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[preparing]

To those who have sat on hiring committees:

What are your top two turn-offs in terms of applicant behavior during the interview?

[anon]

As a grad student, I sat through MANY searches.  When I think about "horrible" candidates, one particular guy comes to mind.  He had
a great CV, but the guy had absolutely NO social skills at all.  If you asked him a question, he would respond with a "yes/no" and not expand on his response.  I had the (mis)fortune of going out to dinner with him during his stay.  He had attended grad school in my home town.  So to get him to talk, I would ask questions about his experience in this town.  He would still just give one word responses.  Needless to say, we did not hire this candidate.  
So make sure that you talk and fully answer all questions.  Be social (but of course, not gossipy, etc.)

[Charlene]

Lack of social skills is a big one. Also lack of knowledge about our school and program.

One candidate spent her entire presentation time twiddling a rubber band, and it was impossible to listen to her without watching the damn rubber band.

Then a male colleague asked her a question about nipples.

It was not a good scene.

[%sig%]

[Junior Faculty]

These sound ridiculous, but they happen every time we post an ad.

Not writing a cover letter that reflects the ad we anguished over or our university.  The cover letter is about how you fit with us, not about you, and is your one chance in the application packet to make your case. We actually have an evaluation form in which we rank each applicant on the criteria set out in the ad.  Don't make it hard for us to figure out whether or not you meet them.

Applying for jobs that are too big a stretch.  If it says "no ABD," we meant it.  If it says a particular subfield, you have to make the case for yourself if you aren't obviously qualified for that.  

Running down the location of the school where you are interviewing.  One candidate actually said "I can't believe you people live here."  

Eating like you were just released from prison (arms around plate, hostile glances towards other people at the table when they got too close).  Joking about ordering the most expensive thing on the menu because "it is on your tab!"

Repeatedly asking members of the search committee (or small department) "and what is it you teach?"  or mistaking female faculty for the department clerical help.

Evidencing no interest in teaching the survey or other less desirable department work.  One candidate told us flat out that he had no desire to teach anything but advanced seminars and wouldn't have time for any committees or advising for at least two years.

Having demands that reflect a total lack of reality.  We once got a list of requirements including more money than our most senior people get, a huge office, his own secretary, etc.  

Not researching our program.  We offer a BA, but the candidate kept talking about "working with graduate students" as his greatest strength.

Declaring that you could teach a class better than the professor currently teaching it.  This has happened in every search committee I have been on, and it is disastrous.

Calling frequently or impatiently.  Our secretary remembers your name.  We're not trying to torture you.

Writing gushing or overly-personal e-mails to committee members.  At least in my case, I have to print 'em out and add them to the dossier for all the committee to read.  Assume this is the case for everything you send.  

When asked if you could teach the open class/es for the fall semester, answering "no."  

Telling us more than we need to know--(the time you were drunk in Morocco, bad habits of an ex-spouse, a long whiny monologue on why you have not attended conferences because you are poor, why you hated a particular student or aspect of your work).  I've read some cover letters that have talked about the candidate's favorite movies, why they are proud of being smokers, their childrens' educational requirements ("I must live within one hour of a highly rated prep school"--something you can find out on your own before applying).

Fussing over hoops that everyone else had to jump through.  The time to protest the dean's special extra form is not while you are being interviewed.  We might hate it too, but your refusal or protest makes us wonder if you will get muley about other scut work we all have to do.

[To Junior Faculty]

Dear Junior Faculty,

A quick question:  What's wrong with asking people what they teach?  As a grad student, I was peripheral to a search (at a research I school)  where I KNOW a candidate was downgraded because he did NOT ask people what they did and only talked about himself.

[Other Senior Prof]

"To Junior Faculty" hit the nail on the head.  The best candidates, on reflection, in the eyes of my faculty were the people who came in and "interviewed" the department.

Great strategy.  The internet makes this easy to prep.

[Puddy Katt]

Not answering the questions asked by the committee but using the questions as "jumping off points" to praise something you have done. You are not fooling the committee, we know what you are doing, and asked you questions for a reason-- we wanted the question answered.  It also indicates that you will be manipulative once hired.

Another story

We had a candidate make the assumption that since there was a temporary person in the position that that person had an inside track to the job. We had, in fact, already eliminated the temporary person as totally unfit. The candidate said in the interview "You have an inside person this is not a real job."
The interview ended quickly after that.
One of the members of the committee said later we should have said, "Well, I guess you fit since after that crack you're no longer a real candidate."

