The interview process for tenure-track positions used to be fairly predictable. Not anymore.

For decades, the interview process for tenure-track positions was relatively fixed in both timing and format. A department would conduct first-round interviews during its annual disciplinary conference at a hotel, and six to eight weeks later, invite select candidates to second-round interviews on the campus. For today’s faculty job candidates, however, that system has been disrupted by a pandemic and a job market short on tenure-track openings.

As a graduate student or a new Ph.D., you may have heard stories about a time when candidates were interviewed in massive ballrooms or in chairs clustered around a bed in a hotel room. Originally conceived as a way to help departments and candidates cut costs, conference interviews had become prohibitively expensive and the subject of growing complaints pre-pandemic.

The good news is that conference interviews have, at this point, been largely supplanted by Zoom, which is easier and less expensive for both sides of the hiring table. The not-so-good news: Things are more precarious than ever at the campus-interview stage. Economic instability at many institutions means that not every department is bringing finalists to the campus, and some positions get canceled even after the second-round interviews.

As experts on graduate-career counseling, we see a lot of confusion now from applicants who aren’t sure what to expect or when to expect it. Many parts of the interview process will be outside the control of even the most well-prepared candidate — but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t prepare. On the contrary, it’s more important than ever to focus on the elements of your search and, ultimately, of your career that you can control.

For jobs posted in September and October, first-round interviews are likely to be conducted virtually in January or February. (For openings posted after October, the timeline is likely to be adjusted.)

To the department, the first-round interview is meant to determine if you and your work is enough of a “fit” to warrant a second interview, which usually involves a visit to the campus. As a candidate, you also need to form your own sense of how well you mesh with the department. This initial meeting is a good time to clarify anything in the job ad that you found unclear. Remember: Even in a difficult job market, interviewing is a two-way street. You and your interviewers are there to learn about each other.

How to prepare. If you put in the time to write a customized cover letter for your application, then you’ve already done some of the legwork to prepare for the interview. Go back to that letter now and review both it and the job ad. Jot down a few notes as you answer the following questions:

• What did you initially find exciting or enticing about the position? (It’s a job opening, yes, but what else?)
• What did you learn about the institution and the department in writing your cover letter?
• Which aspects of your research, teaching, and service mentioned do you plan to emphasize in the interview?
• What questions do you have about the position or the department?

This first conversation is likely to be fairly brief — only 20 to 30 minutes — so you want to make the most of your time. Prepare some pithy descriptions of your work so that you don’t go too deep into the weeds when you are nervous, as well as a few questions so that you aren’t scrambling to think of them in the moment. Be prepared to elaborate on points in your cover letter and to mention things you didn’t have room for. (See our FAQ at the end for suggestions on what kinds of questions to ask.)

With a Zoom interview, set-up is key. Get situated in a quiet room with a door that shuts, where you are unlikely to be interrupted by other members of the household (including pets!). If possible, elevate your laptop so that you are looking straight at the camera, and ensure the space is lit well enough so that the interviewers can see your face. It’s OK to use notes, but we recommend against having a notebook on the table in front of you, which would cause you to look down. Instead, place sticky notes around the edge of your laptop.

Whether they are short or long, interviews can be intense experiences. Take some time to decompress afterward — go for a walk, watch something you’ve been looking forward to, or see a friend for coffee. If debriefing with a colleague, friend, or family member will help you, then by all means do that, but try not to dwell too much on specific moments from the interview. It is very difficult to judge your own performance (but often equally difficult not to).

Then, try to move on. It may be several weeks before you hear about a second-round interview. And unfortunately, if you don’t receive a callback, you may never hear anything at all. We both regard the practice of ghosting candidates to be extremely rude, but it is also extremely common due to the way hiring is done at many institutions (more on that in the FAQ below).

Campus (or Second-Round) Interviews

Campus visits are nerve-racking for most candidates. On occasion, we’ve met people who are able to reframe the experience as a chance to connect with new colleagues over shared interests in teaching and research. But a lot of us can’t. Knowing in advance what to expect here is often the best way to manage your stress.

