Interview
How many of you require that an applicant send beforehand a written essay as part of the interviewing process?
I have never used this technique as a part of the interviewing process. Just think, a candidate can get anyone to write a really impressive essay and submit it as if he or she wrote it. Some people will go to great extremes to get an interview.
I would not require an essay due to the fact that there is no proof that the applicant actually wrote the essay. It sounds like a great idea, but the applicant would need to write the essay during the interview visit. Otherwise, it would not satisfy the purpose of having the essay.
Hello J,
We do not require an applicant submit a written essay. I can definitely see how it would be helpful. I've hired individuals before, not necessarily faculty, who put simply cannot write a simply sentence. (grammar, punctuality, misspellings)
Hello Richard,
I think your scenerio provides insight for you into your candidates critical thinking skill set. I like this idea.
I will request the essay but I have to concern other matters of the applicant like subjects that he is going to teach, or if he is referred by staff/ faculty that I trust.
This is requested if I need more info to evaluate the applicant.
I don't ask applicants for an essay; rather I ask them to respond to some sample student emails to gauge their tone.
Because written communication is an important aspect of teaching, I believe it is important to request that applicants provide a writing sample of some sort. A writing sample will be indicative of the applicants ability to organize thoughts and clearly communicate information in a professional manner.
We do not require that an applicant submit a written essay as part of the interview process. At our school it is not very necessary. However, I think it is a good idea when appropriate.
We do not require a written essay. We look more into the verbal skills.
At least in my field (Audio Engineering), a written essay wouldn't be very helpful. It would be better to get any personal anecdotes that would be written through a personal interaction, considering how important that personal interaction is in the day to day work that we do.
