While I should acknowledge that my role does not include hiring faculty, if it did, I would want many of the same attitudes that others here have mentioned: Subject Matter Expertise, Relevant Degrees, an understanding of their fields, Communication skills, experience and knowledge of how to teach their subjects & and goals that suggest that they are interested in my school.
But others that I would seek would be a healthy sense of humility: Not false humility. I would want someone comfortable with their accomplishments and experiences, but has ability to relate these to students without bragging. Ideally, the way they should conduct themselves in a way that inspires their students and shows them what could be possible if they work hard towards achieving their goals. I have known some that (I hope) unintentionally make students feel inadequate.
I would want to make sure that their teaching style incorporated active learning activities and used different forms of instructional technologies in the classroom.
I would also want instructors that think on their feet.
While I was interviewing for a position as an ESL instructor, I had an interviewer ask me how I'd move Mount Fuji. We had been having a standard interview up until that point, he was good at his role, and it felt more like a conversation with an interested listener than an interrogation.
I have since learned that he probably plagiarized that question from Microsoft, but at the time, in that interview, it came completely from left field. My answer doesn't really matter, but I had one that gave quickly, which he seemed to like. -- and the conversation resumed.
I got the job, and later asked him the point of the question, since I had worked with him enough to hear the question sometimes, but not others. He said that he used it when he thought he had a good prospect, but wanted to see what we'd do with the unexpected.
Looking back, I can say that he was on to something.
Teachers that have to have things go a particular way, at a particular time, but can't adapt to opportunities or situations in the classroom can't connect with their students, or personalize the content of their lessons to the same degree that teachers who are comfortable doing so are able to.
Elanor,
How can you determine if an instructional candidate will be able to "relate to students" during the interview process?
Jeffrey Schillinger
Some of the skills that I want my instructors to have is the ability to relate to the students. If they can relate to the students on some level, then the students will be more responsive to the instructor, making them a more effective teacher.
I also like to see the ability to think on their feet. Answering questions, and knowing what they are talking about or being able to come up with a new way to learn is valuable in an instructor. It allows for the learning dynamic to change with the demands of the class/cohort.
We add TA's to specific courses that meet the required student population. The addition of the TA to the classroom offers that much more experience in classroom conversations as well as an extra set of eyes and trained hands during our honds on trades.
James,
Many career colleges do not use teaching assistants. How does your college benefit from using them beyond the grooming process that could lead to a faculty position?
Jeffrey Schillinger
I primarily focus on work experience in the field that my program covers, hands on experience is paramount. Secondly, a broad base of knowledge, it is important for me to be able to place each instructor in a variety of modalities. Classroom experience, such as time spent as a TA are important as well, on my campus we try to groom our future instructors from our TA pool.
Calvin,
A massage instructor that fit the model you describe would be a dream come true for a college. What are the specific things you do during the hiring process to help you identify candidates with fairness and emotional stability?
Jeffrey Schillinger
The skills that I require in hiring faculty.
1. Competent in Swedish, Deep Tissue, Sports and Prenatal massage techniques.
2. Use of good body mechanics.
3. A good communicator.
4. Able to efficiently demonstrate massage techniques to class.
5. Knowledgeable in subject matter.
Qualities I look for in hiring faculty.
1. High standard of professional ethics.
2. Integrity/trust worthy.
3. A sense of fairness.
4. Someone who is not prone to extreme emotional mood swings.
5. Good with people.
Gayle,
One key to behavior-based interviewing is to tolerate silence so that the interviewee has the time to formulate an answer and so the interviewer does not bail out the interviewee by "helping" with the answer to avoid an uncomfortable silence.
Jeffrey Schillinger
Tough question to answer. Intuition plays a part as well as asking the questions "Tell me a time when (describe a student-based scenario)..." and "explain how you handled (another student-based scenario)...". Open-ended questions are great, gets the scholastic conversation going.
Gayle,
What are some specific things you do in the hiring process to identify this ability in potential faculty members?
Jeffrey Schillinger
The traits I hire for are mostly inherent of our profession which is Dental Assisting. The "teaching to all learning styles" is the trait that faculty either come in with or learn on the job.
The traits I hire for are mostly inherent of our profession which is Dental Assisting. The "teaching to all learning styles" is the trait that faculty either come in with or learn on the job.
Gayle,
The teacher you are describing is tough to find. Where and how do you find folks with all of these traits?
Jeffrey Schillinger
Detail-oriented, pleasant disposition, high job knowledge, likes students, gets along well with others, and uses classroom time/space wisely. Lastly, attending/teaching to the different learning styles in the classroom is important as well.
Since our department is Respiratory Therapy, first we need to apply the requirements of our programmatic Accrediting Board COARC. Then we can do the job analysis. I need different skills for different positions. If they are clinical instructors, they need strong clinical skills, knowledge of clinical tasks and procedures, and be very good at independent decision making skills. If I am looking for a Didactic instructor they need to understand how to control the classroom environment, be knowledgeable in the subject matter, understand the learning domains etc.
Roselyn,
What are some specific things you do to measure "people skills."
Jeffrey Schillinger
I look for instructors who are knowledgeable, have great people skills as well as organized with great communication skills.
Tyler,
What are some of your most effective ways to determine if potential faculty members have the personality, goals, motivation, and other personality characteristics you are looking for?
Jeffrey Schillinger
I have always believed and have told my students that a resume/CV gets your foot in the door for an interview if you meet the criteria (skills, education, etc.) that a company is looking for in the position. After that it is your personality, goals, motivation, and other personality characteristics that is being evaluating to see if you are the right fit for the position and the company. I look at the direction of where I would like to see my program in a few months/years and evaluate if the applicant can help myself and others reach that goal. Are they student centered? Do they facilitate discussions, rather than lecture in class? Do they have the passion to teach and to adapt their teaching style to facilitate students from a very large learning curve? Are they a collaborator and team player? These are some of the questions I think to myself during the interview process to determine if an instructor is a good fit for our program.
