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[E.L.]

I have had about 7 community-college interviews and I've noticed that most ask as the last question, "Do you have any questions or anything to add?" My question is, is it better to ask questions or add some sort of summing-up statement? What are they looking for here?

My second question is, how much is the teaching demo worth? Usually it is one question of about 10 or so. Is it about 10%? Are the questions weighted equally?

Finally, my answers to the questions are usually pretty short (around a minute or two). Should I be going into more detail?

Thank you in advance. Any advice on these questions or about interviewing in general is greatly appreciated.

E.L.

[DrInWaiting]

Regarding the "questions to add" part of your question, I have this to say: Yes, by all means ask questions, and to the degree possible, make them relevant to the work of the position. For example, I just had an interview this morning for a director for a center for teaching excellence at a university here in CA. I asked the following, which I had thought of in advance, and actually became part of the questioning process they asked me about through the interview.

They asked me, What is your vision for this center?
My question for them was, What is the genesis of this center and faculty commitment to creating this center?

They asked me, What is the connection between technology and pedagogy? Mine for them was, What is the faculty's present level of expertise in use of technology to support instruction.

They asked me, How do you work with a professor whose teaching is less than adequate? I asked them, Will this work with faculty be voluntary and confidential?

I don't ever ask questions about benefits or salary or other things that I can learn by reading the Web site or information they send me in advance.  

Hope this helps!

[Mistur PC]

They asked me: "Why do you want to work at our school?"

I asked them: "Can I schedule my office hours on Monday only?"

They asked me: "How do you use technology in the classroom?"

I asked them: "Since I have a herniation, can I bring my vibrating massager into class?"

They asked me: "Tell us about your experience working with a diverse range of students ..."

I asked them: "What is the verification process to determine if the minority candidates are actually ethnic minorities?"

They asked me: "Tell us about your experience with student-centered instruction ..."

I asked them: "Precisely what is the policy concerning faculty relationships with students?"

They asked me: "What special qualities do you bring to the classroom?"

I asked them: "What special loan programs are available utilizing retirement funds for real estate purchases and investments?"

Get it?

[Countrygirl]

Always, always, ask questions. If you don't it makes it seem as if you are disinterested. During the last month I have been interviewing, I have been complimented on my interest, and the questions I have asked. Also, a search committee member complimented me on my knowledge and attention to the school. (Something that can be done by just going on the Web site and remembering a few key highlights.)  

The result, I'm in negotiation for a suitable contract, and had the opportunity to ask questions that would make or break my decision to join a particular college as an employee.

Concerning the teaching demo, this is important as it shows your communication skills and interactive manner with the students. The important thing is to pick a topic you can make your own and that you feel comfortable with -- most universities will allow you to choose content.

As for the interview, if you don't know, say so. If you do, tie it in with the job and past history. Research, practice, and relax, and all the positives will shine through.

Good luck.

[Mouse]

I've been both a community-college interviewee and search-committee member, and here's my advice:

1. Although Countrygirl says that most universities will allow you to choose your own teaching demo topic, this isn't as true at many community colleges. Most often, they will have a specific course and/or assignment that they want you to demostrate your ability in. The flexibility of this may vary from subject to subject (for example, English comp jobs may ask specifically for a demo showing how you might respond to a typical paper for a remedial course; art positions may ask for a demo of teaching technical skills, but leave the specific area and/or course up to you). I agree, though, that there is some flexibility in there for you to pick something you're comfortable with within those parameters. Whatever you do, make sure that you're demonstrating that you can do the job they've advertised for, not your dream job.  

2. You don't necessarily need to answer in more length, and anyway, the committee will probably appreciate having a few minutes in there to jot down notes. What's most important is to be sure that your answers relate to the questions asked -- no "canned answers," or at least none that seem obviously "canned."  

3. The teaching demo is probably the most important thing in a CC interview. It probably counts for a little more than 50%, with all of the other questions collectively counting for the rest. In other words, great responses to the interview questions won't make up for a really bad or disorganized teaching demonstration.

On the other hand, one bad answer might derail even a good demo, depending on what the department's hot buttons are, and unfortunately, you don't really have any way of knowing these ahead of time. But you can probably guess a lot of these ahead of time by looking at the school's Web site, and some of these are just common sense, or stated already in the job description. If the job ad stated that they were looking for someone to teach remedial-type courses, and then they ask how you feel about teaching remedial courses, the correct answer, of course, is some variation of "I live for them! They are my sole purpose in life!" But you'd be surprised how many people answer something along the lines of, "Well, I'd do it if I had to, of course, but don't expect me to get all fired up about it." That's an interview-killer right there, no matter how great your teaching demo was.

4. Questions vs. summary: Well, the summary always sounds really goofy to me, like a five-paragraph essay where the student insists on saying, "In conclusion, I have just elaborated three reasons why I would be an excellent employee."  The whole point of the interview was to make those points -- if you have to summarize them at the end, you didn't do a very good job in the interivew. You do want to have questions at the end, but remember that it's still part of them interviewing you, not vice-versa.

