至于面试我准备的50多个问题。我的想法是一定要站在学校的角度思考问题。很多问题
太个性化,并不适用于大家。我把能分享的答案分享,很多也是在网上找的答案。
1. What made you apply for this position?
Why do you want to work here?
Everyone has strengths and weaknesses as employees. What are your strong
points for this job?
What special aspects of your education or training have prepared you for
this job?
这些问题,我觉得可以从四个方面回答,宗旨就是一个,你需要什么,我就能提供什么
。所以每一点都是这么回答,说清楚你要的是什么,我做的是什么。自然表达出match
,而match这个词都不要去提起。
First, I am particularly interested in the School of xxxx because of its
commitment to examining xxxx. I am doing my own work on xxxx.
Second, I see interesting intersections with my work and the current faculty
in the School, such as xxxxxx.
Third, I am looking forward to working with your xxxx Research Center, which
is interested in the same issues that I have in my work on xxxxx. I can
also develop collaborative research projects across the University on xxxx
with the Department of xxxx
Fourth, I look forward to teaching your courses xxxxx
2. Tell me about yourself.
这个你最好能几句话就说完,保证谁都能懂,而且和你去的那个大学有关系,一句话:
站在学校的角度思考问题。比如,I am a speech pathologist who can design new
tools to detect hearing impairment in children at the youngest age. I am a
mature scholar who can build a top-tier research program on xxxx and who can
build a strong interdisciplinary research program both within the School
and across the University with xxx. I am the one who can contribute to the
University goal of becoming a top 1% research university in the world. .
3. Tell me what your research.
一句话:站在听众的角度思考问题。面对大同行的听众,别讲深了, 大多数的听众对细
节不感兴趣。如果面对小同行,可以深一点,也别太深。最重要的是一定要他们能听懂
。这个问题实际和第一个问题想通。你讲自己的科研,都放到学校的需求里面去。一句
话:站在学校的角度思考问题。
4. How to Engage Undergraduates in Research? 这种问题可以扳着手指,以自信
、斩钉截铁的语气,一个一个数给他们听。不需要说成句的话。
- Identify Learning Objectives.
- Choose the Form and Intensity of the Undergraduate Research Experience.
- Set Expectations-Yours and Theirs.
- Provide the Right Support.
- Assess the Experience.
- Further the Experience.
5. How would you manage this and still stay productive in research and
writing?
- Writing every day.
- A small army of research assistants.
- Working in parallel on several projects at the time.
- Submit, submit, submit.
- Create the best office environment to work.
- Be organized and disciplined.
- Don’t get discouraged and keep going.
Teaching and mentoring
6. How will you mentor graduate students?
- take an interest in developing another person’s career and well-being
- have an interpersonal as well as a professional relationship with those
whom they mentor.
- advance the person’s academic and professional goals in directions
most desired by the individual.
- tailor mentoring styles and content to the individual, including
adjustments due to differences in culture, ethnicity, gender and so on.
7. How will you mentor undergraduate students?
- Establish clear expectations
- Make the steps of the research process explicit
- Teach students resilience
- Incorporate routine checks for understanding
- Foster increasing independence
- Address professional development
8. How does your research contribute to your teaching?
Research results instil fresh material in the classroom. The field of xxx,
especially xxxx is still in its infancy. With the rise of new content,
students strive for concrete examples and applications of concepts to the
world that they know which is different from the world we knew when we were
students. New research results represent prevailing theories, the outcome of
our cumulative understanding, and the application of concepts to the most
relevant problem domains or our time. I find that there is no better way to
keep my course material current than to peruse the latest research and
update the material so that it reflects current understanding.
Our understanding continues to evolve as new research results emerge.
Students aim will be more poised to make important contributions in practice
if they are well-versed in current development. Certainly, there is a
balance between educating our students on the big picture and “timeless”
concepts, but I find that students are often quite grateful for having some
exposure to the concepts and problems that the education sector in the real
world is thinking about today. Instilling course material with fresh
research results is one important way that instructors can help this process.
