University of Detroit Mercy Interview Questions
& Process

The article was well-organized and informative. The interviewer was knowledgeable and gave me details about the role and what's expected. I learned about the next steps in the hiring process after the interview. I heard back shortly after.

I was interviewed by a panel of eight people, which was unexpected since I was told it would just be the hiring manager and a couple others. Most of the questions came from only one or two people on the panel, though the others were mostly responsive when I asked them questions. A couple of people really stood out and made me feel welcome. I was then invited to a "finalist" interview where I had to interview panel members and do a writing test, followed by more take-home writing. The writing test involved an AP-style editing test with proofreader's marks and a PR writing piece, both due in 30 minutes. The manager suggested I do editing first, even though I mentioned I hadn't done AP writing in years and hadn't done manual proofing since high school. For the PR piece, I was given a few sentences but no other instructions, and there wasn't enough time to finish it after the editing test. The take-home assignment was to write an article and social posts based on the PR piece. The next day, the manager emailed asking for my personal notes/questions from the interview, but never answered when I asked why later on. The whole process felt unclear, and asking questions about it from the hiring manager got a negative response. The department assistant was helpful, though. Even though it was partly a web editing job, there were no coding tests. They tested me on AP-style editing, which I admitted was a weakness. The other finalist had a journalism degree in sports writing and also did AP editing. When I asked if there was an internal candidate, there was an awkward silence before someone said 'uh, no.' They ended up hiring an intern who was much younger and white. Knowing about him would have made me withdraw early. After being rejected, I sent thank you notes to seven panel members; two replied. Diversity in the marketing department seemed low: two women and seven white males. The sports marketing department also seemed all male. I was a minority candidate and lost a part-time job waiting nine weeks for this process. U of D Mercy's EEO policy states they consider all candidates equally regardless of age, race, sex, etc., though they can consider religion as a religious entity.

First, I had to submit a bunch of stuff: my cover letter, my teaching philosophy, a writing sample, and three recommendation letters. After that, there was a phone interview. Then, I went for on-campus interviews with the administration and the hiring committee. Finally, I had to do a teaching demonstration in an actual course that's relevant to my research.

It took about six months from when the job was posted until they asked me for an interview. I met directly with the people who would make the hiring decision. I didn't have to deal with HR, and I avoided that barrage of questions that never seemed to make sense. HR usually doesn't really know what makes a good accounting or finance person. The interviewers were professional, interesting, and sensible.