You have done your homework. You have tailored your documents to get your potential employer’s attention. You have stepped in. Now it is time to show you are the one to stay.

The best way to do so and avoid undesired stress and confusion is thinking about possible answers in advance. Questions may vary, but they usually share the same bottom line: Introductory and Professional Background questions, qualifications and goals, research, teaching experience, problem solving and management, and wrap up questions. 

Academic Introductory sample questions:

Try to be specific, giving two or three concise reasons. Sample questions may be:

• Why have you applied for this position? /Why do you want to work here?
• What aspects do you like about this job? And dislike?
• What do you expect from this job?
• What contributions do you think you can make to our department/university?

Academic Background, Qualifications, and Goals

Here, you may want to relate your qualifications and goals with those of the institution. Knowing the college and department needs and projects will help you shape your answers according to their values, goals, etc. Some questions on the topic may include:

• Tell us a little more about your experience that you did not mention in your application.

• How your strengths can benefit this department/college?
• What are your weaknesses?
• What are your professional goals in the short term and long term?
• What professional accomplishment are you proud of?
• How are our institutional mission related to your goals?

Research 

Be ready to shape your answer according to an expert or non-expert audience. Also, think about its noteworthiness as well as limitations. Finally, what you would like to be your next step. Sample research questions may be:

• Tell us about your best paper. It is not a question if it had a big repercussion or meant a turning point in your career or research. The point is to give a well-structured answer and sound rationale.
• How have you made your research appealing to the community other than the university?
• Could you explain why you chose this topic for your research?
• Have you made any changes to your research?
• What are your current interests?
• What contribution do you think you can make with your research?

Teaching Experience

One distinctive aspect here may be thinking about how your research has influenced your teaching and how you instrument your classes' research approach. Also, try to be practical in the sense of not merely focusing on teaching's intrinsic intellectual value but giving concise examples and concrete goals. Explain what your students will get from the course, how you will work to do it, evaluate them, and, most significantly, how your contribution will complement their studies and future careers. Sample questions related to teaching may be:

• Tell us about your teaching philosophy?
• What challenges have you faced?
• What courses have you taught, and what have you done to make them constructive?
• What is your strategy to approach inclusive learning?
• What courses are you prepared to teach?
• What technological resources do you use in your classes?
• How do you manage challenging students?
• How have your teaching assessment feedbacks influenced your work performance?

Problem Solving and Management

Focus on conveying a positive image that highlights your strengths, self-confidence, and committing yourself to your duties. And show you are flexible enough to make the necessary changes to be successful. You may face questions such as:

• When coping with conflict, what is your biggest motivation to solve it? 
• Could you tell us about a negative experience you had at work, what you did and what you learned?

• What experience do you think you need to supervise a project?
• How would you organize your workload?

Academic Wrap Up Questions

Try to avoid generic questions. You may want to highlight your interest in research and ask about the project you would supervise. And also how the department evaluates research work. But, above all, you need to think about what youwant from this job to make sensible questions. Some wrap-up questions might be as follows:

• Some specific questions about ongoing department projects.

• What funds are available for research, and how does the university accrue them?
• How does the department assess faculty?
• Is there any summer support for faculty?

The list for all possible questions is endless, but knowing the topics can relieve some of the load anxiety and stress the hiring process generates. Therefore, you will have a clearer mind to articulate original well-structured answers. Remember, you want to portrait yourself as a committed colleague, excited, and enthusiastic.

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