Help - Virtual Interviews with Admin

[TT]

(ABD Job candidate here)

Have two upcoming virtual interviews, one with the Dean of Faculty, and one with the Vice President of Academic Affairs.
What will they both be asking of me as a candidate? Best way to prepare for each interview? 

Advice please! Thanks!

[CCap]

Administrators such as deans and provosts are generally concerned about bigger picture issues. They will quickly assess whether they think you will still be there seven years from now if they hire you. Will you flame out and not get tenure? Will you be inclined to ditch them if you get some prestige? In essence, are you a good investment that will pay off for the institution 10 or 20 years down the road.

In addition, they will probably be trying to determine if you will fit in or contribute to the overall campus culture and climate. Will you support their current programming? Will you bring in something new? It is the rare scholar who can successfully isolate themself in their office and just produce beautiful research that brings glory to all. Much more common is the slightly arrogant ABD who imagines they are that rare scholar.

How to prepare? It’s tough. These are often investigations of a candidate’s cultural capital, and that’s hard to fake. You either got it or you don’t, and there really isn’t any way to cram for this exam. Be genuine, be a little humble, be interesting, don’t self deprecate, be confident, don’t come across as too self important...

Practice answering the question “where do you see yourself in 5 (10) (20) years.” Ideally your response will be around 50% about your personal achievements and 50% about the contributions you have made to your institution, wherever that might be. Don’t forget to mention student growth.

Be sure to come back here and let us know if any of this was useful for the place you interviewed at.

[TT]

THANK YOU!!

That clears up a lot of the anxiety I had about what these meetings might entail. I'll definitely circle back and give an update on how it went. Wish me luck!

[CCap]

One last note. It is common (perhaps expected) that the candidates ask individuals in these positions about (1) expectations for tenure and promotion, and (2) institutional support resources. Sometimes they will bring up these issues on their own

Don’t be pushy or demanding. This is a conversation in which you can get some information. The way you ask (and respond) will be factored into their impressions of you. Demonstrate that you are aware universities have different ways of doing things and be appreciative of whatever they have to offer. If you have special needs that would be dealbreakers, you could inquire about their policies but remember that this is not the negotiation. (This probably isn’t the time to announce that these are dealbreakers. And your attitude might change later.)

You are still trying to sell them on you, and hopefully they are trying to sell themselves to you. Try to sound impressed with the chance of being offered this opportunity. But don’t be a suckup. Be a professional.

Try to avoid pissing anyone off.

[TT]

OP here.
The interviews with the admin went really well. Everything was less formal than I had expected.
They asked me questions about:
(1) general research
(2) teaching philosophy/ balance of research with teaching
(3) future goals (long term, short term).
They actually did a bunch of the talking, especially about support they offer to faculty. So that was helpful. Thanks CCap!