9. How does your teaching contribute to your research?
First, to create new knowledge, we must first master the existing body of
knowledge. I find that teaching a subject is perhaps one of the most
efficient ways to become embedded in a subject matter, since the process of
explaining concepts to students leaves no room for “cutting corners” in my
own understanding. The process of building understanding in a particular
area allows us to develop a deep understanding the paradigms and theories
that currently exist, and how those paradigms and the existing knowledge
base might be extended.
Second, teaching Ph.D. students about a particular subject matter is also a
way to bootstrap research, by helping our students get to the frontier of
knowledge more quickly than they otherwise would; I sometimes teach seminars
on cutting-edge topics simply because I find the process to be an efficient
way of helping students quickly ramp up on a topic where I would like to
see more research happening.
Third, in the process of explaining an existing phenomenon, you might
discover that existing explanations or theories don’t actually suffice. As
instructors, when we attempt to explain various facts or situations to
students, we sometimes find that we can’t explain why things are a certain
way, thus exposing needs to develop new technologies, theories, and
paradigms.
Fourth, teaching encourages us to think about the big picture, and what “
really matters” about a particular research contribution. As an instructor,
I strive to think about the big picture, and why a student should care
about a particular research result, theory, or concept five or ten years
down the road, long after they have left our classroom and received their
degree. It also forces us as researchers to step back and think about why
the problems we are working on have broad impact and why they matter to
society at large. Explaining to a classroom of students why a particular
result matters is perhaps one of the most useful exercises for distilling a
research contribution to its essence.
10. What is your definition of a ‘good’ teacher?
How do you define good teaching?
What do you think are the most important attributes of a good
instructor?
- Encourage contact between students and faculty;
- Develop cooperation among students;
- Encourage active learning;
- Give prompt feedback;
- Building a strong connection between knowledge and practice
- Communicate high expectations; and,
- Respect diverse talents and ways of learning.
The reality is that effective teaching goes much beyond developing subject
matter expertise. From my experiences in higher education, great teachers
share two common characteristics: an extraordinary sense of humility; and, a
strong commitment to continual improvement, based upon a fundamental
motivation to inspire student success.
11. How to encourage students to learn?
- Creating a supportive and positive environment
- Make a positive impression
- Give assignments that let students think outside the box.
- Ask the students to share their opinions.
- Encourage lively class discussion.
- Show the students how your subject matter impacts the world.
- Encourage group work.
- Give helpful feedback.
12. How do you adjust your style to the less-motivated or under-prepared
student?
How do you engage students, particularly in a course of non-majors?
- Be enthusiastic.
- Begin building connections with your students. Let your students know
that you care about them as individuals and as learners.
- Set a positive tone that focuses on student success.
- Determine students’ goals and objectives while discussing your goals
and objectives. Let students know how your course can fit in with their
personal or career goals and objectives.
- Explore students’ fears and apprehensions. You may want to invite a
panel of former students to answer student questions about the course. If
you leave the room, students will feel less anxious about discussing
whatever is on their minds.
- Communicate what students can expect of you and what you expect of them.
- Help students understand the amount of work that goes into being
successful.
- Provide many opportunities for success.
13. Tell us how you would teach our big survey course.
I believe large classes can be a powerful and effective learning environment
. I would look forward to using new technological innovations to maximize
the opportunities for student discussion and participation.
- Treat your large class like it is a small class.
- Integrate problems into the class and get students to figure them out.
I start each of my lectures with a problem. The problem is related to the
concepts being discussed that day in class. I get students to respond to the
problem and suggest how to solve it. More than half of the class
participates. Such a focused exercise gets them to apply their knowledge and
experiences while keeping them connected with the purpose of the lecture.
- Change your teaching approach every 15 minutes.
