I see your lips flappin', but you ain't sayin' nothin'

I've had occasion to interview several people in the last couple of weeks, and while the process becomes tiresome rapidly, it is always interesting to see how people conduct themselves, particularly as reflections of their preparation. One thing I noticed in interviewing for new faculty was how scripted the ones just coming out of Ph.D. programs seem to be. I like to ask applicants a question I'm pretty sure they've prepared, and one I'm pretty sure they haven't, and have found boilerplate answers to both, though the latter tends to be unrelated to the question as they attempt to fit in a prepared answer to an unexpected question.

For the expected question ("Why this college?" a variation of the "Why do you want this job" type of question that you'll encounter on most interviews), the rookies tend to give the generic "Miss America" answers. They seem to either not know what they want, or, perhaps, are afraid to specify their values and thoughts for fear of saying something wrong. Specifically, they seem to be guessing what the interviewer is looking for, usually asserting that this college/business is a place where they can perform admirably on dimensions that the interviewer presumably values, bolstered with generic statements of opportunity and resources. However, no specifics are typically forwarded (Which faculty have similar interests, how so, specific areas for collaboration, etc., for instance), and their answers could apply to almost any interview. Yes, they hit the areas that interviewers typically care about, and deliver the response without pause or hesitation; a "roll tape" answer. One applicant actually gave an answer that was practically, if not entirely, a verbatim rendition of a paragraph in her cover letter.

Anticipating interview questions is not that hard, and you are bound to encounter some that you've prepared. However, you need to not only be prepared for variations on the anticipated questions, but to inject some of yourself into the answer. Give an opinion if called for, make a conclusion and back it up if asked, stand out from the cardboard cutouts that are playing it safe with the vanilla ice cream answers. I'm not saying you should go crazy, but you should at least be you. Ironically, the attempt to not create a negative impression may well create one.