A new correspondent writes:
I am writing about second round interviews at community colleges. I have found many helpful resources online about first round interviews, but I have found fewer resources about second round interviews, and those resources tend to be short on details. Thus, I was hoping that you might be willing to post some questions about second round interviews on your blog. In particular, I would like to solicit feedback on the following questions:
What can candidates expect from second round interviews? What if the first round consisted only of a brief (20-30 minute) interview? Might a teaching demonstration then be expected? Or are those always conducted during the first round? What kinds of questions do search committee members typically ask during second round interviews? What about administrators (e.g., deans)? Do second round interviews usually contain many of the same kinds of questions asked during the first round, or do they tend to be significantly different? What exactly are faculty and administrators looking for when conducting second round interviews beyond "fit"? Or is it often all about "fit?"
I’ll assume that you’re talking about interviews for faculty positions, since your refer to a teaching demonstration.
First, each institution has its own protocols. Without giving away anything confidential about my own, I’ll say that the first round is typically where the teaching demos occur. The first-round search committee includes faculty from the discipline in which the hire is being made, and that’s where we screen for both subject matter competence and a demonstrated ability to teach. By the time I get the list of second round candidates, I assume that all of them have shown both content knowledge and teaching ability.
Different institutions handle second round interviews differently. At mine, the second round interview is about 45 minutes to an hour with the VPAA, the dean of the division, the campus affirmative action officer, and the chair of the first round committee. (Having the chair of the first round committee is helpful, since s/he can address any abrupt changes in answers from the first round. That person’s presence also helps quell rumors of administrative perfidy in the second round in case the first round committee’s favorite doesn’t win. Sometimes, people tank second interviews, and having a witness helps.)
In the second round, since basic competence is already established, we’re looking for other things. Are you aware of the realities of teaching a community college population? How have you handled, say, students with learning disabilities, or major cultural clashes? In what way do you see yourself contributing to the college beyond teaching? How do you work with difficult colleagues? With students whose academic preparation wasn’t as strong as one might have liked?
The subtext of all of these questions, and the many others that come up, is how well you would wear, over time, as an employee. Do you show signs of flexibility and reflectiveness, or is it all about you? Do you want to be a citizen of the college, or are you likelier to just teach and go home? Is this really where you want to be, or are you settling? (One whiff of the latter is the kiss of death.)
On the blogs, I’ve seen “fit” put in scare quotes, and used as if we all know it’s nothing but code for whatever “ism” you object to -- racism, sexism, classism, and the like. And it can be that. But it can also be a very real daily reality. For example, at my previous college, a candidate for a full-time position in music asked if it would be a problem if she took off most of October every year to tour Europe. Um, yes. Yes, it would. As a teaching institution, that’s not how we work. Somebody who really has the Eastman School in mind wouldn’t be happy here, and that kind of unhappiness is both toxic and contagious.
This may all sound squishy, but folks who’ve been through the drill a few times know that it’s real. Yes, we want excellent teachers who know what they’re doing; I take that as given. But we also want people who actually want to be here.
Good luck on your search!
Wise and worldly readers, I assume that you’ve seen contexts I haven’t. What have you usually seen or done at second round interviews?
Have a question? Ask the Administrator at deandad (at) gmail (dot) com.
