Questions for SLAC SC members

Questions for SLAC SC members

AnxiousAnon (guest) 17 Oct 2015 20:02

Do all phone interview invitations tend to go out at the same time? Is the long list determined and then phone interview invites extended or is it an iterative process? Does seeing an invitation on the wiki mean that I'm probably out of the running for a particular position? Any clarity on this process would be much appreciated.

Anon (guest) 17 Oct 2015 21:19

Not at a SLAC, but on sc. Yes, we typically send everything at once (same day). If the phone interviewees bomb then we can go back, but it's rare for 4-6 people to bomb. We usually have enough for campus invites. However, I have heard instances where everyone bombed and they had to go back to the beginning.

I have, however, heard of places sending out an early invite to someone they really like and then send the rest later. So if it is before the deadline or only a few days after then don't give up hope. But, if you're two weeks out and people are updating then it's more likely that you won't hear.

SLAC SC Member (guest) 20 Oct 2015 00:15

I am currently on a search committee at a SLAC and as Anon said, we sent out phone interview invites all at once (same day). It is not impossible to return to your short list for more telephone interviews, but this is unlikely.

SLACanon (guest) 21 Oct 2015 12:24

Another confirmation: we make our phone interview list and send out phone interview invitations around the same time. I have been part of other interviews where the scheduling process is iterative (they schedule a candidate before moving to the next candidate), though I think this is less common for phone interviews.

I also want to strongly second what SLAC SC mentioned: in my experience, we have needed to go back to our list in 2 of the 4 searches in which I have been involved. Sometimes a phone interview reveals a candidate to be a poor fit, sometimes we have candidates take a competing position—just because you weren't on the initial interview list does not mean you are out of consideration.

asstprofSLAC (guest) 21 Oct 2015 22:00

Yes- all at same time.

AnonySlac (guest) 26 Oct 2015 23:53

I'm on a search committee at a SLAC. We initially set up interviews with our top three candidates. A couple of them weren't quite as strong on the phone interview. So, we went back to the list to invite a few more candidates for phone interviews.

teachingprof (guest) 07 Nov 2015 02:04

we contact all phone candidates the same day. the committee also tries to identify candidates which have not made the cut and inform them as soon as HR can process the request.
There are a handful that are "waiting in the wings" — so if you get neither call nor out right rejection, you're on the second tier list.

to echo others, many people do not do well in the phone interview… and i've been on numerous searches that do go back to the next tier (and with good success even!).

my suggestion is to PREPARE FOR YOUR PHONE INTERVIEW!!!

- have clear, concrete examples ready to discuss.
- do not use buzz words like "active learning" or "critical thinking" without some concrete example of what you do or how you assess it
- goldilocks principle applies — not too long and not too short — answer length needs to be just right
- if you're unsure if you're droning — pause a few seconds and see if someone tries to interject — if they do, you're talking too much. if they don't, have you made sure you covered all of the points that you need to make? if yes, stop. if no, finish your thought.