The Interview

Create a process and atmosphere that welcomes candidates. Every candidate should leave Hamilton College with a positive regard for the institution, whether or not they are the finalist.

Use a standard protocol for each campus visit to ensure a consistent review process for each candidate.

Develop interview questions in advance of the interview and be as consistent as possible for all candidates (e.g., same person assigned to each question, interviews conducted in a consistent setting, same time allotment).

If feasible, provide an unscheduled opening in the itinerary to allow candidates to have flexibility to schedule as they wish. For example, a candidate may want to talk with someone about local faith communities or with someone from a specific group (e.g., African American, LGBTQ) about what it is like to live/work here. Offer the name of a person not associated with the search to arrange for meetings and/or tours during the open time.

Pay attention to the climate of the interview process, including nonverbal and verbal communication. Become familiar with common patterns of micro-messages in formal and informal conversations that may convey bias. Examples include: mispronunciation of names, “othering” comments (e.g., “That’s an interesting accent.”), or stereotypical assumptions.

Integrate diversity-related questions for each candidate. Ask the same questions of each candidate and pay attention to which member of the hiring committee asks the question (e.g., avoid having the only underrepresented minority committee member always ask the “diversity” question).

Soliciting Feedback

Consider using a short Google Form to solicit feedback from everyone who met with the candidates.  Sample questions are:

• Strengths - open ended answer
• Reservations - open ended answer
• Do you think the applicant will be successful and an asset to Hamilton? - yes, no, other
• Other - open ended answer

Contact the Help Desk staff at 315-859-4181, helpdesk@hamilton.edu for assistance with Google Forms.