In the comments section of our most recent "how can we help you?" thread, Curious Individual writes:
I have my first fly-out! The visit will include a meeting with a dean. But what gets discussed in such a meeting? What should I expect? How should I prepare? Any insight would be very much appreciated.
First of all, congrats – I hope you knock it out of the park! Second, great question. It's been a few years since I've interviewed with a dean, so I'm not sure I'm the best person to ask, but I'll share a few thoughts in a moment.
Before I turn to that, though–and ask you all to share your thoughts–I'd like to highlight an important issue. In response to Curious' comment, Amanda wrote:
The meeting with the dean is the easiest part of the interview. It is basically just for show. When I've had these meetings I was asked easy questions about my research, teaching, what I think of the area etc. Most schools choose who they want to hire and the dean signs off on it. (Curious if anyone has a different perspective from me. I think in Europe and the UK things might be different?)
As I mentioned in a brief rejoinder, my experience is very different than Amanda's. I had an on-campus interview at a very small SLAC whose dean (I learned from a search committee member) was not only a de facto member of the search committee, but the person whose "vote" mattered more than anyone else's. Basically, the school was so small that the dean micromanaged things and wanted to make sure new hires fit his vision of the college. In essence, if the dean wanted you, he would make that known to the search committee, and if he didn't then you were out. So, yeah, the interview with him was sort of important!
How, then, does one prepare for a meeting with a dean? I'll tell you how I prepared: I looked the dean up. Turns out, there were a bunch of articles on the school website and in student paper about all of the initiatives he was leading, and how they fit his vision of the college. Did I mention those things at the interview and say how I'd fit in as a researcher, teacher, and colleague? You'd better believe it (fortunately, although I despise micro-managers, I actually kind of liked his other educational ideals!). Anyway, that's one thing I did (without, I think, being too obsequious about it), and so the first thing I would suggest: learn who the dean is.
The second thing I think I'd suggest is not just to learn about who they are as a dean, but about who they are as a person. For instance, I once had a dean who was a professional musician. He loved talking music. It was his passion. As luck would have it, I used to be a semi-professional musician myself–and I think we actually chatted about that when I interviewed by the job (and not even by me bringing it up; it just kind of came up naturally). One of the things I think academics sometimes forget or neglect is that good interviews are not always primarily about impressing the person interviewing you with your knowledge or skills, but instead forging a personal connection with them. Not saying this is the way things should be, but let's be frank: humans are emotional creatures who seem to have this strange tendency to favor people they "like" and feel comfortable around. The science shows this too: "emotional intelligence" has positive effects on interview outcomes.
Finally, here's a third, more anecdotal thought on deans. My experience is that they tend to care about the place they work–that is, about their college or university. Suppose you're a great teacher and researcher but you show up to their interview plainly knowing very little about the university's mission, college structure, etc. Are the chances good you'll come off well? (Hint: I'm pretty sure the answer is no). So, that's a third tip: do your homework.
Anyway, these are just a few thoughts of mine. What are yours? If you're a candidate who has interviewed with deans, what were the interviews like? What kinds of questions did you get? On the other hand, if you've been on the hiring side (or are a dean yourself!), what do you think is likely to lead to a good interview?
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