During the pandemic, departments conducted second-round interviews virtually. Perhaps the biggest disruption we’ve seen at this stage of the interview process is that some departments continue to prefer the flexibility and affordability of a virtual interview format. Be aware that your second interview may end up on a screen. If that happens, it can mean three to four hours of back-to-back virtual meetings, which many people find taxing. If you find it distracting to look at yourself in a tiny box as you speak, hide that feature. Take advantage of any moments to be off camera.

Whatever the format, ask the hiring committee for a schedule in advance to help you prepare. Candidates often hesitate to do that, but it’s an entirely reasonable request. It may take the department some time to pull together a schedule — we all know how difficult it can be to arrange multiple meetings — but ask to receive one as soon as possible. If the interview will be on campus, the schedule should include travel and accommodations information, as well as a list of events.

Read the schedule and think of how you can best care for yourself during this high-stakes, high-stress process. If there are no breaks listed, ask that one or two be added. Even if the second interview will be entirely virtual, it is important to have built-in breaks. If you’re on a search committee and helping plan a campus visit, please remember that it’s not an endurance test. Candidates are human beings who need time to use the bathroom or eat a granola bar, and the power dynamics of the interaction might make them hesitate to ask. The same goes for candidates who are interviewing virtually. We should all be aware by now that it is exhausting to be on camera constantly for several hours.

What to expect. Most campus visits will involve all or most of the following:

• One-on-one meetings with faculty members in the hiring department and related programs
• Lunches and dinners with groups of professors (and/or students)
• A tour of the campus
• Meetings with campus or school leadership

As a candidate, you will be expected to:

• Deliver a research presentation (“job talk”), usually based on your dissertation research if you are a new Ph.D. or A.B.D. Ask the department for a sense of the time limit and audience for your job talk.
• Give a teaching demonstration. The department should be able to give you some information about its preferred format and topic area. It might involve teaching students as a visiting speaker in a departmental course.
• Give a second research presentation, often called a “chalk talk” (so named because you’re asked to sketch out your future research plans on a chalkboard, or today’s equivalent). This is primarily for fields in the sciences.

Most doctoral students have given presentations, taught as teaching assistants, and had interviews for various positions, so it’s likely that you’ve gotten comfortable talking to a range of people about your teaching, research, and service. If, however, that doesn’t feel like a skill you’ve mastered, you’ll want to set up time to practice. We suggest reaching out to your campus career center or other professional-development staff members for help on this front. Practicing your answers is a smart move even if you feel confident in this skill.

If you’re like most job candidates, you will be the most anxious about the research presentation and the teaching demo. Encourage your department to set up a time for those on the faculty job market to practice their research presentations. This is the best way to refine your “job talk.” If your campus has a center for teaching, staff members there may be able to help you decide how best to manage your teaching demo. In short, it is highly likely that there are people on your campus who can help you succeed. Take advantage of these resources.

Finally, bear in mind that any time you are with someone from the prospective department or institution, you are being interviewed. That includes things like informal mixers with graduate students. They might seem like an opportunity to relax, if you are just finishing up your own Ph.D., but we recommend being very cautious, as anything you say can — and probably will — make it back to the search committee. And definitely do not drink too much alcohol in the social meetings on your interview schedule. That is not how any candidate wants to be remembered.

What should I ask during a job interview?

You are expected to have questions for the search committee. Not having questions will make it appear as though you are not engaging with the process. You might genuinely have questions about the position or the department, in which case you should of course start with those. (Try to avoid asking about things for which you could find an answer online, though you can ask the interviewers to elaborate on some point you read on their website.)

For first-round interviews, you might also ask:

• How would you describe the campus culture?
• What sorts of faculty-development resources does the college offer?
• Is the department currently facing any particular challenges? How do you hope hiring for this role will help meet those challenges?
• What does the tenure process look like at this institution?

