What & How & Why

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Techniques of the academic interview

part 5 notes


Academic Job Interview Basics

self-importance

  • Their slow, deliberate delivery is a core professorial conceit.
  • gesture widely, expansively.
  • remember to pause.
  • Nod sagely, think deeply, inhale
  • Then respond to the questiom
小心上升语调
  • 上升语调会让你的陈述句听起来像疑问句
  • communicated through a strong falling tone at the end of every sentence
body language
  • maintain a level gaze and steady eye contact
  • take up all the space to which you’re entitled

International candidates, take note that in the United States, a firm handshake and steady eye contact are cultural practices that are associated with a range of virtues such as maturity, reliability, and authority.

  • 女性申请者需要注意:
    • 不要用手指卷头发
    • 不要玩珠宝
    • 不要持续的,对每个回复都微笑(代表了顺从)
  • 通过录像来看自己是否有如下的奇怪动作:
    • 盯着天花板看
    • 回避性的眼神
    • 歪头
    • 晃脑袋
    • 分散注意力的手势
    • 耸肩
Authority
  • 避免使用 insecure words(try, attempet, hop,wishi)等
避免消极回答

问题:

“Tell us about your plans to revise your dissertation into the book.”

消极类回答:

Well, the dissertation isn’t really in a publishable state yet. My third chapter is still missing some major elements on the prewar period that I need to add. I will need to visit the University of Tokyo library to access some of that material. I haven’t really submitted the manuscript to a press yet because I’m waiting to resolve issues like that before I do.

积极类回答:

My former mentor has invited me to visit and use a collection of prewar materials at the University of Tokyo library this summer. I’ll be incorporating that material into my third chapter, and in the meantime, I’ll be drafting a proposal of the book to send to presses next fall.

Look forward to what you will do, not backward to what you have not done.

面试问题的准备
  • 准备 10-15个可能会被问到的问题
  • 每个写出 1-2分钟的 outline
  • 练习到烂熟
  • 不要死记硬背,那样可能会让你听起来像个机器人
  • 使用 outline 作为重点的标记点,确保回答涵盖这些重点
  • 面试是对话,不是独白
    • 给于面试者回复的机会(“tell us more”)
    • 如果时间不够,转到下一个问题
其他
  • 我们的目标不是分享所有我们知道的东西,而是精确的回答符合招聘者要求(或是回答指定问题)
    • 比如(Tell us about some classes you would develop for us,)不是让你用 20分钟解释在你脑子钟的 n 个班级。而是让你用 5分钟解释两个不同 level(比如入门/高级),然后解释这些东西与招标的要求有什么关系。
  • 对目标学校做一些研究,把 faculty 以及其研究和发表都拿出来看一看。
  • 对所有的面试的基础问题都需要做准备,练到 second nature
    • 镜子前练习
    • mock

面试问题的大分类

任何面试问题都会基于以下的内容提出:

  • dissertation
  • 短期和长期的发表计划
  • Your place in the field
  • 教过的课,包括 genneral 和 specialized
  • teaching philosophy
  • Your interest in program building
  • Your understanding of the financial and organizational context of the department
可能会有的挑战/带敌意问题
“What you’ve said is all very interesting, but isn’t this really an outdated question in light of…?

遇到这种情况,有礼貌的回避: 问:

What you’ve said is all very interesting, but isn’t this really an outdated question in light of…

回答:

Thank you for raising that question. Indeed at first glance it might seem that with the advent of X, the question of Y is less urgent, and that has even been argued by scholars such as P and Q. However, I would suggest that while X has raised important new questions, the issues of Y remain unresolved because they require a different kind of attention to [and so on back into the current of your project].

问:

: Doesn’t your conclusion contradict what Nelson has proven with regard to X?

回答:

I’m glad you brought that up. Nelson does address a similar theme in his research. However, Nelson’s question is really a different one from mine. While he focuses on X, I actually begin from the perspective of Y. A perspective on Y helps us to keep the focus on Q, which is critical in light of recent changes [and so on back into the current of your project].

总的来说,思路是把事情尽量转到你自己的研究上。

答完以后的结尾也要强有力,不能说:

Um, did that answer your question?

而是要说:

Next question?

不要摇摆不定,卑躬屈膝,道歉。大声自信的表达自己,表现的像一位有话要说,有见解的年轻学者。

The Key Questions in an Academic Interview

“Tell us about your dissertation.”
  • 时间:三分钟以内
  • 结构:
    1. “My dissertation, [title], examines [the topic].”
    2. “Specifically, it analyzes [the specific phenomena studied].”
    3. “I use X methods and Y theory to establish [the method and theory foundation]
    4. “I discovered/found that [observations and findings].”
    5. “I conclude that [core argument].”
    6. Bonus sentence on contribution: “While many scholars have argued that X should be understood as Y, my research reveals that X can be better understood as Z, showing the importance of P to the study of Q [statement of contribution to a field].”
“Tell us about your publishing plans for the next five years.”

这个问题是个定量的问题,关于你是否能获得 TT 的问题。这个问题实际上是在考验你 “whether you understand the nature of a publication arc for purposes of tenure.” 提问者需要知道的是你是否有一个

  • 快速而有条理的
  • 从过去到现在到未来的,贯穿六年 TT 的

发表路径。范例如下:

“As you can see from my CV, I already have an article out based on the dissertation, in the Journal of X. I am currently finishing a revise and resubmit of another chapter from the dissertation for the Journal of Y. After that is complete I will turn my attention to a book proposal, and plan to have that completed and submitted to presses by the end of the fall semester. I am considering the University of X Press and the University of Y Press. I expect to have the book manuscript finished by spring 20XX. After that I’ll be turning my attention to a major second project, which I can describe in more detail if you are interested.”
“How would you teach our intro class?”