being on a panel part 1

The selection panel in Stationary Studies was the first time (in over eleven years here) that I've been involved with an academic appointment in a different department, so this was an interesting experience for me. It also provided some anecdotes of things NOT to do in job interviews, which might be of some interest to some readers, and gives me another reason to blog about this instead of doing housework or other things less appealing at this moment.

First, I'll outline the selection process in my Uni (which is pretty typical for the UK).

• applications are sent to HR, to a specific deadline. HR then makes lots of copies and removes things like Equal Opportunity Monitoring forms
• Each panel member is given a full set of copies and a form to fill out for each applicant, on which they record scores for the fit to the various essential and desirable qualities specified in the advertisement (e.g. in this case, having a PhD in a broadly relevant discipline, having quality publications, and having some experience of grant writing was essential, having a Higher Ed Teaching Qualification or having been the named grant-awardee was desirable)
• panel members meet together to make a long list of about ten people, and then a short list of 4-5 who they will invite to interview, with back-up names in case any of those people decline to be interviewed
• If you are wondering where the rest of the department are in all this, they are not allowed a proper say any more due to the need to treat all candidates absolutely equally in the eyes of the law, but a pack of applications is made available and they come to the seminars (and ask questions). Sometimes they make informal inputs into the process... actually, in my experience, the only input that IS now effectively included from non-panel members is from the administrator/secretary who has dealt with all the applicants equally over things like arranging interview times and accomodation, expenses reimbursements, and doing the moving around of people from waiting area to interview room etc. - Hint Number 1: never, ever be rude or impatient or flippant or bossy with the administrative person. It WILL get known by the panel and they WILL take the opinion of this essential member of the team seriously.
• All candidates are seen in the same day/day and a half.
• First, each candidate gives a seminar on an aspect of their research. This lasts about 30 minutes, and Hint Number 2: pretty much regardless of the brief given to candidates must demonstrate a) that the person does exciting research b) that the person can explain complex ideas clearly and compellingly to a non-specialist audience c) that the person is capable of preparing clear slides and speaking to a set time and d) that the person has some awareness of the departmental context that they are applying to join (e.g. might mention opportunities to collaborate, how their work fits in with any very specific requirements from the ad or further details of the job (such as 'must teach first year Safe Use of Office Equipment'), how they've involved students in their research... little, throw-away things that make a good impression)
• Then they are asked questions by the audience, which consists of anyone who wants to come along, essentially. They need to be cool under fire here, to take even daft questions seriously and politely, and to Hint Number 3: answer the question asked, even if the answer is "we've known the answer to that since 1954" or "noone has any idea" - it can always be made to sound positive by following that with a comment about how your collaborator at Uni Z is working on that, or that it is something you plan to do over the next five years, or.... Usually candidates either sit in on each others' talks or sit in a waiting area staring at each other and making awkward small talk. Neither is conducive to calm.
• Then there is a Meal: depending on the scheduling of the interviews, this might be lunch without the panel or dinner with the panel. Hint Number 4: this is NOT the time to drink too much or tell many many hilarious anecdotes about you or stare inappropriately at the admittedly large breasts of the token grad student invited along to the event. Be a polite, friendly version of yourself. Ask questions, listen to the answers, look interested, and remember that everyone else is feeling a bit nervous and awkward too - they're scientists, social interaction with strangers is always a challenge. At the same time, this is not a critical skills test - at most places, absent-mindedly mopping up sauce with your bread or dropping spagetti on your clothes or admitting to a preference for beer over wine is most unlikely to affect your chances of getting the job. Oxbridge is, sometimes, different here - jokes about the 'ordeal by dining' part of the interview have some basis in reality if you are going for a _college_ job as opposed to a university job - but do remember before writing this off as archaic snobbery that, unlike most academic posts, the people you are interviewing with in that context will be sharing a meal table with you several times a week every week for however long you and they work at that college.
• Then there is The Interview, in which the panel ask a series of questions - usually ones which have been agreed in advance so that each candidate will be treated the same. There will be a couple of questions on your research. These will typically touch on collaborations (within and beyond the university you are interviewing at), your ability to generate funding, your five-year plan, and your contribution to REF2013 (Hint number 5: if you do not know what REF 2013 is, find out before the interview!!). Hint Number 6: do not go on too long. Give an enthusiastic few sentences, then pause and say 'have I answered your question or would you like me to explain a little more?' It's embarrassing for the panel to have to try and cut you off, plus you need to show off all aspects of your greatness, not just your research (even at a top research institution, other jobs have to be done by academic staff). There will be questions about teaching - maybe about your teaching experience, your personal teaching style, how you would address a situation (typically, how do you approach teaching 200 first years in a lecture theatre? or how important is field work - general questions which give you a great opportunity to mention some particularly original thing you've done or to show your awareness of what the department already does), perhaps for details of a final year option you would offer (hint number 7: check the web site to see what's currently offered! Do NOT upset someone by saying you'd offer their pet subject. Also, this is a great chance to show that you are aware of any particular characteristic of the student body at the place you are applying for). Then there will be some kind of administrative question - usually something like 'what is your attitude to administration?'. You are not expected to be really keen on it - in fact that can be seen as dubious - but this is a great chance to show that you understand that a good academic is able to be a team player and that some administration is essential. It's also a good place to mention roles that interest you - one of the best answers I've seen was when a candidate explained briefly how, as a first-in-his-family uni applicant (a large part of our cohort are in this general category), his choice of undergraduate university had been largely made because one institution made him feel welcome, replied to his enquiries quickly and made a point of ensuring that he met with present students from similar backgrounds at the open day, whereas the first, more prestigious place had made him feel awkward and unimportant and had nearly put him off university altogether, and said that therefore he was particularly interested in helping with admissions and induction (that is, welcoming first years and getting them settled) because he realised how important it was for widening access (a key agenda at our place), which he had personally benefited from. Smart answer - honest, hit some key points, and was only an indication of interest not a demand for a role.
• then the applicant gets to ask questions. Hint number 8: don't ask too much about the size of your start-up, whether the amount of teaching is excessive, the chance of an early sabbatical - it's better to ask things like 'how are teaching and other duties allocated among staff?'
• then the applicants go home and the panel discuss. Hopefully they agree a rank order and on anyone who isn't appointable. Then the chair gets to ring one of the candidates...