What You'll be Asked During an Academic Job Interview

The academic job interview strikes fear into the hearts of graduate students, recent graduates, and postdocs alike. What's so scary about it? Nothing - except that it typically lasts two days, requires one or two formal presentations, includes social events, and interviews with a large number of campus representatives. How can you prepare for the academic job interview for a faculty position at a college or university? Understand the questions that you're likely to encounter and be ready to answer them. So, what questions can you expect during an academic job interview?

• Describe your research. What are you currently working on? What is your five year plan?
  
  
• What are your plans for publishing?
  
  
• How do you plan to support your research?
  
  
• How will you seek funding to support your research?
  
  
• In what journals do you plan to submit your research?
  
  
• What is your teaching philosophy?
  
  
• Describe how you'd teach an introductory survey course in your discipline (or an advanced seminar)?
  
  
• What courses would you like to teach?
  
  
• What course, not currently in our catalogue, would you like to develop?
  
  
• How does your research inform your teaching?
  
  
• What are your plans for integrating students into your research?
  
  
• Why do you want to work here?
  
  
• What textbook would you use in a particular course?
  
  
• What classes have you taught?
  
  
• How do you structure your courses?