Just in time for the annual celebration of synthetic spookiness, Cheryl Reed and Dawn M. Formo, two professors who've written a book about the academic job search, offer advice on dealing with something truly scary: the academic job interview. In an essay at Inside Higher Ed, they expand an observation by Stephen King, the, well, king of the creepy, into a sensible strategy for preparing for that deeply desired--but also dreaded--day when a job seeker may have to face a search committee in person.
People like horror because it lets them "dare the nightmare," the two authors quote King as saying. In just the same way, job seekers ought to use the months between the Halloween season--by which time their applications may have been sent out--and the period when actual invitations to interviews may begin to arrive, to consider the most horrifying things that could happen at an interview--and prepare to deal with them.
What questions don't you want to answer about your experience, background or research? Make sure you have good replies ready, so you don't get thrown should they get asked, Reed and Formo advise. What possible interview mistakes can you foresee? Work out ways to deal with them in advance. And what if no invitations ever come? Think about your Plan B.
Part of this process appears to resemble making a Halloween getup--figuring out how you'll present yourself. But, as the authors suggest, preparing now for scary times ahead may help you end up with the treat you most desire. You can find the essay here.
