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[Zadie]

Hello All:

A week ago I snagged a phone interview with a university that doesn't do MLA interviews due to lack of funding. Anyway, the ad asked for an expert in my field, I applied, they called, you know the story.

I had to do a conference call with four people, which was their equivalent of an MLA interview, and it sounded as if they were all speaking through a tunnel. Well, wait. One guy didn't speak at all! He just kind of grunted like a caveman. The woman who was questioning me seemed to be sitting far away from the speaker, because I could barely hear her. What I did pick up on is that she seemed cold and mechanical.

None of the faculty members did any active listening at all; there was just dead silence after I answered a question.

The weird thing is, they asked me questions about teaching in an area they knew I had no experience in, but it's an area loosely related to my field of expertise. Although I was prepared to field questions about teaching this subject, I was taken aback by how much of the interview was devoted to this subject and how I'd approach teaching it! They barely asked me about anything else.

Then, although the committee chair told me the interview would be pretty long, she started cutting it off early. (I can imagine all kinds of hand signals going on in that room.) I guess I didn't get the job (wry smile).

I am not too crushed by all of this, because the teaching load was so heavy and because the faculty members were so cold that they could well be miserable to work around. But, I'd like to know if anyone here thinks I blew it, too. Please tell me what your reaction was if you dealt with a similar situation.

[ABD Candidate]

Speaking as someone who is about to begin what you are doing (interviewing), I've made a point of asking many mentors about the telephone-interview process. This includes some chairs who are currently conducting telephone interviews. This is what they've said:

1. First, accept that it is a hard process, sometimes awkward because you cannot see whom you are speaking with, and their reactions to your answers. If there is silence, it could mean anything -- probably something out of your control and awareness.

2. It is up to the person conducting the interview to be professional and keep the process moving. If there is a lag in conversation, the chair can easily interject a transition comment such as, "Do you [the candidate] have anything you'd like to add?" or to the committee, "Does anyone have any follow-up question on this particular topic before we move on?" and then, they should move on.

3. If the search-committee chair acts like an idiot, then dismiss them and keep searching for something, someplace else.

I wonder if it is more the case in your scenario, that they were really seeking a particular type of experience, but it didn't come out in the job description. In any case, the department you applied to sounds like they are not only socially inept, but they are also tremendously unprofessional. You wouldn't want to work with them in any case.

Best of luck to you!

[Pen]

I did a phone interview with five people on the other end, I believe, and I found it disconcerting. I was traveling at the time and so wasn't in my own apartment, so that was difficult (because of noise from others, etc.) The five people were on speakerphone, of course, and so the connection was bad. I think the silence comes because one doesn't have any visual cues whatsoever, so pauses are unnaturally long as you try to determine whether the other speaker has finished, or you jump in too soon because you think they're done and they're not, etc. In general, it's very hard to focus or follow up on questions in a phone interview. And you just can't tell what they're signalling to each other.

So don't worry about it. Just keep thinking positively. Your day will come.

[Andy Asst. Prof.]

I had a phone interview with a regional state university in the Northeast (my first interview!) and it was siginificantly more pleasant than the one you describe. I didn't get that job, but everyone was pleasant, and I got a good feeling about the place from talking to the committee members.

I gather from what you say that you did the best you could under the conditions. Interviewing, especially over the phone, can be trying enough, and it's all the more difficult to try to go through the motions when the other side doesn't seem all that interested.

[Selene]

I’ve had several phone interviews. They are always somewhat awkward, but I like them because the committee gets to focus on my voice and my answers, rather than on my physical appearance (dress, race, hair, grooming, etc.)  

My main complaint with phone interviews is that often some people are interviewed by phone while others are interviewed in person for the same position at the same stage in the process.

This is not a level playing field. People who interview in person invariably make a better impression and advance to the next level of the search. This is an obvious inequality, but search committees continue to do this kind of interview, blaming it on dollars. If you can’t afford to bring all candidates in, then limit your search to a local search.

Did you blow it? Who knows. You never know what the committee is thinking -- especially since you can’t see their facial expressions and body language. In addition, you do not now how many other candidates they have interviewed and how those people performed. One forceful personality from a committee member during deliberations can skew the whole process.

Certainly, always do your best in an interview, but never get your hopes up following one. The process is simply beyond your control.

[Mary McCormick]

I am a local candidate and in few days I am having a phone interview with a local (yes, local) university.

