Willamette University Interview Questions
& Process

I got an email about a phone interview. The email was clear about what to expect and how to prepare. I had the interview over Zoom. The chair of the search committee and other members took turns asking me questions. They were general questions.

It started with a phone screen. Then, there was a long day of on-site interviews in person. This included a presentation, where one professor seemed to be dozing off, and multiple group interviews with faculty, students, and staff. After I sent a thank you note, the hiring committee chair asked to start my reference checks. Around the same time, a faculty member accidentally hit 'reply all' on my thank you email, complaining that I didn't address him as 'Dr. So-and-so.' I teach professional etiquette, so I used general terms because the school's website wasn't up-to-date with everyone's titles. I didn't want to offend anyone by assuming. I addressed them all professionally with the limited info I had. I withdrew my application because I couldn't see myself working with faculty who would react like that. I couldn't work with someone so easily offended, who couldn't communicate professionally via email, and who spoke about candidates that way. It was completely unprofessional and not fitting for someone with a terminal degree.

I heard back about this position via email about 3 months after the job close date. The search committee invited me to interview. The email mentioned, in a very subtle way, that the job was part-time, which was different from the full-time description when I applied. I was really interested and decided to continue with the interview. Overall, it was a good experience, but the search committee seemed a bit unorganized when it came to scheduling and figuring out the pay. About two weeks after my interview, one of the committee members emailed me asking for references. I had already provided references as part of the application, but I sent them again. My references weren't contacted for about a month after I sent them. THEN, a month after they spoke with my references, I got a generic email from 'HR' through the university's Workday system saying the job was filled and thanking me for my interest.

It was a friendly and timely process. They started with reviewing my resume and cover letter, then had a screening phone call, and finally a search committee interview, all done remotely. The group interview, which was supposed to be a Google Hangout, unfortunately ended up being a phone call because their equipment failed, which took away a key part of how we could interact. They got back to me within a week after the interview, just like they said they would. Sadly, it was a rejection, and they didn't give any reasons why. I asked them for feedback on how I didn't meet their expectations, but as usual, I haven't heard back and probably won't. That's the only thing I wish had been different. Never mind the 20+ hours I spent preparing; not getting any feedback at all makes the time feel wasted. Even though lawyers might advise against it, I really value feedback, whether it's positive or negative, and the lack of it doesn't help anyone.