Ways that others can help you to prepare for your interviews while you’re completing your dissertation

We’ve just posted 15 tips that you can use as you prepare for your faculty interviews on the main page for PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP, however, it can be difficult to prepare for interviews while you’re trying to finish your dissertation.  In the Dissertation House, Dr. Carter-Veale tells participants to get help with tasks that aren’t related to content.  In the same spirit, here are some ways that friends or family members can help you to prepare for your faculty interviews and job talks.

1. You will need to research the school, the faculty, and the leadership.  Ask a friend or family member to print out pages of faculty members’ websites, and select pages from the organization that you need to review.
2. Ask someone to help you with preparing a packet of information about the school or organization that you can review on the plane, in your hotel room, or a day or two in advance of your interview. Consider a folder with pockets that you can get from your campus bookstore.
3. Send someone copies of your CV, teaching philosophy, and copies of two recent papers or abstract and ask them to prepare 2-3 folders that you can have available for interviewers (and one “master copy” for yourself)  in case you have updates to share, or want to refer to something from your packet.
4. Ask friends or family members to help you with things doing like laundry, picking up dry cleaning, getting your comfortable business shoes re-heeled,  or going shopping for the “interview” suit or outfit.
5. Ask colleagues to be an audience and listen to your job talk in advance.  Allow them to ask you critical questions and make constructive comments.  Give someone the job of timekeeper.  Ask them to observe your body language, volume, and enthusiasm for the topic in addition to examining the content.
6. Although the interviewing organization will probably make your basic arrangements, ask someone to help you with other parts of your travel if necessary.   For example, you may need to drive from the airport to your hotel in a new city.  Someone else can print out your mapquest directions, or pre-program your GPS.  Plan for departure location ground transportation to and from the airport or train station (e.g., BWI, Dulles, DCA).

Friends and family often want to find a way to help you as you move toward the finish line. Give them something to do. Let them know that their help is invaluable. Good luck with your interviews.

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This post may be copied, but please reference “The Dissertation House — http://www.thedissertationhouse.com, a program of PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP.”

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The text content of this post was compiled and written by the staff of PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP and may not be copied without referencing the PROMISE organization, as “PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP”.

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Filed under: Dissertation House, Interviews Tagged: Dissertation House, Faculty interviews, Interview, PROMISE: Maryand's AGEP

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