In other words, it's still all about what you can do for them, not what they can do for you. So don't be asking about salary, or spousal hires, or workload. You can ask about perks, but only as they relate to how it will end up benefiting the school. So, "Will there be any chance of funding to attend teaching and assessment workshops?" is a Do. "What's the life-insurance situation?" is a Don't. There's plenty of time for those questions and negiotations after you've gotten an offer.

Remember, though, that your questions still need to show how you can fill the position they're asking for, and how you will fit into -- and be happy and productive -- at a community college. We had one interviewee in our last job search who looked really good on paper, and good in the interview -- right up till the point when she said that she wanted to leave her current position at a private college because she "was tired of teaching intro courses, and wanted the opportunity to develop specialized seminars." Well, the job was for teaching intro classes, and anyway, CC's aren't about the specialized seminar -- they're for teaching intro classes. At least, that's what the full-time faculty is there for -- to insure that we can cover all the intro sections that need covering.  

The most important thing to remember when interviewing at a community college: know and understand the community college purpose and mission. (I'm not sure from your post if you have CC experience.) A lot of posters on this board feel that CC committees are just too intimidated by "big thinkers" to hire one. That's not the case at all. But it is the case that if you secretly look down on community colleges, or if it's a stop-gap until you can "land something better," that will come through in your answers, whether you realize it or not. A lot of what people think is "feeling intimidated by large-brained Ivy Leaguers" is just practicality.

We had one interviewee who was full of plans for building an entire new wing for an art studio that would accomodate B.A.'s in printmaking and textiles. Well, that was a lovely idea, but it lacked any understanding of a) the realities of a CC budget; b) the realities of a CC mission; and c) the realitites of a state board of higher ed approving a 4-year degree program in fine arts at a community college when the local state university was already offering something similar. So make sure you're enthusiastic and chock full o' energy, but with an enthusiasm and energy that fit into the functions and structure of the community college.

Sorry if I got off on a little "My community college can beat up your university" rant there -- occupational hazard, I guess. Anyway, good luck, and hopefully at least one of your 7 interviews will result in a good offer.

[Search committee member]

E.L.,

When I ask if candidates have questions, I really want to hear what they ask (not a summation). It can be the most revealing part of the interview. We just finished a round of interviews, and here's my advice.

1) Don't ask a question that can be answered from the Web site. I expect every candidate to do his/her online homework before interviewing. If they can't be bothered or don't know how to research our school beforehand, they are weak candidates. Conversely, a question that indicates you have spent some time checking us out is a plus. The more you know about us, the more impressive it is.

2) Don't ask about benefits, salary, clerical support perks, working conditions, office hours. It's too soon.

3) Have two or three school-specific questions ready and, if something comes up in the interview, make a note of it and ask about that too.

4)At the very end, ask in a general way about the timetable for the decision.

Are your one- to two-minute answers too short? Maybe. How long is the interview scheduled to last? Are you finishing early? Are there longish pauses when you finish as though they're waiting for you to say something else? What is their body language telling you? If you don't know and can't tell, I think it's safe to ask, "Have I answered your question fully?" When asked this, I sometimes ask for more information.

And yes, the teaching demo is crucial. I've seen a bad one shoot a promising candidate down in flames.

[Helpful]

I don't think it is out of line to ask questions at your interview. After all, enthusiasm and questioning indicate an interest in the college and position. I also think part of the interview process is two-way. Interviewees should come with questions that help them determine whether they, in fact, would like to work at the college. Waiting until an offer is made is way too late.

[Mouse]

Helpful: I didn't say that questions shouldn't be asked -- in fact, I specifically said that questions should be asked at the end of the interview. Just that, as Search Committee Member advises, they shouldn't be "nitty-gritty details" questions. There's a time and a place for everything, and I don't think job negotiation-type questions should take place before a job has been offered -- it just seems presumptuous, rather than confident -- like asking, "What do want for breakfast?" ten minutes after meeting someone in a bar. (Not that I made or received such offers when I was single, mind you.)

When I was an undergrad, and interviewing for sales clerk positions, I knew enough not to immediately ask, "When can I get weekends off?" right off the bat. The same applies here. The details of retirement benefits, office hours, etc., while certainly appropriate and necessary information, should be dealt with after an offer has been made.  \As noted by Search Committee Member, much of that information should have been researched already, so to ask at the interview will make you look unprepared. And it also, to me, seems a little too desperate -- like asking "What do I have to do to put you in this car today?!" To ask prematurely also seems to me to indicated a lack of familiarity with protocol and procedure -- the beloved hallmarks of committee meetings which any potential faculty member will be expected to participate in.

It's not too late to ask questions after an offer has been made -- that's when those type of questions should be  asked. It's only too late once you find yourself with tenure in a place that you hate -- not before an offer has even been made, let alone accepted. Of course, I'm in the humanities, where there are hundreds of applicants for every job, and we're expected to grovel and be grateful for the chance to even interview. Perhaps it's different in business or engineering (or, as we in the humanities like to call them, "Fields that Pay").

[B.F.]

I was on a CC search committee last semester and the following questions were asked by a candidate at the end of the interview:

1) What do you like most about working here?
2) What do you like least about working here?

I thought that they were good questions to ask.