Career Talk

Bad Answers to Good Questions

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Here are a few common interview questions and a few truly terrible answers that you should avoid at all costs:

• Question: What are your research plans? Answer: I haven't had time to think about that yet.

• Question: Why are you interested in our department? Answer: I know you may be surprised that someone with my background would be interested in this job, but it's a tight market.

• Question: How did you come to develop your dissertation topic? Answer: My adviser thought it would be a good idea.

• Question: Do you have any questions for us? Answer: No.

• Question: We often ask junior faculty members to teach the introductory course. How does that sound to you? Answer: Well, I could do it for a year, but after that I'd rather teach more interesting courses.

• Question: Why are you interested in this institution? Answer: It's near the beach and I love to surf.

Sometimes it's not your answers that can doom your chances in an interview, it's your questions. Some examples: (Note: The problem here is not with the information the candidate is seeking, but with the inept way of trying to obtain it.)

• Don't ask: How much do I have to teach? Do ask:Could you describe the typical teaching load?

• Don't ask: How much advising do I have to do? Do ask: How many students do new faculty members typically advise?

• Don't ask: How many students go to school here? Do ask: Actually, you shouldn't ask this at all. You should have found out this information in advance from the college's Web site or catalog.

• Don't ask: When is the chairman retiring? Do ask: Can you talk a little bit about how the department has changed in recent years and what future directions you hope to pursue?

• Don't ask: How much politics is there in the department? Do ask: What types of decisions are typically made by the chairman and what ones are made by the standing faculty? What process does the faculty typically use in arriving at decisions?

• Don't ask: How much does the job pay? Do ask: It is not to your advantage to discuss salary until an offer has been made. So don't ask now. When you're offered a position, a figure will be named, and that's the right time to negotiate.