On what to do if an interview goes bad (or how to weather the storm).
A PhD student recently asked what to do if an interviewer turns out to be a jerk.
Over twenty years ago, I had the single worst interview of my career.
My terrible interview involved a faculty member with a chip on his shoulder.
He was my host on a campus visit.
When "the inquisitor" picked me up from the airport, the first question was where did I go to church?
I replied that I was a humanist and agnostic.
The Inquisitor proceeded to drive by every Christian church in town - Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopalian - even the Mormons, even though he took care to tell me that they weren't really Christian - I was mortified.
He dropped me off at the hotel - promising to see me at my job talk - I recall thinking - oh shit! What have I gotten myself into?
The Inquisitor turned up to the job talk loaded for bear - he used slang that I didn't know to describe research design, asked method questions that didn't make sense, & made the assistant professors in the front row wince.
He laughed when I could not answer. I was humiliated.
An assistant professor apologized for his behavior.
The Inquisitor took me to his office, threw me a copy of his book & then pushed me to help him design his survey instrument for his next book.
His survey was unintelligible - but how do you tell that to an interviewer?
At the end of my day, The Inquisitor kept me late to revisit his survey further.
I've never loathed a person so much.
The next day over breakfast, he pushed me to find out if I was married. He pushed me to show him reviews of my papers.
The Inquisitor ended my visit by dropping me at the airport & disclosing that my competition had a fancy pedigree.
I was too shell-shocked to realize that The Inquisitor was telling me that I didn't get the job.
It was a complete train wreck.
Do you know how to handle a bad interview? And a bad interviewer? Such that you don't break into a cold sweat when you see the person 20 years later?
First, fake it until you drop.
Throughout the experience, I smiled, took notes, and tried to make the best of it.
I was determined not to give "him" the pleasure of seeing me quit.
Second, take your lumps.
If you are on a campus visit, you are stuck.
You can't leave.
Take comfort in knowing you will never come back.
Third, shake it off.
It is one interview. There will be more interviews.
You have to look forward.
Fourth, silence is golden.
Kicking up a fuss about bad treatment can harm you on the job market.
Until you are employed, don't make waves.
Fifth, know it's not you.
Later, I saw my Inquisitor at a conference.
He introduced an assistant professor, told me that this was whom they hired, and explained how he was much better than me.
At that moment, I realized the issue was not me.
My Inquisitor was a horrible human being.
Be better than the Inquisitor.
Let's build a better academe!
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