Professor and Lecturer Interview Questions

1. What according to you are the important qualities required of a professor?

Answer:

Good professors always exhibit some characteristics which makes them a mentor or an inspiration for their students. They always try to bring the best out of you. They encourage and motivate their students and always create a better learning environment for them.

Some of the important qualities are:

i.) Command over the subject and Resourcefulness: Good command over the subject you teach is the key.
ii.) Excellent communication skills: They explain and understand things very well - even the unsaid ones.
iii.) Excellent presentation Skills: Subject matter, explanations, body language and voice - all contribute to this.
iv.) Commitment - Towards students and teaching. Takes personal interest in every student.
v.) Flexible and Innovative - Flexible with approach towards different students and always looking for new ideas to make learning interesting.
vi.) Motivator and Disciplinarian - While they motivate the students to achieve more, they implement decorum.
vii.) Critical-Thinking ability: To research and challenge the existing theories.
viii.) Resilience: To accept and defend the rejection of proposals, journals etc.

Video : Lecturer and Professor Interview Questions and Answers

2. What qualities of their professors do students appreciate the most?

Answer:

i.) Subject knowledge.
ii.) Approachable
iii.) Personal interest in their performance.
iv.) Honesty and Character
v.) Dynamisms

3. How would you prevent the use of mobile phones in your class?

Answer: Students need to be explained that paying attention to the phones means they are compromising on learning. It is a medium of distraction to everyone around. Many colleges have a prohibition policy with a penalty attached to it. For example: If you use a phone in the class, you would have to leave the classroom etc.

Students need to understand that they need to conduct themselves appropriately and policies lay down a foundation of what kind of behavior is expected from the students.

To answer this question, you can say something like, "As a professor, I would explain the students that I find using phones in class disrespectful and I would appreciate if students refrain from doing so

I would advise students that in order to succeed they need to give proper attention without getting distracted. And if they do not listen, there is a penalty coming their way."

4. Why did you choose to be a professor?

Answer:

As a professor, you need to have passion for learning and also expert level knowledge. Professors have a chance to shape their students future. They influence the students in their daily life.

Here are a few reasons why I choose to be a professor:

i.) An Opportunity of life-long learning: As a professor, I need to be updated with the changes in my field.   

ii.) Helps me pursue my passion: This profession allows you to research on a wide variety of topics. This gives me the flexibility of choosing the topic of my interest.

iii.) It's a rewarding job: It allows you to make a living. But it's more rewarding to see your students learn and develop skills you taught them.

iv.) Provides job security: There is always a high demand for professors in higher education institutes around the world. This means there is good job security.

v.) Helps to shape the future generations: This job allows me to guide the future generations.

5. If some students contest the grade you have given them in the exam, how would you deal with it?

Answer:

Contesting the grade is a common problem that we have to deal with while teaching the PG students. However, I prefer to keep my students well informed of my expectations from them since the beginning of the session. Some measures that I take to ensure that we are on the same level of understanding are:

i.) I prefer to show them what a good answer is like.
ii.) I give them some assignment which I just critique and not grade.
iii.) While grading their final sheets, I keep a record of marks distribution. This helps me deal with their queries better.

And, they all know that if they ask me to reconsider their marks, it can be am adjustment in any direction may be up or down.

If you adopt any other strategies to deal with this situation, you can talk about them as well.

6. If a student criticizes you in the class, what would you do?

Answer:

"Well, as a professor, I understand that some students may get agitated and criticize us. However, as a teacher, I know that I already have a power over them which I would not misuse by shutting them down.

In such a case, I try to see what the student is trying to say rather than his tone. The tone may agitate me back. I ask him for the facts for his argument. Based on the content of his criticism I discuss the matter with him. From my experience I have seen that, this usually softens them down and then we try to sort it out in an understanding environment.

However, there are some students who argue unreasonably. I prefer not to get into argument with them and ask them to see the senior authorities."

Again, every teacher has a different way of dealing with this pupils. If your strategy is different than the one proposed here, you can talk about it.

7. How would you ensure an active participation from students in your class?

Answer:

A sample answer can be something like, "At times it becomes quite challenging to get all the students involved in the discussions. Some students shy away from speaking publicly, some don't know the answer, some have a fear of being wrong etc. However, I try to throw questions which do not have a single correct answer and ask them to participate. Also, I know all my students in a class by name. At times, asking them specifically helps.

I also prefer to ask them to send me their comments before or after the class through e-mail. Some of them do get in touch and this is the opportunity I bring them into discussion at the right time."