What characteristics do you look for when searching for a university president, an academic vice president, a dean or an associate dean? I have served on all levels of university search committees seeking top individuals to lead our academic institutions and colleges. If you look at a typical job description for an academic leader it will almost certainly list attributes such as: (1) a distinguished record of accomplishment in higher education, (2) demonstrated leadership skills, (3) strong administrative and management skills, and (4) an effective and proven track record in fundraising.
What guidance can I give to academic search committees? According to George Bradt, managing director of the executive onboarding firm PrimeGenesis, “There Are Only Three True Job Interview Questions“. These are:
| 1. | Can the candidate do the job? (candidate’s strengths) | |
| 2. | Will the candidate love the job? (candidate’s motivation) | |
| 3. | Can we tolerate working with candidate? (candidate’s fit) |
According to Bradt, all interview questions derive from these three basic categories. Bradt goes on to say:
If you’re the one being interviewed, prepare by thinking through examples that illustrate your strengths, what motivates you about the organization and role you’re interviewing for, and the fit between your own preferences and the organization’s Behaviors, Relationships, Attitudes, Values, and Environment (BRAVE). But remember that interviews are exercises in solution selling. They are not about you.
Think of the interview process as a chance for you to show your ability to solve the organization and interviewer’s problem. That’s why you need to highlight strengths in the areas most important to the interviewers, talk about how you would be motivated by the role’s challenges, and discuss why you would be a BRAVE fit with the organization’s culture.
It sure seems like good advice for academics!
– from the pen of Dr. Percy Trappe
For more on this topic, see my post “Academic Dean – Job Interview Questions (Part II)”. It turns out the the source for this material can be found in the book entitled ‘The New Leader’s 100-Day Action Plan’.
The Academic Anchor 
Leave a Reply