At first I thought it was because people teleconferencing were at home (it is week before Christmas after all), but no, they will all be at the department!

What do you think of this?

Mary McCormick

[Advice for Search Commitees]

When you interview over the phone, periodically remind candidates that you are taking notes. This will go a long way toward explaining the uncomfortable silences between questions.

Ultimately, Zadie, even some human-resources experts (I used to be one) who should know how to make candidates feel comfortable, forget to do the above.

[Dr. D.]

For the last search I chaired, we first interviewed our top picks by phone. Even if the candidate had been local, we would have interviewed them by phone in order to be fair. An invite to campus occurs when we are narrowing the field and not before. Think about it this way: What if you were a distant candidate and you (and several others were interviewed by phone), but you heard that one candidate had interviewed in person? What would you think?

[Asst. Prof. James]

We are currently in the process of interviewing candidates by phone. For what it's worth, here are some tips for candidates:

Don't worry about the awkward pauses, we all understand the dynamics of a phone interview, and many of us have been through them. If you are unsure if you answered a question to the committee's satisfaction, then simply ask, "Did I answer that completely? Would you like me to go into more detail?" Don't do this for every question though.

Enthusiasm is not filtered out through telephone lines -- it comes through loud and clear. Be engaging and make the conversation as far from rigid as possible.

Some have said that getting dressed in your interview clothes helps tremendously. If it provides you the right interview "feeling" then do it.

Visit the university's and the department's Web site -- learn everything you can! And do so many times before the interview. Immerse yourself: Know the courses, the faculty, the student body, etc.

More times than not the very last question will be, "So, do you have any questions for us?" You can kiss the position goodbye if you have nothing to ask. Remember a search is a two-way street: Do we want you? Do you want us? Ask about proposing new courses, how many students are typically involved in research, where do most of the students go after graduation, etc. You should have a page full of these questions, many of which will be answered throughout the earlier stages of the phone interview. But when you near the end you should have a select number of choice questions that convey to us that you have plans and a vision you would like to implement/contribute to the department.

Hope this helps someone ... .

[Shall remain nameless]

Well Zadie, I just had two phone interviews, both in early  morning hours this week. I think I have had about two per year in the last few years both for academic and executive positions that I thought I'd try for (even though my academic background seemed to be a negative point). They are very difficult indeed, in terms of the candidate's inability to obtain a real impression of the committee, or the setting  and conditions one might be working under, and I assume vice-versa, since in a day-long or two-day interview, there is so much more time for the committee, and others (administrators, sometimes students) to form an impression of a candidate.

The one positive note -- as someone echoed -- was that they could not see me. No suit, no blowdryer, no makeup. This particular week I'd been sick too, so it was good that no one could see the dark circles.  

I thought both of my interviews went well, but I am never perfect -- I doubt that anyone is. One committee asked me to ask questions first, and I inquired about their campus, students, environment -- all the things that I could not see -- and I suppose that took up too much time. I flubbed one question in the other interview because I should simply have responded, "I don't know," but I was trying to show how quick I am on my feet -- a mistake.    

The executive-type positions typically ask two to three very difficult questions, such as What should our top three (top five) priorities be? or How would you revise what we are doing (which really requires a good degree of knowledge of their performance)? In this case, I did know quite a lot about this particular employer's work and track record.   But I don't know what their own internal assessments are.  

The speakerphone in one interview was exactly as you describe; I could hardly hear the other people in the room beyond the committee head. I've learned not to assume that anyone is "cold" over the telephone as there are different vocal conventions, and they may simply be a bit nervous, or concerned about time. Feedback doesn't occur, as they are watching each other, or taking notes.    

I suspect that your committee has some kind of problem with the job definition. If it is in your field, but they are asking you about a related one, then probably they want someone who can teach courses in both areas, or there is an "and/or" in their description.

[Pippin]

Local candidates are interviewed over the phone to level the playing field. This is a humane and ethical procedure on the part of the institution, and you should be glad they are going to such trouble to ensure that all candidates are treated the same.

[History Job Candidate]

Several months ago, I interviewed for a one-year position. I had made the top three, and they were going to hire based solely on the interview. I prepared well! I nailed the interview and could find nothing wrong with my performance.  After, ahem, not getting the job, I wrote and asked what I had done wrong/could have done better. Among other  things, I was told that I look very good on paper and interview "very well."

So who knows if you blew it, or if it even matters. Just keep trying. My next interview is in January.  

Good luck.