[Other Senior Prof]

When I was in grad school, they had a candidate that was such a disaster they didn't even have him make a presentation or do an exit interview.  My dissertation director finds me and says, "Other Grad Student, get this guy out of here. I'll let you use my Porsche to drive him to the airport" which was 70 miles away.  

As we're tearing down I-20 in this spotless 1971 Targa, the guy looks at me and  says "Man, it must have gone great! I didn' t even have to give the talk!  What do you think?"

[Nardo]

I've heard this story before . . . at Georgia, right?

[five]

Junior Faculty wrote:
> Repeatedly asking members of the search committee (or small
> department) "and what is it you teach?"

To Junior Faculty wrote:
> Dear Junior Faculty,
>
> A quick question:  What's wrong with asking people what they
> teach?  As a grad student, I was peripheral to a search (at a
> research I school)  where I KNOW a candidate was downgraded
> because he did NOT ask people what they did and only talked
> about himself.

I don't think Junior meant that you shouldn't ask about what others do; I think Junior was talking about a very annoying habit that some interviewees have-- to forget to listen to the answers to their queries, and therefore ask the same questions again...and again...  

As you described in your downgraded candidate, some interviewees seem to spend most of their time talking, and very little time listening.  It sometimes seems that an interviewee is spending the time that the committee is speaking as a time to think about the next personal anecdote they should share to impress the committee of their greatness.  When they do occassionally ask a question, it seems like it's only because they have been told they ought to (apparently no one thought to mention that they should actually LISTEN to the responses too).  That's a very different scenario than expressing genuine curiosity about what your potential colleagues do (an absolute necessity in a good interviewee)....

[%sig%]

[Junior Faculty]

There is a world of difference between

"so, what is it you do here?" for the third time and "I saw that you teach a class on X.  That looks like a fantastic idea--what books did you use? "   If you have an hour and the internet, you should be way past being able to match up a person's name and specialty (at least for the search committee or a small department).

[schoolmarm]

Junior faculty has hit it on the head.  Candidates should have some inkling of who is on the committee and what the campus/department/school are like.

Here are some turn offs.

1.  An arrogant candidate decided that he would use MY office to prepare for his teaching presentation.  Told the secretary to let him in.  We had an empty office set up for the candidates to "park" in and I had told the candidate that the evening before.  Still don't know the motivation to use MY office.

2.  Candidates who do not get to all of the items reqired in a teaching or performance demonstration.  If we ask for two pieces, we want two pieces.  If we ask for 30 minutes, we want 30 minutes.  I have seen candidates cut a 30-minute demonstration to 15 minutes and not even do the required pieces.  I've seen candidates spend so much time in preliminaries that they only have 5 minutes out of 45 to teach.  

3.  Refering to your school as a "Party School"....whether it is true or not, it is not appropriate in an interview.

4.  Exposing belly skin.  Can't you tuck your shirt in?

5.  Being late.

6.  Lying.  Caught two in lies just this year.  Both could have been viable candidates, but our director would not think of hiring them.  If they lie or cover up in an interview now, what will they do later when they have the job?

7.  We had a candidate who thought that we were trying to sink him in a masterclass.  He kept making comments like "well, you have really gotten me now" and "well I really don't understand (student's specialty)".  These were talented students, and this showed that the candidate just didn't know how to teach.

8.  Candidates who forget that the meals are a part of the interview.  

9.  Candidates who drop names when they are not well-networked.  Chances are that WE are well-networked and you will be exposed as a poser.

10.  Candidates who are rude in either their teaching demo or in meeting the faculty.  Overly chummy candidates who pander to the students (put down good comments, I need a job) or who are just sucking up to the committee also are not going to get hired.  Assuming that you already have the job is also not a good thing.

[MP]

Junior Faculty's and other's lists are great.  We recently had  candidates for a high level admin position.  The disaster candidate hadn't done his homework about our school.  All the info is online and in the documents he was sent and he didn't know some very basic facts about the organization of our institution, kept confusing 2 programs, and when asked how he would approach a situation, suggested a strategy that was impossible given basic facts about our college.  If he couldn't spend a few hours understanding us, why should we hire him?  He also had no social skills and actually insulted one of our programs.

[Pecos]

Don't confuse our school with one with a similar name.  Or mistake a private school for a state college, or vice versa.  (Both easily cleared up with a little web research.)

Don't forget to speak clearly, write clearly, and be organized in presenting.

Also, it is probably a turn off to discuss salary prior to an offer.

[piglet]

These candidates sound dreadful (and I wonder if any of you are describing me).  Actually, I was wondering why and how--with so much competition for academic positions--these people got to the screening and even final interview stage.