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[walkingtree]

I wish I had some interview practice before I graduated. I didn't get a major feedback and these days, I reflect on some of the mistakes I made in previous interviews. One mistake was talking too much, i.e., long answers. I am not sure how long answers should be. "Do you do XYZ? Yes, I had a training in X field, but switched to Y, and then got a degree on Z, because..." It's expected that, in humanities and social sciences, you should say more than "Yes." But I am sure I made more mistakes than that. Other mistakes included not having enough questions to ask them. I usually prepare few, but sometimes I go blank and keep silent for a second.

What are your interview faux pas? How did you correct them?

[atlchemist]

On my first phone interview, I think that I didn't have enough questions to ask the SC. I asked two questions that I thought were well thought-out. One of them was answered with just a "yes," and the other one was answered with a little more detail. Then there was an awkward silence as though they were waiting for me to answer another question.

I have my second phone interview today and have four questions prepared to ask the SC.

[glowdart]

On the not having enough questions topic, you can always have a list of standbys that aren't school specific -- what are your students like in the classroom?  How do you envision this position fitting into the department's curricular rotation?  What's the timeline for your search from here on out?  (etc.)  Somewhere around these boards, there are threads with great lists of questions (which I know I stole years ago for my interviews - and the going blank issue is why I always bring lists of questions with me to campus.) 

And, for the phone interviews, there's also the useful and often true, "Let me check my list here, but I think we covered quite a few of these topics while we were talking."

Almost every time someone says something strange or gives off a bizarre air for a few moments during a phone interview, our reaction (on SCs I've been on) is, assuming anyone noticed:  "This is such an awkward way to have a conversation.  S/he might not have heard the question, might not have understood the question, might have been XYZ..." 

For campus visits, a lot is dismissed immediately as "This is such a hard schedule that we put them through" or "S/he just got out of a meeting with [nerve-wrattler admin], didn't s/he?  We should make sure to give the next person a coffee break after that one."  We're not picking your performance apart, and while we often notice moments of strange or nervous habits, we recognize them for what they are:  nerves in an awkward situation.

Now, if you're picking your nose & eating it all day.... that's a faux pas.  (Good luck!)

[bowl_haircut]

On my first phone interview, I think that I didn't have enough questions to ask the SC. I asked two questions that I thought were well thought-out. One of them was answered with just a "yes," and the other one was answered with a little more detail. Then there was an awkward silence as though they were waiting for me to answer another question.

I have my second phone interview today and have four questions prepared to ask the SC.

Let me second this feeling.  I think the "do you have any questions for us" bit is easily the worst part of the interview process because, yes, of course I have questions--loads of them.  But I can't ask any of the questions I really want to ask. 

What's it like living in a town the size of Mayberry where the only cultural advantage appears to be that one has a choice between Pizza Hut and Domino's? 

Will this 4-4 position--that also requires running the Basketweaving Design Center, developing and leading cross-campus initiatives on interdisciplinary Basketweaving, and "managing" an army of angry, frustrated, criminally-underpaid adjuncts and grad students--allow me enough time on weekends, during Christmas break, and the 3 weeks during the summer that I'm not knee-deep in Basketweaving workshops to publish the slew of articles (or the book/s) that will actually earn me tenure at this institution so that I'm not out on the street in 5 years when I'm no longer earning $45,000/year?

Given the immense responsibilities and headaches this position will inevitably entail, can I be reasonably assured that I will be compensated in a manner consistent with the senior department colleague whose entire job since the Ford administration has consisted of showing up at 2pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays to lead meandering, pointless, and completely self-serving lectures on some arcane area of Basketweaving theory that hasn't been taken seriously in respectable academic circles in over 30 years?  Or will my spouse be forced to bag groceries at Dollar General (cultural advantage #2, by the way) so we can feed ourselves a steady diet of cat food and bologna?

These are the questions that matter, of course.  But who has the cajones to ask them?   

 

[atlchemist]

Oh, and I neglected to send a thank-you e-mail after my first phone interview. It honestly never crossed my mind.

What is the etiquette on this? If I have a phone interview at 3 pm today, do I send a thank-you e-mail immediately following? Wait until tomorrow? Next week? I don't want to inadvertently give off the wrong vibe of being desperate or, on the other end of the spectrum, rude.

[seniorscholar]

Oh, and I neglected to send a thank-you e-mail after my first phone interview. It honestly never crossed my mind.

Tomorrow would be good. Send it to the sc chair and ask that it be forwarded to others on the committee. Do not ask questions or provide information. The message is thank you for the interview and I'm very interested in your job (put somewhat more politely).

Sometimes when we make the next cut, the sc chair will point out that x and y did not send thank yous and maybe they aren't really interested after talking to us. The rest of us will say "So what?" Unless we seriously believe yours was a frivolous application, we're not going to cut anyone from the campus interview list for that reason.

[scion]

Bowl_cut, perhaps some deep breaths and a brisk walk are in order? They help me sometimes when I get overwhelmed by the absurd expectations we often face. You made me chuckle because I can identify with the delicious cat food/bologna budget.

[zyzzx]

With the questions for them bit, I generally do have some questions ready, but no matter how many I ask, they never seem to stop asking if I have any more. So at some point you just have to say, nope, I don't have any more right now (not in those words, of course).
It's harder on campus interviews, when every single person you meet asks if you have questions. I tend to pick one general question theme per person, then towards the end I can buy time by saying, well I asked John about teaching loads, Mary about undergrad research, Jill about tenure expectations, the dean about startups, etc etc. I often can think of more questions, but if I can't, whoever I'm talking to will know it's just because I've already asked a slew of them.

