24 Interview Process
Find Students:
Amazing students can be found all over campus. To find applicants talk to Faculty and Staff, Honors departments, Career Services, and Student Life. Look to student leaders on your campus and see who is talking about Open Educational Resources or advocating for affordable textbooks/college.
Set up the interview:
Many students do not have experience in interviewing. Keeping the process informal and educational can help to put everyone at ease.
Work with the students to find a good time to set up the interview, this may be before or after class. Try to be as flexible as possible, while still ensuring all supervising members of the team are available.
It’s best to talk with the student before the interview about the position. Let the student know what you are looking for, the time commitment, what the average “day in the life” looks like and any other information about the position that might help the student prepare for the interview.
Imagine de Tumisu de la Pixabay
Ask the Right Questions:
You want to keep in mind that most students have very little experience interviewing for positions. You will want to ask them thoughtful questions that will not put them on the spot, but rather lead them to talk about their experience, personality, and qualities that might best serve the position. Providing a copy of the questions for each applicant at the interview can also help students stay on topic, feel better prepared and allow them to avoid the awkwardness of asking “What was the question again?” if they become flustered.
Here are some examples of questions that have been used in past interviews:
Where do you see yourself in a year, 5 years?
What is your experience with Microsoft/ Google Suite/ Adobe/Programming, etc.
How do you approach a research project, what is your process?
What is your thought process on determining what is relevant/good information and what is not?
How do you prioritize work, school, and personal responsibilities?
How would you handle a situation if you had too much on your plate?
Tell us about a time you were inspired to learn a new skill to accomplish a task or personal interest?
In team situations, where do you usually find yourself? (Follower, Leader, etc)
Example of a time you had to take on the opposite role. How did it go?
How would you describe your own working style? (Self Starter, Collaborator, etc)
What skills and or perspectives will you bring to the team that others may not possess?
In the past, have you presented to a small or large group? What types of situations, how did it go…? Lessons learned?
This job will be collaborative between you, another Specialist, and faculty. How do you envision yourself working with these different people?
How would your teachers describe you?
We know this job will be adding 20-24 hours of work to your weekly schedule, do you have a plan in place to successfully meet the challenges of this job in addition to your other personal/educational responsibilities?
Don’t forget to ask the applicant if they have any questions!
It may take many interviews to find the right applicant, but they are out there! Don’t lose hope and keep the goals and needs of the department at the forefront of your mind throughout the process.
Interview Questions that we used at Central Lakes College
Overview of position, search process and timelines.
1. Tell us about yourself, your education and your work experience
2. What do you like most about your present/last job?
3. What do you like least about your present/last job?
4. This job demands excellent written communication skills. Please tell us about a time when you wrote something very well.
5. This position works closely with faculty to support their writing and research. Give us an example or two of your ability to support others with writing tasks.
6. This position requires someone who is self-directed, organized, detail oriented, and able to work independently. Please describe your abilities in this area.
