Are you qualified to become a lecturer or tutor in a college? Congratulations because you are just an interview away from getting employed. But some prospective academicians get stuck in the interview panels. Basic questions are asked but the wrong responses are often given by interviewees. We’ll explore the questions that you can’t miss in academic interviews.

Why do you want to work here?

It looks so basic but you will be surprised to find out that this is the very question that gets many people to lose their job prospects. The bad answer that you should never give is that because you desperately need a job. The right answer should reveal you as a passionate academician that is looking to improve his/her teaching experience in the institution. You can mention that you are interested in an intuition that values modern teaching practices that you want to use to advance learning in the institution. Such a response will trigger further questions that will make you a top contender for the job.

What makes you different from other candidates?

This is a question that you will never miss. So, you’d better prepare for it. A bad answer is that the other candidates are more professional than you are. Even if you have never taught before, do not place yourself at a disadvantage. This is your time to show why you should be considered. At this time, you can showcase any professional course that you have done. It is at this time that your study of firefighting skills can set you aside. You just mention that you have been to a fire academy and know how to handle fire. Make it sound professional because it is.

What are your plans for research?

The main business in a university is research. Never forget that a university is a research institution. You should not go to the interview panel with an answer like “I’m not sure yet…” You need to be prepared for this question and start thinking about research that you are interested in. Even when you don’t have research plans of your own, you can talk about improving previous research in your area of interest.

How would you contribute to the administration?

Your contribution to the administration of your department will be asked. Don’t say that you are not interested in administrative duties. Think about your passion and how you can turn it into administrative work. For example, if you like writing, you can say that you will offer to write, edit, and publish your department’s newsletter articles. That way, you will become an asset that the university would like to keep. You can also use your previous experience to add to the administration. You can also say that you will spend some time researching effective administrative trends that your department can adopt.

What courses do you want to teach?

Don’t tell the interview panel that you are desperate for a job that you can teach anything they ask you to teach. You need to maintain professionalism with this question. Respond boldly that you will teach the course units that you have perfected based on your previous practice. You can also throw your background in a firefighter academy and offer to teach firefighting skills as an additional course.  

These are the top five questions that you should expect every time you are called for an academic interview.