For second-round interviews, you might also ask:

• What is the surrounding city/town/region like? What is the relationship between the town and the campus?
• Are early-career faculty members expected to serve on committees? If so, what does that commitment usually entail?
• What kind of support is given to faculty members as they move through the tenure-and-promotion process?
• What are the priorities of the senior administration? How are those priorities showing up “on the ground”?
• For campus leaders, such as deans or provosts: What is your vision for this institution? What are some of the challenges facing the place in the next few years? What are its strengths?

You can also ask about specific campus resources, such as the teaching and learning center, research centers, grant-management support, and the campus library and reference librarians.

Should I send a thank-you note to the hiring committee?

It is generally good practice to email a thank-you note to the head of the search committee, after both rounds of interviews. If you meet with many people during the campus visit, you do not need to thank everyone. Rather, you might email the chair, and perhaps one other person who was the most involved with your visit, and ask them to pass on your appreciation to others.

These notes should not be long, but you can use them to bring up things you found especially interesting or enjoyable about your campus visit. And if there is anything you would like to clarify, the post-interview email also gives you space to do that (briefly!).

When can I ask about compensation?

The second-round interview is a good time to ask about compensation, if that information is not posted with the job ad or offered freely in the first round. This information should not be a closely guarded secret, as salary transparency is important for promoting pay equity. However, if your interviewers seem reluctant to give a number, you can ask for a range.

Remember that compensation is not only salary, and you’ll need to know the entire package in order to make an informed decision. In addition to salary, the typical compensation package for faculty jobs includes things like:

• Research funds
• Research leave
• Health insurance
• Pension- or retirement-fund matching
• Spousal hires
• Tuition waivers for family members
• Child-care facilities and/or subsidies
• Paid time off
• Summer salary

Some of these items can be negotiated if you receive an offer; others are likely set by campus policy or (if applicable) a collective-bargaining agreement.

What if they don’t want to fly me out?

We believe it is the institution’s responsibility to pay for finalists to visit. But the reality is that some colleges are no longer flying all final candidates out for second-round interviews. In those cases, you are often given a choice between paying for your own visit or conducting the second interview virtually. Although there are advantages to interviewing in person, you should consider carefully whether to pay for a campus visit yourself, as that may tell you something about the state of the department’s finances.

If you choose to interview virtually and are subsequently extended an offer, ask if the department would be willing to bring you out as you make your decision. This is a very reasonable request, since you are weighing not only the job but also the location. It would probably be a very short visit — just a few nights — but it would give you as much of a sense of the place as a campus visit would. Sometimes a department will also agree to fly out your partner, too.

It’s been weeks since my second-round interview. Why haven’t I heard anything?

Sometimes hiring decisions take a while — it isn’t unusual to hear nothing for three or four weeks. But it is an awful reality of the academic job market that sometimes hiring committees never get back to second- and third-place candidates, even after a campus visit. People are left to find out that someone else got the job through online wikis or via an update of the department’s website.

There are reasons for this. Hiring systems are often automated at large universities, and HR will not want to send out any messages to candidates until after the top finalist has accepted the position. Sometimes those messages never get triggered at all, or get triggered months later. The hiring committee might even want to reach out to candidates, but campus policy may forbid it. And then there is the not-to-be-underestimated inherent awkwardness of delivering bad news, which sometimes stops people from doing what they know they should do.

If it has been more than a month since your campus visit, there is nothing wrong with emailing the search-committee chair to ask for an update. The chair might be able to tell you something useful, even if it’s just that the search is being held up. If you get no response, take that as a sign to move on — mentally, at least. The thing to remember: It is very likely that being ghosted has nothing to do with you or the strength of your candidacy. It is just an unfortunate reality of how some departments choose to run a job search.

And if you are a member of a search committee reading this, please do what you can to ensure that every applicant you interview gets a clear response. It is unconscionable that so many candidates hear nothing, even after a campus visit. People know the faculty job market is tough; they know they may not get the offer. Treating your candidates with some care and consideration puts some civility back into an arduous process.