There is a period of limbo between having an academic interview and being told whether you have been successful and thereby offered the position, or not. This can be a nerve-wracking, uncertain time, not least because there is no defined period in which this could go on; it could be anything from a few days to a couple of months. How, then, do you act during this nebulous interval?

Do not panic
The longer the wait goes on, the more difficult it is to think positively about your chances. Unpleasant thoughts can creep in, such as ‘If they haven’t contacted me by now then I haven’t got it?’ or ