Community College Job Interview - Sample Questions

The following are questions on education, teaching and "fit" that you may be asked. A subsequent column will deal with other kinds of questions.

Education and Experience

• To help us get to know you better, would you briefly tell us about your education and experience and specifically how it relates to the _______ position at ____Community College.
• Could you tell us about your experience, how you feel it applies to this position, and what you have to offer to the community college student?
• Can you tell us about what led to your choices of ____ as a field and teaching as a profession?
• Within ___________, what is your strongest area of expertise, how did you acquire it, and how have you been able to apply it?
• What skills will you bring to us at _________ Community College, and how do you see these skills fitting into our current offerings?
• The lack of time and resources makes it difficult to pursue significant professional research at a community college. How do your background and future goals fit into this reality?
• What activities and experiences do you have that would strengthen your candidacy for this job?
• Please describe your leadership and management style, giving us examples that demonstrate this style.
• What have been some of your most satisfactory professional achievements?

Teaching

• Tell us about the best teacher you had. How do you demonstrate these qualities?
• What three personal or professional values do you think are important for an instructor? How do you exhibit these characteristics?
• What is your educational philosophy and how do you implement this philosophy in the classroom?
• What do you believe are the key components/courses that should be included in the __________ curriculum/program. What is your vision of the program five years from now?
• What are the key concepts that should be included in any beginning ______________ course?
• What do you want your students to gain from taking a ________________ class? What kind of qualities and values do you wish to instill in them?
• What techniques have you used to assure effective communication?
• Describe how you would approach teaching a college-level geology class and, especially, focus on the outcomes which you expect from a college-level geology learner.
• Of the classes we offer (Geology 101, etc.) which do you feel qualified to teach?
• What forms of technology do you feel you would need to successfully teach Geology at _________?
• What do you find most challenging in teaching ____________, and how do you meet these challenges?
• What is the most interesting thing to you about teaching _______________________?
• Describe your most inspiring teacher and indicate why you found that person to be inspiring.
• How do you see the_____________ field changing and how do the changes impact the curriculum you teach?

Community College and Fit

• What do you understand the community college philosophy to be and how do you feel about that philosophy?
• How interested are you in becoming involved in a learning community, linked courses, or team teaching?
• Community colleges are unique learning institutions as compared to four-year universities, for instance. What contributions will you be able to offer the ______ department, the_________ division, and the campus in general?
• If you were selected for this position, how would you see yourself in the wider scope of campus activities, outside of your role in the classroom?
• What values or qualities would you bring to __________ Community College that would make a positive contribution to the campus? Give us examples of how these values are manifested in your teaching, the work of your students, and in your work at your current institution and its outlying community.
• Some of the courses offered at _________ Community College are a reflection of the faculty interests. For example, a course in marine geology may be scheduled because a certain instructor likes to teach it. What do you see as a positive and/or negative effect of this arrangement?
• Would you please outline for us your professional goals for the next five years?
• Our classes begin at 7 a.m. and go on until as late as 10 p.m. Are you flexible as to the hours when you would be willing to work?

http://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2011/02/28/essay_on_questions_asked_at_community_college_job_interviews