PhD/PsyD Initial video interviews for tenure track faculty positions

[denimfan]

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I recently completed my first video interview for a TT position. I feel like I did the best I can but found the time to be really limited and it was more of me sharing than the interviewers talking. My question is, what is the search committee expecting from the candidates at this level and what is really being evaluated? I ask as these interviews are so short and they practically ask about the same info that I wrote in the cover letter...


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[EmotRegulation]

I recently completed my first video interview for a TT position. I feel like I did the best I can but found the time to be really limited and it was more of me sharing than the interviewers talking. My question is, what is the search committee expecting from the candidates at this level and what is really being evaluated? I ask as these interviews are so short and they practically ask about the same info that I wrote in the cover letter...

This is a hard question to answer because every department is different. When I've done these interviews for faculty candidates, I'm basically looking for a linear narrative, enthusiasm and interest in the position, asking questions that convey the person has thought about what a faculty job is like, and for any weird interpersonal red flags. Like one time I asked a candidate if they had any questions about the position and they said "Can you tell me about the strengths and weaknesses of my application?" Uh, no. That's not a good first question. It's a totally reasonable think to want to KNOW but it's not reasonable to ask that of a search committee.

 

[DynamicDidactic]

Generally, I find the phone/video initial interviews are done in response to a history of inviting poor applicants to interview in person. More specifically, departments usually have a limited amount of time and resources to interview applicants in person (e.g., you are competing against other programs for quality faculty, you are allocated only so much $ to pay for visits, and everyone has to move their schedules around to fit in an interviewee[probably the most difficult]). Usually, 3 or 4 people are interviewed in person. If, in the past, a program has had some applicants show up that are quickly identified as a poor fit for the job (e.g., difficult personality, CV poorly represented the ability of the applicant, applicant not really all that interested in the position), the program has now wasted 25%-33% of your resources.

Those programs want to maximize their resources and have in person interviews with applicants that fit the culture of the program, are actually good at their job, and actually want to be there. I think that is the purpose of the phone/video pre-interview.

 

[futureapppsy2]

I'm going to disagree a bit with @DynamicDidactic here. I don't think that phone/Skype interviews mean a program has had crappy on-campus interviewees in the past. I think it can be mixture of university norms and having a lot of excellent on paper candidates and needing to narrow it down before campus invites.

 

[DynamicDidactic]

I think it can be mixture of university norms and having a lot of excellent on paper candidates and needing to narrow it down before campus invites.

sure, that too 🙂

I shouldn't be so negative. Sometimes it is just hard to tell who are the best candidates on paper and a personal touch is helpful (though, not empirically supported).

 

[calimich]

The phone interview is very fast, 25-30mins. In our department, the phone interview is an opportunity for us to hear more about the candidate's fit with the department, school, college, and region. At this stage the ~12 folks who have made it to phone interviews are all similarly qualified (appropriate degree, relevant experience) so we're hoping to hear things that were not conveyed in the paper application. We want to know more about why the candidate wants to be at our university. Is it clear that they've "done their homework" about campus culture, values, & norms? Do they have some understanding of what it would mean to move to this part of the country?

And of course, are there any red flags that don't come through on paper?

I remember a candidate in the last search I was a part of who had excellent qualifications and then in the phone interview came across as arrogant and passive aggressive (in the way they answered a question about handling workplace conflict). Despite the credentials, they were not invited to a campus interview.

 

[denimfan]

Thanks for the responses! What I’m still wondering though is how much can you say more about yourself when the questions essentially ask about the same things I wrote in my statements...

 

[EmotRegulation]

Thanks for the responses! What I’m still wondering though is how much can you say more about yourself when the questions essentially ask about the same things I wrote in my statements...

First, don't assume everyone on the call has read your statements. Second, answer the questions but use different wording than you do in the statements (it would sound weird if you were reading them). Your statements are long, these phone/Skype/zoom calls are for you to succinctly describe the main points of your research or teaching or whatever they are asking about. And again, even if the content is the same, the process of talking on the phone is different, and we do get new information even with repetitive content.