Lafayette College Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process started with a phone screen. Then, I had 3 interviews all on the same day, speaking with a business partner, an analyst, and my future boss. A few days later, I had a more casual chat with the CFO. Everyone on the team was really nice and easy to talk to. The whole thing took about 2 weeks from the first call to the offer. I didn't accept because the salary was lower than I asked for; I was told $XX,XXX was doable during the phone screen, but the offer was $8,000 less. I would have loved to join, but the money wasn't right.

The process was pretty straightforward, albeit fast paced as I had one virtual interview and the next interview was a full day on-site with a presentation. I was taken to meet with prospective colleagues from across the college with little heads up on who I would be meeting. That included the dean, so I had little time to prepare myself. That meeting was also incredibly short - only 15 minutes, to get to know the person who would be my supervisor. Overall, the interview process was fairly standard, however my biggest disappointment is that I was never informed they had chosen another candidate. Keep in mind, I was a finalist. I reached out for an update 4 weeks after the final interview and presentation and never received a response. I had received a response to my initial thank you email after the presentation letting me know they’d get back to me in a week or so, but never heard back. Highly unprofessional and has left me with little desire to ever apply for another position there.

The interview process involved a series of 30-minute meetings with different professors and staff over 1.5 days. A meal was provided, one-on-one with the chair of the department. Meeting various faculty members was useful for understanding their work and how they manage things at their institution. The environment was very welcoming, with great people. Students are notably active and interact well with professors.

The interview process was poorly managed. The first interview was over Zoom, and one committee member, the Chair, didn't show up. The second interview was on campus and lasted from 9am to 9pm, which was generally fine. A major red flag was that they didn't know who I would report to if hired. After returning home, I had another interview over Zoom with a dean, which couldn't be arranged during the 12-hour campus visit. A search committee member asked about my references but never called them, which is unusual for a professional interview. About a month after the interview, I emailed the chair to express my continued interest and inquire about the search status. A week later, the chair responded saying they were no longer the chair and had forwarded my email to someone else. I haven't heard back in over two months. HR needs to intervene and set professional standards for interviews. Professors struggle with the process, which reflects poorly on the college.