn’t seem right, you might call it quits right there unless you have extenuating circumstances such as the need to relocate.
If things progress nicely, your interviewers will most likely call your references. But that’s a topic for another column.
Mark J. Drozdowski, director of corporate, foundation, and government relations at Franklin Pierce College in Rindge, N.H., writes a regular column about careers in university fund raising and development.