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First Academic Job Interview
Jul. 21st, 2009 07:13 pmToday, I had the phone interview for St. Cloud State University. It's a temporary/visiting position. My friend reminded me to ask for clarification on the exact title if they offer it to me.
I think it went okay. I was nervous, and I usually speak very, very fast when I get nervous. There was a longish pause at one point, and the interviewers commented that they were trying to write down my answers to have something to refer to when they made their decision. Oops. I think I slowed down after that.
The only negative (that I can think of on my part) was when they asked about course materials twice for potential classes. The first time, I listed a few books, history, literature, theory, etc., that I might use in an Asian Am course or in an ethnic studies course. The second time, I think they were fishing for non-lit materials but I kind of blanked. I named two films I think, and mentioned that there were good documentaries on Asian American history and community formation, but I couldn't remember their titles. Ugh.
I tried to "sound" as enthusiastic as possible. I even smiled through the interview 'cuz I think that kind of thing helps to create that "enthusiastic" tone or carries through in a person's voice. I also couldn't think of good questions beyond the one that my friend advised me to use, about the kinds of students who go through ethnic studies at their university and the kinds of projects they're interested in. All of the questions I came up with on my own were too specific, stuff about faculty life, technology in the classrooms, etc. I thought those would be a bit too nitty-gritty or something. I dunno. Maybe I should've asked them after all. There was a bit of an awkward pause at the end with my portion of the Q&A. Oh well...
I hope I get the job, and that the salary is good. They mentioned a heavy teaching load, and asked me how I would deal with the challenges of it. I asked them to clarify what they meant, and they told me that the teaching load is 4/4 at their univ. That's a load not really conducive to research or intensive job searching, so as my friend advised the pay needs to be commensurate with that. I answered that I had dealt with a somewhat-similar teaching load in my last two years of grad school when funding kept getting cut, and at one point I was juggling TA'ing a class while adjunct teaching two to three classes at a different university, all on top of finishing my dissertation. Hopefully, that answer played well. Who knows?
Sigh. I really need the job. It's a good stepping stone since it's ethnic studies with an Asian American focus, and I haven't been gainfully employed since February. It'll also get me away from my family for a while so that I can get some distance (figural and literal!). I have yet to hear back from the postdoc fellowship I applied for, which financially and career-wise would be a better option (less teaching, more time for research and job hunting). I've only heard back from the places who rejected me. Oh yay.
I think it went okay. I was nervous, and I usually speak very, very fast when I get nervous. There was a longish pause at one point, and the interviewers commented that they were trying to write down my answers to have something to refer to when they made their decision. Oops. I think I slowed down after that.
The only negative (that I can think of on my part) was when they asked about course materials twice for potential classes. The first time, I listed a few books, history, literature, theory, etc., that I might use in an Asian Am course or in an ethnic studies course. The second time, I think they were fishing for non-lit materials but I kind of blanked. I named two films I think, and mentioned that there were good documentaries on Asian American history and community formation, but I couldn't remember their titles. Ugh.
I tried to "sound" as enthusiastic as possible. I even smiled through the interview 'cuz I think that kind of thing helps to create that "enthusiastic" tone or carries through in a person's voice. I also couldn't think of good questions beyond the one that my friend advised me to use, about the kinds of students who go through ethnic studies at their university and the kinds of projects they're interested in. All of the questions I came up with on my own were too specific, stuff about faculty life, technology in the classrooms, etc. I thought those would be a bit too nitty-gritty or something. I dunno. Maybe I should've asked them after all. There was a bit of an awkward pause at the end with my portion of the Q&A. Oh well...
I hope I get the job, and that the salary is good. They mentioned a heavy teaching load, and asked me how I would deal with the challenges of it. I asked them to clarify what they meant, and they told me that the teaching load is 4/4 at their univ. That's a load not really conducive to research or intensive job searching, so as my friend advised the pay needs to be commensurate with that. I answered that I had dealt with a somewhat-similar teaching load in my last two years of grad school when funding kept getting cut, and at one point I was juggling TA'ing a class while adjunct teaching two to three classes at a different university, all on top of finishing my dissertation. Hopefully, that answer played well. Who knows?
Sigh. I really need the job. It's a good stepping stone since it's ethnic studies with an Asian American focus, and I haven't been gainfully employed since February. It'll also get me away from my family for a while so that I can get some distance (figural and literal!). I have yet to hear back from the postdoc fellowship I applied for, which financially and career-wise would be a better option (less teaching, more time for research and job hunting). I've only heard back from the places who rejected me. Oh yay.
