Your Career: Job Interviews and the Diversity Question

There is no cheat sheet for the DEI question, but there are clear steps you can take to make sure your answer is authentic. ADVERTISEMENT [Advertisement]( [logo] Was this newsletter forwarded to you? [Please sign up to receive your own copy.]( You’ll support our journalism and ensure that you continue to receive our emails. [Read this newsletter on the web](. There is no cheat sheet for the DEI question but there are steps you can take to make sure your answer is authentic. Candidates interviewing this year will almost certainly be asked some version of the “DEI question”: Which of your accomplishments have advanced your values of diversity, equity, and inclusion? How do you even begin to discuss such an important, complicated, and timely subject within the awkward and artificial context of a job interview — especially when it’s further complicated by being conducted virtually? In 2021, colleges are looking for candidates who have clearly defined DEI values and who live up to them in real and significant ways. Your answer to this question has to be authentic and compelling, and must fully capture the impact of the work you’ve already done on this front, as well as what you plan to do if hired for this new role. Three relatively simple steps (detailed at the link below) can help you prepare your own personal “best” response. Here's the first step: Step 1: Write out your personalized definition of DEI, outlining the values you hold and why. It’s becoming common for hiring institutions to ask candidates for a diversity statement — keep one handy. A strong statement mixes discussion of your personal and philosophical goals with concrete descriptions of how your values contribute to a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. Whenever possible, link your values to measurable outcomes and data. If you don’t have such metrics to share from past work experience, focus instead on developing specific proposals for your new role. Continue reading: "[The DEI Question in Administrative Job Interviews]( by Kim Brettschneider and Dallas A. Grundy, and "[5 Don'ts in Writing Your DEI Statement]( by Manya Whitaker Share your thoughts and suggestions on the newsletter with Denise Magner, an editor at The Chronicle, at denise.magner@chronicle.com. If you'd like to opt out, you can log in to our website and [manage your newsletter preferences here](. ADVERTISEMENT [Advertisement]( Subscribe to The Chronicle The Chronicle’s award-winning journalism challenges conventional wisdom, holds academic leaders accountable, and empowers you to do your job better — and it’s your support that makes our work possible. [Subscribe Today]( Latest Career Advice, Opinion, and News MENTAL HEALTH [Students Struggling With Mental Health Often Confide in Professors. They Want More Guidance on How to Help.]( By Audrey Williams June [image] Nearly 80 percent of professors talked about mental-health issues with students during the past year, but less than a third had been trained in how to do so. Paid for and Created by Geosyntec Consultants [COVID-19 Surveillance in Higher Education]( Providing data to institutions to manage the risk of further infection, Geosyntec is evaluating viral load trends in wastewater, employing new technologies coupled with a comprehensive suite of positive and negative controls. ADVERTISEMENT [Advertisement]( ADVICE [Admin 101: How to Interpret a Job Candidate’s Cover Letter]( By David D. Perlmutter [image] As a hiring administrator, your goal is to efficiently, presciently, and justly read applicants’ cover letters. ADVICE [Can Yale Reform Its Humanities Doctoral Programs?]( By Leonard Cassuto [image] Major universities have been slow to acknowledge the collapse of the tenure-track job market. A new report from Yale changes that. LIVE CORONAVIRUS UPDATES [Here’s a List of Colleges That Will Require Students or Employees to Be Vaccinated Against Covid-19]( By Andy Thomason and Brian O’Leary [image] More colleges are announcing that they will require students to be vaccinated. Here are the ones we know about. Today's Global Campus Strategies for Reviving International Enrollments and Study Abroad Pandemic travel restrictions cut both ways, causing international enrollments to plummet and limiting study-abroad opportunities. This Chronicle report provides an in-depth look at how the global education experience has changed and offers strategies for assessing and adapting programs to ensure students' exposure to cultural and global diversity. [Order your copy today.]( What We're Reading. Here's more on career issues and trends from around the web. See something we should include? [Let me know](mailto:denise.magner@chronicle.com?subject=Your Career feedback). - In The New York Times, [a report]( at the end of a "dark year" on campus offers some "surprising glimmers of hope." - A look in Science magazine at the "[hybrid scientific conferences]( being held this summer and fall, that are a mix of in person and virtual. - 'Tis the season for presidential resignations. Read about some leadership departures at the [University of Connecticut]( [Ohio University]( the [University of South Carolina]( and [George Washington University](. - A [new report]( from the National Science Foundation provides data on women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in science and engineering. Job Announcement Dean of the Clement C. Maxwell Library at Bridgewater State University.[Visit jobs.chronicle.com]( for more details. More Career Resources ADVICE [Academic Job Hunts From Hell]( [image] In a continuing series, David D. Perlmutter explores the less-than-pleasant aspects of the faculty job hunt for candidates. ADVICE [Are You Writing?]( [image] Advice for graduate students and faculty members on scholarly productivity, with suggestions on how to write more — and better — with less angst. THE ALMANAC, 2020-2021 [Gender, Race, and Ethnicity of Noninstructional Staff Members by Employment Status, Fall 2018]( The sector with the highest percentage of Black noninstructional staff members are two-year private nonprofit institutions, with 25 percent. ADVICE [Advice Finder]( [image] Want to advance your career? Improve your institution? Our academic experts have guidance for you, and we’ve made it easy to find. 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