- Using small groups is a great way to get students involved with their
own learning. It allows a safe place where students can work through their
ideas with their peers before sharing their ideas in a large class.
- Incorporating technology (e.g. clickers, smart phones, web-based course
management software) can make active learning in large classrooms more
manageable.
14. Ways to Check for Student Understanding
- Avoid Yes/No questions.
- Ask students to reflect. During the last five minutes of class ask
students to reflect on the lesson and write down what they’ve learned. Then
, ask them to consider how they would apply this concept or skill in a
practical setting.
- Use quizzes. Give a short quiz at the end of class to check for
comprehension.
- Ask students to summarize. Have students summarize or paraphrase
important concepts and lessons. This can be done orally, visually, or
otherwise.
- Think-pair-share. Students take a few minutes to think about the
question or prompt. Next, they pair with a designated partner to compare
thoughts before sharing with the whole class.
- Peer instruction. Perhaps the most accurate way to check for
understanding is to have one student try to teach another student what she’
s learned. If she can do that successfully, it’s clear she understood your
lesson.
Leadership
15. What approach do you take to get your people to accept your ideas or
department goals?
In your present job what approach do you take to get your people
together to establish a common approach to a problem?
When trying to influence people, I usually try to put myself in their
position and think about their perspective. I'm then able to present
thoughts to them in a way more likely to end in success. I help them
understand that they are also part of my idea. This will enable them to be
more receptive and I will also be receptive if they improve on that idea.
This will get improved ideas to come.
16. Tell us about a conflict you had with a colleague and how you have
handled it?
Can you describe how you go about solving a problem? Please give us
some examples.
What is the biggest conflict you have ever been involved in at work?
How did you handle the situation?
What was the last major problem that you were confronted with? What
action did you take on it?
Several years ago, I was creating a grant proposal as a principal
investigator. We were on a very tight deadline because we had to have the
proposal ready for submission in time. I am in charge of the submission of
proposal on time and I was working with colleagues from XXX, XXX, and XXX.
The co-PI, who was assigned to writing the section on neural plasticity and
learning, was very talented, but unfortunately missed a deadline that I
assigned. When I approached him about it, he blew up at me. I was taken
aback by his response, but I remained calm. I acknowledged that the
deadlines were tight and explained again the reasoning and the importance of
having the proposal ready for submission. He relaxed a little when he saw
that I wasn’t attacking him. He told me about all of his other competing
projects and how overwhelmed he was. I asked him if there was any way that I
could help him come up with a solution. Eventually, we agreed that it would
help if me and other co-PIs had a better understanding of how important and
time-consuming this section could be. We eventually ended up assigning some
of his other projects to other colleagues, which took some of the pressure
off of him. We successfully completed the submission of the proposal in time
and we were eventually awarded the grant.
17. What do you do when students challenge you or have conflicts with
each other about controversial issues in class?
Identifying a clear purpose
- Connecting the topic with course material, including fundamental
concepts and strategies for analysis and thoughtful reflection
Establishing ground rules or guidelines
- Listen respectfully, without interrupting.
- Listen actively and with an ear to understanding others' views.
- Criticize ideas, not individuals.
- Commit to learning, not debating. Comment in order to share information
, not to persuade.
Avoid blame, speculation, and inflammatory language.
- Allow everyone the chance to speak.
- Avoid assumptions about any member of the class or generalizations
about social groups.
Providing a common basis for understanding
Being an active facilitator
Summarizing discussion and gathering student feedback
18. Leadership style
I am a democratic leader. The democratic leadership style means facilitating
the conversation, encouraging people to share their ideas, and then
synthesizing all the available information into the best possible decision.
I am able to communicate that decision back to the group to bring unity the
plan is chosen. I treat my staff as adults and I trust them to make good
decisions. I try to provide people with as much information as possible
about what’s happening. This empowers them to shine under both guidance and
context by giving them a wide latitude for decision making. My goal is that
between the time a person starts working with me and when they finish, I
want them to feel their career has progressed.
