next »

[letranger]

I just had an interview that I feel went really well with the exception of one question that I was unable to answer. It had to do with teaching a topic that is outside my broader area of geographic/temporal study.  Instead of fumbling or making something up I simply admitted that it had been a long time since I had studied that particular topic and that I'd have to think about it for a bit. My honesty was acknowledged with no perceptible awkwardness and we moved on. Might I still be in the running? I do have a good deal of teaching experience in my broader are of study, but I’ve never actually taught the topic that I was questioned on, which made it difficult to formulate something on the fly.

[intl_phd]

I think you did exactly the right thing!

Something similar happend to me in one of my interviews: Let's say I am specialized in Inner Mongolia's birds and suddenly someone asked "But aren't there interesting fishes in Inner Mongolia as well?" Hm, well, maybe. Never thought about it. Even don't care about it. Therefore, I answered: "This question I cannot answer." The SC chair was *very* positive about my answer, s/he said that this answer shows a person who is sure of her/himself as a scholar and does not babble.

I think that the SC wants to get an impression of you as a person and your answer will give them the idea of a serious and honest person. So, why shouldn't you be in the running any longer? As you wrote, they just moved on and did not faint.

[javahound]

It's not quite clear from your post, but I assume that after thinking about the question for a bit, you did in fact go on to answer it.  If not, that might count as a small strike against you -- not a big deal, but perhaps a lost opportunity.

If so, it could actually work in your benefit by making you seem thoughtful, honest, and deliberate.  This year, while on a SC, I saw a bunch of job candidates who rushed to answer questions without thinking them through, and ended up not giving really good answers. 

All around, your performance in the interview will/should be evaluated in its totality.  Nobody expects you to be an expert in everything, and if this particular course is truly outside your area of study, then I don't see why it would have a significant bearing on your candidacy. 

Good luck!

[winterbourne]

I agree with intl_phd.  In fact, I have a friend who was just hired into a TT position at a very good university and was told afterwards that he had swayed the SC precisely by saying "I do not know" to a particularly difficult question.  They felt it showed he wasn't merely trying to BS his way into the position.