In my too many years on the academic job market which culminated miraculously in my current position, I received a great deal of advice about how to navigate job application and interview protocols. I thought I would pass along some of this received wisdom in the form of these twelve fixed, eternal commandments that reflect a universal consensus about the proper guidelines for would-be scholars. Here they are:
1. Make sure to use last names and formal titles when addressing your interviewers. You don’t want to seem disrespectful.
1. Use first names. You want to seem like a colleague, not a grad student.
2. Make sure to thoroughly research the department to which you are applying before an interview. Learn the research interests of your interviewers and highlight in detail how your own work will complement the existing strengths of the program.
2. It will creep out the search committee if they learn you are googling them. You’ll seem like a stalker.
3. Highlight your scholarly breadth and interdisciplinary interests. Hiring committees want to know you are flexible and able to teach a variety of courses outside of your area of specialization.