19. You’re a team leader. What would you do if the work of one of your
subordinate team members was not up to expectations?
As a team leader, it’s my responsibility to keep the team moving forward
and progressing through our tasks. If I have a member who is not living up
to expectations, I would first try to investigate why the individual is
having a problem and whether it is something I can help solve.
The first step is to determine if the problem is personal or professional.
If it’s professional, then it’s my job as the leader to try to help the
individual get the assistance they need to bring them up to the level the
rest of the team is delivering at and expecting.
If it’s a personal problem, I would keep an eye on that person and make
sure that it doesn’t continue to affect the professional work they’re
doing. If it is a situation which requires time away and the University can
afford to let them go for a while, I would encourage them to deal with the
problem and then come back ready to rejoin the team.
If it’s a situation where they need to take more time than the University
can allow, I would try to suggest that the individual solve the problem on
their own in such a way that it doesn’t continue to affect the rest of the
team.
20. What things do you look for in an organization?
Tell us about your preferred work environment.
What do you value in yourself as a colleague/in other colleagues?”
I look for professional environment of learning and opportunities to utilize
my skills to do meaningful and interesting research on xxxx, to work with a
very excellent faculty team on science and practice, to cultivate the next
generations of scientists and teachers. I look for professional environment
where my talent, efforts, and achievements will be appreciate, where I can
develop a world renown program on xxx, and where I can help the University
of enhance its research profile.
21. Describe your ideal job.
My dream job would include all of the responsibilities and duties in this
position you're trying to fill. I also thrive in an academic rigorous and
ambitious environment where I can develop a top-tier research program on
xxxx.
22. Do you prefer working alone or in groups?
I prefer working in groups while I am also capable of working independently.
I take a multidisciplinary approach to XXX. I have built a global
collaborative network by actively working with researchers in the USA, China
, Australia, and Singapore.
23. What kind of people do you find it most difficult to work with? Why?
On a personal level, I enjoy all types of people. On a professional level, I
have respect for all individuals that work hard and maintain a professional
work environment. Provided both of those are met, I will always get along
with my colleagues without any personal disagreement.
24. What are some things you would like to avoid in a job? Why?
There are so many things I would like to avoid doing. I would like to avoid
making my students bored of my research; avoid doing only the mediocre
research; avoid disappointing my university with a less than top-tier
academic performance; avoid having differences with my director and
colleagues caused by poor or vague communication.
25. You’ve been assigned a major project and are halfway through when
you realize that you’ve made a mistake that requires you to go back to the
beginning to fix it. How do you handle that while still trying to make your
deadline?
The first thing I would do is stop whatever I am doing on the project and
really investigate the mistake. Is it small enough that I can correct it
without losing time? If so, I make sure that I rectify the situation
immediately and move forward.
If it’s a mistake that requires a full reworking of the problem and the
solution is going to force me to come close or even miss my deadline, I
would make sure to immediately inform my supervisors and let them know what
is going on. Ideally it would be a situation where I could adjust my work
accordingly and, if needed, put in the extra time to make the deadline
without compromising the rest of the project.
If the mistake is a result of my work, as painful as it might be, I have to
come clean. If nothing else, it can provide a learning opportunity for any
other people I might be working with who are in similar situations or
dealing with similar scenarios.
26. You’re working on a project with a tight deadline but you find that
you’re unable to complete your section because your coworkers and your
supervisor are unavailable to answer a few key questions. How do you deal
with the situation?
The first thing I would do is sit back for a moment and assess the situation
. I would look at the project overall and see if there was a way for me to
perhaps redirect my focus onto other areas I could work on by myself without
their assistance. If that isn’t a possibility, then I would make sure to
exhaust every avenue I have at my disposal to try to get in contact with
them.
