re: So I have a job interview next week. (Day one is in the books page 4)

show cleavage.

ETA: a woman that did this got the job. you're interviewing just to pass the HR rules.

How about wow Janice are those Double D's you sporting? I would like to play with those funbags someday.

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questions I should avoid asking

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It was clear that one of the guys we were interviewing had been to the departmental webpage and studied all of us. That's fine, I'd do the same. But he started asking really probing, personalized questions about our fields and stuff (and he restated every question we asked him, like it was a group therapy session, wtf?). That's what I was getting at earlier about coming off like a stalker. I knew he was gaming me and that was insulting, so you've got to try to walk that fine line between showing that you care enough to check out the people you'll be working with, but not getting up in their business like it's an OT thread.

Don't ask the illegal personal questions, obviously. They're going to try to find ways to ask them of you, though. "Has your wife been to California before?"

Are the schools you listed the only ones in the country with that program, or are they the only ones in the southeast with that program? If they're the only ones in the country, there's not much they can say about teasing you about being southern. If there are others, get ready for the Yankee/West Coast fascination with southern white people. Don't overplay that and avoid playing up the stereotypes for your own amusement (if you get the job, you'll have to live with the caricature of yourself that you painted in the interview [it's good fun with people from AL, MS, LA, etc. call each other redneck and sister banger, but it's insulting when outsiders do it]).

UC systems are in a horrendous budget crisis, so I would dance around the salary issue. They've probably provided a salary range in the ad and there's nothing wrong with trying to get more, but tread lightly. They don't want to hire someone who's going to get pissed over salary within 12 months and jet. Asked about "room to grow, professionally, in this position" and "growing within the program."

In that hiring committee situation you described, I'd want to know exactly who the boss is and who's in the chain of command. Sounds like you're serving several different masters. And from my experience with extension agents, the extension service is a whole other animal from the ag school side (though people from that college tend to be far less egg headed and socially awkward that other colleges).

ETA: And if there will be students there, you need to emphasize how much you like working with students and helping guide them in their learning/maturation process (even if all you care about is researching salmonella in the slaughter process and envision the students being turned upside down on that slaughter conveyor). "Student-centered" is the new buzzword. In reality, I have no problem with it because it's really what we ought to be doing anyway: if a student needs help and you can provide it, do it - if you can't call someone who can; and don't be an a-hole unnecessarily when dealing with students.

Find out from the student what kinds of things they are looking for in a professor in this position, but be careful not to get them off on a rant about other profs. Some students are just waiting to tell you every shitting thing there is to know about a prof, and even if everything they say is true, it's going to piss off the other profs who are in the room. Plus, this interview is about you, not the a-hole who was there before.

LINK

Great questions. Also, at the end of the interview, ask if they have any hesitations about hiring you and address them on the spot. Shows that you can accept criticism in real time, and it'll help you clarify anything they may have misunderstood.

You're in academia. Everyone knows it's been rough for y'all, so don't worry too much about not working for the last few months. Just talk about how, though you were in an unfortunate situation, you continued to learn.

Good luck!

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PhD in poultry science

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That is (obviously) a very specialized field. Some particular passion led you to it. Focus on that root cause and demonstrate that to the interviewers. As a recent grad you do not have to know everything. What you have to demonstrate is a desire to continually learn and grow.

Good luck on your interview. I obtained my PhD last year and couldn't find an industry job coming right out of college. Refused to go the academic route so I took a post doc position with a small company. It's OK work but I was making peanuts for someone with my degree. Just got an offer recently from one of the oil and gas companies and now I'm

Moral of the story: Never don't give up.

• Visit the company website and read up on the latest going on there
• Introduce what you learned into your interview conversation, especially anything that dovetails with your background, experience, interests
• Ask questions, specifically about where the company is now, what it plans for the future, and how it intends to get there
• Look for opportunities during the interview to state how your skills and background answer a need the interviewer has articulated. At least once during the interview--preferably near the end--say something to the effect of:

"After discussing the company's situation and listening to what you need from the new employee, I believe I can answer your needs for the following reasons (then launch into a brief summary of the skills and experience that answer the employer's needs).

Good luck.

Thanks everybody, I'll see what I can do about an "in game interview thread"

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Pretty cocky for a shite-dick that was sweating about passing the bar 30 minutes ago.

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he's already starting to get the trial lawyer swag!

dropping knowledge

yes/no to follow-up thank you emails?