We are talking about interview modality at our institution again, and I am really curious about the candidate perspective at this point. Are academic library candidates wanting to return to in-person finalist interviews?
@danibcook I've only had one in-person finalist interview and as exhausting as it was, it wasn't as bad as the preceding video interview. The committee sat around a long conference table so I couldn't really see their faces. If remote, let it be Zoom with faces in boxes.
@danibcook @HiringLib Remote is preferable for me if the interview isn’t local, doesn’t make logical sense to spend hours travelling each way and potentially a hotel stay for an interview of up to an hour. If local happier with in person.
@danibcook @HiringLib As a candidate, I found the pacing of remote interviews was much better than in-person interviews (e.g., breaks were built in for candidate and committee, etc.). I'm also more recently disabled, and it was easier to manage remote interviews.
@danibcook I picked virtual because I think it’s most accommodating and will increase the diversity of your applicants. Giving people the option to choose one or the other is another way. but also checking bias of possibly favoring a candidate for being in-person vs. virtual is important.
@danibcook @violetbfox I think it depends....like if I have to pay out of pocket, remote is preferred cause it is expensive to go out to an interview, if not, in person preferred cause i find them easier in some ways.
@danibcook I prefer remote as interviews can put you out of pocket. (I once had to borrow money for a job interview... An experience seared in my brain.) And it can be hard to ask for accommodations during the process as you're putting a lot of blind trust into people.
@danibcook I'm really surprised to see so many in-person votes. Are the people voting doing the grueling two-day academic library interviews? The ones where you barely have time to choke down a granola bar or pee before you're shuttled to the next exhausting meeting with 40 strangers?
@danibcook @A_Kabaker the institution needs to pay for any on-campus interviews and visits. if they can't, then remote is the ethical choice.
@danibcook I don’t care that much about the modality of the interview itself, but more about the opportunity for a candidate to see the library/campus/location if they haven’t before, so I think places that do remote interviews should offer the selected candidate a visit before they commit.