What are the most common questions for assistant professor interviews?

Are there resources to support faculty start-ups? Can faculty get startup leave? (Even if you don't have a start-up. Even if you never plan to have a start-up.)

Here is a subset of questions that every assistant professor candidate should ask during their interview:

  • Could you tell me about your research?
  • What are your expectations for tenure?
  • How many recent tenure cases have failed?
  • Do you have a faculty mentoring program? Who would be my mentor?
  • How are graduate students admitted and funded?
  • How are classes assigned? What about teaching assistants?
  • What would my teaching load be for the first several years?
  • What are your service expectations for assistant professors?
  • What are your expectations for the faculty you're hiring this year?
  • Is the department planning to hire more faculty? If so, in what areas?
  • Is the department planning any new degree programs? If so, for what audience?
  • How strong are the graduate students? Undergraduate students?
  • Aside from what I can gather from US News, what makes this department special?
  • How are decisions made in the department? In particular, how did you make the decision to interview me?
  • What is the department's sabbatical policy?
  • How collaborative are the faculty and students?
  • How social are the faculty and students?
  • What are the department and university politics like?
  • Do you have a dual-career hiring program? (Even if you don't have a spouse. Even if you never plan to have a spouse.)
  • What are your family leave policies? (Even if you don't have kids. Even if you never plan to have kids.)
  • Are there resources to support faculty start-ups? Can faculty get startup leave? (Even if you don't have a start-up. Even if you never plan to have a start-up.)
  • Where is the closest good barbecue / sushi / brew pub / espresso shop / farmer's market / Mexican grocery / climbing wall / aikido dojo / hiking / mountain biking / whitewater rafting / hunting / chamber orchestra / jazz club / hip-hop club / independent cinema / art museum / maker space / day care / mosque?
  • Where do you live?
  • What do you do on the weekends? Over the summer?
  • Have you scheduled any time for me to speak with students without faculty present?
  • Do you have any questions for me?

Bonus questions to ask students (and/or staff) when faculty are not present:

  • How do you like studying/working here?
  • What are the faculty not telling me?