[reener06]

With the questions for them bit, I generally do have some questions ready, but no matter how many I ask, they never seem to stop asking if I have any more. So at some point you just have to say, nope, I don't have any more right now (not in those words, of course).
It's harder on campus interviews, when every single person you meet asks if you have questions. I tend to pick one general question theme per person, then towards the end I can buy time by saying, well I asked John about teaching loads, Mary about undergrad research, Jill about tenure expectations, the dean about startups, etc etc. I often can think of more questions, but if I can't, whoever I'm talking to will know it's just because I've already asked a slew of them.

I agree, zyzzx. I think they just want to be sure we've had a chance to ask questions. I've learned to ask what I have, sometimes repeat questions I asked before if there are new people present, and then to say, "gee, Prof. Y answered my questions about tenure, Prof. Z answered questions I have about service" and then either do follow-ups on those, reiterate what I heard to newer person to make sure the same information is being told to me in multiple venues, or then I tell them they are very good at making sure I have all the information I need.

I also carry a small notebook with me with my questions in it that I can peruse for a moment before saying no, I don't have any more (if I really don't). That way, it looks like I did research and thought about it a lot beforehand. I did, but those questions are compilations from multiple sources and multiple interview experiences. They don't need to know that.

[atlchemist]

Oh, and I neglected to send a thank-you e-mail after my first phone interview. It honestly never crossed my mind.

Tomorrow would be good. Send it to the sc chair and ask that it be forwarded to others on the committee. Do not ask questions or provide information. The message is thank you for the interview and I'm very interested in your job (put somewhat more politely).

Sometimes when we make the next cut, the sc chair will point out that x and y did not send thank yous and maybe they aren't really interested after talking to us. The rest of us will say "So what?" Unless we seriously believe yours was a frivolous application, we're not going to cut anyone from the campus interview list for that reason.

Thanks for the advice. I will definitely send a thank-you e-mail tomorrow!

I know the names of the four people I spoke with and can easily find their e-mail addresses from the college's website. Would it be weird to e-mail all of them? Should i just e-mail the SC chair?

One of my labmates opined that interviewing for a job is similar to going on a first date. I reminded him that I don't have a lot of dating experience as I met my husband at 18!

[merinoblue]

I flubbed a question about a concept central to my PhD discipline during a long-list interview.  I'm working in two related disciplines and I don't use this concept at all, but still, I should have seen it coming. Ah well. Practice makes perfect.

On the other hand, I've walked out of two interviews that I'm convinced I've flubbed because I was both transparent and emotionally honest, and was offered the jobs.  All of which is to say: you just never know.  Don't beat yourself up for what you perceive as a mistake.

[imawakenow]

All of which is to say: you just never know.  Don't beat yourself up for what you perceive as a mistake.

This.

The things that I've read here are the type of thing that I probably wouldn't even think twice about as a SC member.

Here are a couple of examples of what I consider "interview faux pas:" a job talk where the candidate claimed a graph showed an interaction when it didn't; a candidate who was rude and condescending (borderline hostile) to a graduate student in front of another SC member; a candidate who said that he couldn't answer a question about his job talk because his graduate student prepared the slides.

[atlchemist]

Ok, let me give you the scenario from my phone interview today.

I'm naturally an anxious person. I did my best to relax for my phone interview at 3 pm today. I had to take the call in my office, as I do not have a landline at home to use for phone interviews. I am a Ph.D. student in a STEM field, and I have a shared office adjacent to my lab (but separated by a glass door). I asked my officemate if I could have the office to myself for 30 min. today and he said fine, no problem.

I put up signs on the doors to the hallway and to the lab that said "phone interview in progress, please do not disturb." Five minutes into my interview, another labmate wandered into my office, oblivious to the sign, and asked if she could borrow a lab item. I was so flustered that I sternly said "I'm on a phone interview." She apologized and walked away. But I was completely flustered on the interview at this point. I babbled "I'm sorry, I lost my train of thought. I'm in my research lab and one of my labmates just walked into my office." I had trouble answering the rest of the question in a coherent fashion, and I kept thinking "you could be ruining your future right.now." (Did I mention that I have a lot of anxiety?)

The thing was, I thought the interview went really well otherwise and that I would likely be a great fit for the department. I thought I did a good job of answering the other questions (I recovered on the next question after the interruption), showing my expertise and familiarity with the program. But I am worried that my flub ruined it for me.

I know that you all can't speak for the SC, but I'm just putting this out there in hopes that someone can say "it's not that big a deal." Haha. I am really beating myself up over this. My labmate was extremely apologetic after the fact, and I feel like it's on me that I was so easily flustered.

[merinoblue]

But I am worried that my flub ruined it for me. 

It wasn't your flub.  It was your labmate's.

And the fact that you adroitly explained the interruption to the SC and told them you had lost your train of thought is admirable.  It reflects well on you.  I think there's latitude in phone interviews for interruptions and less than ideal circumstances.  If your SC did not take this interruption in stride, then they're a rigid bunch.

It sounds as if you had a great interview.  Congratulations!

[helpful]

I had to take the call in my office, as I do not have a landline at home to use for phone interviews.

I have to ask....why couldn't you take it at home on a cell phone with speaker on?