On-Campus Interview Guide
All elements are led by the Search Liaison or designate unless otherwise noted. Elements may occur concurrently; they are not strictly sequential.
- Update applicant statuses within PeopleAdmin to Short List.
- Partner with the Search Chair, Department Chair, and School leadership to determine interview participants:
- Stakeholders may include but are not limited to students, internal faculty and staff, and external stakeholders that may interface with the position. Stakeholders should be advised that their role is to provide feedback however not to “vote” on candidates nor directly influence evaluation.
- Escorts are individuals who help the applicant transition from one event to the next. Escorts must be coached to avoid raising prohibited subjects such as pregnancy status, race, etc.
- Interview Leads are individuals who introduce the applicant at events, briefly describe the job to stakeholders, ensure a steady flow of conversation, and ensure the event remains on-task and on-time. They also lead interview question preparation.
- Partner with School leadership to prepare post-interview feedback form(s) and aggregation.
- Google forms are commonly used
- Contact the applicant:
- If the applicant is not local, offer to arrange a free, local area tour via the official relocation partner, Long & Foster. Schools arrange tours on behalf of applicants using AskHR@wm.edu ATTN TAT. HR requests at least three business days’ notice for tours. Do not refer applicants to personal realtors nor conduct area tours in personal vehicles.
- To make travel arrangements or convey reimbursement options, in accordance with separate financial/ procurement guidelines.
- To understand any reasonable accommodation needs related to the interview. For example, an applicant may require activities be wheelchair accessible, providing written materials in large print or braille
- To understand any key applicant questions or goals that could be addressed during the interview process. Some applicants may wish to see the lab in their research area, or speak to a DEI leader within the school or affinity group representative, for example.
- To convey any presentation/teaching/forum interview elements.
- Prepare a detailed itinerary, to be shared with the candidate. See separate Sample Itinerary file.
- Interviews should be as alike as possible; however, it is permissible to add customized, candidate-requested interview elements which are not evaluated, such a tour of a lab in the applicant’s research area.
- Customarily, a presentation, forum or teaching opportunity is included, to which all department faculty are invited.
- A real estate tour from the official relocation provider (unless local or declined).
- Include bathroom breaks and opportunities for the applicant to be alone/decompress.
- Reserve rooms and, as necessary, AV support.
- Invite and confirm non-applicant interview participants for interviews.
- Schools/Arts & Sciences will be responsible to ensure that students providing evaluations of candidates are appropriately prepared to participate.
- Invite and confirm applicants for interviews.
- Provide itinerary and any applicable details such as hotel address, directions, parking or transportation information, reimbursement information, open forum details, and point people contact information.
- Provide a contact person for questions.
- The Search Chair or other school designate informs the committee and stakeholders of process and expectations. All stakeholders must be advised to avoid prohibited topics and to search as ambassadors in all interactions, including during any meals or breaks.
- The Search Chair ensures the following questions appear somewhere in the interview. Paraphrasing is allowed:
- Please tell us who is under-represented in your classroom/your discipline.
- Please describe something concrete you do to ensure those students or colleagues thrive, and ideally, stay in your major/field.
- Ready interview rooms and provide interview question copies to all participants. It is customary to provide the applicant with bottled water, paper, a writing utensil, and a written copy of interview questions (to remain with the Employer). Interview question copies must be collected after each interview.
- The Search Chair or Dean customarily concludes the interview by offering to answer any applicant questions and describing the timeline/next steps.
- The Search Chair or designate oversees feedback collection.
- Move the applicant status to Interviewed.
- The Search Chair leads interview de-briefing and circulates feedback forms. Feedback forms may be restricted to the ultimate Hiring Authority or may be shared with the committee, per School/Arts & Sciences protocol. Responses are part of the search record and shall be forwarded for upload.
