Pikes Peak Community College Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process was long and cold. I went through multiple rounds of interviews, visited campus 2-3 times, and I was not treated in a friendly or welcoming way. The whole thing was cold, distant, and felt like they already had picked a person for the job and were just going through the motions. I first did a telephone or online meeting with the hiring committee. That went well. I next came in for a teaching demo and questions with the same committee. When I walked in, I was told to start my teaching demo immediately. No chance to get to know the committee and know who was in the room with me. Then they asked a bunch of boring, vague, and standard teaching questions that barely scratch the surface of what it means to be a teacher! I was not given the chance to ask any questions and asked to leave as soon as they finished their questions. During the questions, nobody smiled and gave positive feedback. It was so hostile that I almost didn't come back again for the next step. The next step was meeting with two deans. They were a tiny bit more friendly, and allowed me to ask questions, but all of my questions were relevant to faculty so they couldn't answer most of what I asked. In asking them a few questions, one dean mentioned faith and God which I found to be inappropriate at a public institution. Overall, I had very little interest in working here after the treatment I received.

So there were a TON of applications for this faculty job, seriously hundreds. Over half got tossed out right away for not following the instructions in the job post. The first interview was like a basic check, I don't really remember it. Then came a group interview where we also had to do a teaching demo. For that one, there were like 2-3 people from the department and then others from different parts of campus. After that, a third interview with the department dean and associate dean, which felt like a final check by management. The whole thing took ages, but that's just how higher ed is.

I applied online and got a call for an interview about two weeks later. The process started at the HR office where they had me fill out background check forms while I waited to be interviewed. Lots of people were waiting, and interviewers took them back to rooms one by one. My interview started right on time with a panel of six people. They handed me a paper with six questions, and each panelist asked one. We had 45 minutes total. The atmosphere was really welcoming and friendly. I was impressed with the questions, the culture, the vibe, and the whole process.

Interviews felt a bit strange due to COVID, all conducted via Zoom. It started with a brief 15-minute pre-screening, followed by a 1-hour panel interview that included a teaching demonstration. The panel members were quite friendly and put me at ease. However, HR was slow to reply to my emails asking for contact details for thank-you notes and to get updates on the hiring process.