I actually ran into a similar situation on a project a few years ago where I
needed to get some specific answers to a problem before I was able to move
forward to the next step. Unfortunately my co-worker who had the answers was
in an area where I was unable to reach him in time. I managed to continue
working on sections that didn’t require his input and by the time I was
done with those, he was back in range and able to answer my questions.
Not only did we make our deadline, but by getting the other sections done
first, we were able to focus all our attention on the final segment and
really bring it together in a way that exceeded our clients expectations. It
was a real win! Staying calm and focused and making sure I was doing
everything within my power to make the project a success gave me the ability
to figure out how to work around the situation successfully.
27. What do you think are the most important characteristics and
abilities a person must possess to become a successful? How do you rate
yourself in these areas?
To become successful, I believe the most important thing is to set long term
goals, and with full grit and determination, letting nothing sway you away
from these goals, work sincerely and honestly towards these goals. Also, I
believe that fortune favors the brave ,and nothing can stop u from getting
successful if u are brave.
28. What motivates you to go the extra mile on a project or job?
Fortunately, I am highly self-motivated and do not require a great deal of
external motivation on projects and jobs. I have an extremely strong work
ethic, and I am not really capable of doing anything less than going the
extra mile. I enjoy the satisfaction of completing a project that goes above
and beyond expectations. Sure, I like to be praised for my work as much as
the next person does, but the real reward comes in seeing an outstanding
finished project, knowing my role in accomplishing the project, and
realizing that I put more than my best effort into it.
29. What are some of the problems you encounter in doing your job? Which
one frustrates you the most? What do you usually do about it?
What will you do if something goes wrong?
What happens if your hypothesis is wrong? Your experiments fail? You can
't get access to the archive you need? Your grant is unsuccessful?
- adjust my goals. Successful people are not going to give up that easily
. If X went wrong, it does not affect Y which is the hallmark of their
success. They are adaptable and determined to go on. That means having a
plan B ready so that the phoenix will rise from the ashes.
- realistic optimists. Research suggests that the realistic optimist is
more likely to be successful. In addition, they are grateful for what they
have achieved and will concentrate on their successes.
- Learn from my failure.
- know that failure is a prelude to success
- ask for advice
- be persistent and courageous
30. How would you contribute to the administration of the department?
I look forward to having the opportunity to fully contributing to the life
of the department. I have a special interest in the recruiting and assisting
international students. I had some experience in this role at my last
institution and realized that I have the skills necessary to do it well and
actually implemented changes to their policy on x. However, I realize the
need for flexibility here and would happily take on the challenge of any
administration role that would suit my level of expertise.
31. When you have been told, or discovered for yourself, a problem in
your job performance, what have you typically done? Can you give me an
example?
I realized my first year that my writing was not up to standard. I struggled
not only in my core courses, but in other courses that required writing
papers. I used the university’s writing lab as much as possible, but toward
the end of that first year, I knew I needed to do more to overcome my
deficiencies. My solution was taking two additional writing courses over the
summer to truly grasp the fundamentals of writing, but then to also take my
writing to the next level. Some of my proudest moments later in college
have been when professors have noted on my papers that they were impressed
with my writing abilities.
32. What are your standards of success in your job?
My standards of success begins with following what I know I am capable of
doing setting my goal that is attainable and not letting anyone or anything
stand in the way of me achieving the very best that I can be. Learning to
put all of my time, dedication and efforts into my success pays off by the
rewards that I will receive in the end.
33. How to deal with diversity?
As a minority working in the United States and Australia, I am highly
experienced in working with people from different countries. My experiences
with diversity have well prepared me for elevating diversity in my research
and teaching at the University of XXX.
- I will recruit and train students and postdocs from minority groups.
- I will apply funding to support the recruitment of minority graduate
students in my area.
- I will provide mentoring workshops for both female and minority
students to encourage them in academic careers.
- I also propose to collaborate with faculty and students at under-
represented institutions and to pursue internal and external funding to
support this type of collaboration.