Resources:  Preparing for Faculty Interviews in Higher Education

 

Compiled by Elizabeth Figa, Ph.D., University of North Texas School of Library and Information Sciences

 

Things You Shouldn't Say In A Tenure-Track Job Interview
Cartoons by Kerry Soper.
 http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~wilkins/onepage/cartoon/

Some Other Resources for Interviews — Food For Thought:

Do I "Deserve" to be a Tenure-Track Professor?
http://crazyphd.blogspot.com/2004/09/do-i-deserve-to-be-tenure-track.html

Academic Job Application Checklist
http://www.otal.umd.edu/~sies/jobchecklist.html

Chronicle of Higher Education Previous Advice Columns
http://chronicle.com/jobs/archive/advicearch.htm

Advice to Search Committees and Job Seekers on Faculty Recruitment and Hiring
http://www.ade.org/cgi-shl/docstudio/docs.pl?jil_jobseekers_caf

The Chronicle of Higher Education's Career Network  --Learning the Lingo
http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~wilkins/onepage/faq-teachingjobs.html

Questions One Should Be Prepared to Answer for Job Interviews
http://www.otal.umd.edu/~sies/jobquess.html

The MLA Job Interview:  What Candidates Should Know
http://www.adfl.org/cgi-shl/docstudio/docs.pl?bulletin_241038

 

Job Hunting in Academe: Landing on the Tenure Track!

http://library.msstate.edu/content/templates/?a=397&z=78

Academic Job Interview Questions for New American Studies Ph.D.s

http://www.georgetown.edu/crossroads/interests/student/questions.html

 

Career Quick Tips  Employment Letters
http://www.studentaffairs.cmu.edu/career/CareerBriefs/emplett.html

 

Preparing for an Academic Position:  Writing CV and Teaching Philosopy6

http://gradschool.about.com/cs/academiaprep/index.htm
http://gradschool.about.com/cs/curriculumvita/a/vitae.htm

What to Ask During an Academic Job Interview
http://gradschool.about.com/cs/academicsearch/a/facint.htm

What You'll be Asked During an Academic Job Interview

http://gradschool.about.com/cs/academicinterview/a/acadintask.htm

 

Cost of Living Computational Tools

 

Statistical Resources on the Web – Cost of Living

http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/steccpi.html

 

Cost of Living Comparison Calculator

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/movecalc.asp

 

Salary Calculator

http://www.homefair.com/homefair/calc/salcalc.html

 

Cost of Living Calculator

http://www.bestplaces.net/col/

 

How Far Will My Salary Go in Another City?

http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/costofliving/costofliving.html

 

AIER Cost of Living Calculator

http://www.aier.org/colcalc.html

 

Cost of Living Wizard

http://swz.salary.com/CostOfLivingWizard/layoutscripts/coll_start.asp

 

Salary Negotiations

 

Negotiating your First Academic Job Offer

http://web.archive.org/web/20010411022801/http://www.ocs.fas.harvard.edu/html/nyfajo.html

 

The Great Divide:  Salary Battles between Professional School Professors and Everyone Else

http://chronicle.com/cgi2-bin/printable.cgi?article=http://chronicle.com/free/v49/i38/38a01001.htm

 

American Association of University Professors – check out salary surveys … and other stuff

http://www.aaup.org/

 

Job Offer too Low?

http://www.quintcareers.com/salary_counter_proposal.html

 

Salary Negotiation Method Tips and Advice

http://www.quintcareers.com/salary_counter_proposal.html

 

Career Journal Tips

http://www.careerjournal.com/salaryhiring/negotiate/

 

Noel Smith-Wenkel  Method

http://infohost.nmt.edu/~shipman/org/noel.html

 

Evaluating Job Offers and Negotiating Salary

http://www.jobweb.com/Resources/Library/Salary_and_Benefits/Evaluating_Job_75_01.htm

 

Negotiation Articles

http://www.wetfeet.com/Article%20Types/Negotiation.aspx

 

Women in Academia (good for men, too!):

http://www.genderwatchers.org/AddlResources.htm

 

College and University Faculty Salary Database

http://oir.memphis.edu/faculty_and_staff/ipeds_faculty_salary.htm

 

The Big Payoff

The Big Payoff: Educational Attainment and Synthetic Estimates of Work-Life Earnings

 

Negotiating Salary in the Non-Academic World (good for the academic world as well)

http://chronicle.com/jobs/2001/10/2001100801c.htm

 

 

Dr. Figa’s Five “Rules” on Salary and Negotiations

 

1.      Do your homework. In the library at public universities there are reference books that give salary listings for tenure and tenure-track faculty often broken down by departments/schools. This information will give you a range for the department.  Be bold:  Ahead of time, call to the reference desk at the library, ask the book be pulled, and ask to be read the salaries for all faculty in all ranks in your department.  Or make time to get the library on your site visit.

2.      Look at salary ranges for advertised positions in your field at many universities – this gives you an additional range to know what the market will bear – you must, however consider regional salary differences.  Do some research to determine what, statistically, is a low, mid, and high salary range for a particular position.

3.      When it becomes time to negotiate, DON'T make an opening offer.  Do not be the first one to mention an exact amount of money, no matter how many ways the interviewer tries to get you to inform him or her of what you earned or what you wish to earn in the future or what other school are offering.  In some places, this is common strategy used by chairs/department heads.  Work to get “them” start out the salary negotiations.

4.      Do not be afraid to negotiate for a salary higher than others already in the department! Salaries really depend on the person, your value to the program, what the current market will bear, etc.  Remember:  Your base starting salary will only be added upon by cost of living raises (which these days do not meet annual increases in actually cost of living.)  Getting the most money you can on the initial starting salary is the key … you will have to “live with” what you accept without sour grapes if you choose not to negotiate.

5.      Postpone saying yes or no to an offer until you are home and have had a chance to review all of the information you have received and carefully consider it.  Interviews are emotional experiences … at the interview is NOT the right time to accept an offer.  Trust me on this one.

 

OTHER MYTHS/WORRIES:

• I’m afraid if I ask for more, I’ll jeopardize the job offer.
  What Dr. Figa says:  In my view, the worst thing you can hear is, “No, that’s the salary.” As well, if a dean or department head withdrew an offer because you asked to negotiate, I would really wonder about working at that place!

• Negotiating is only for aggressive “wheeler-dealer” types.
  What Dr. Figa says:  Actually, negotiating involves very subtle communication by a smart, prepared person!

• It embarrasses me that I might be seen as “greedy” if I ask for more money.
  What Dr. Figa says:  Only you know your worth … and if you can actually live and thrive on the salary that is offered.

• What you should not forget:

• Relocation costs – if you know you are moving, get an estimate from two movers to move 100 miles, 500 miles and 1000 miles away based on your belongs.  Be prepared to ask for full-coverage on the moving expenses OR give a really close estimate.

• Set up a meeting while on site with the benefits office to learn about insurance, retirement, other benefits such as life, disability, and accident insurance as well as medical, dental, vision, and counseling benefits for you and/or a family.

• Health spa or gym membership for faculty

• Child care assistance

• Parking costs

• Conference travel support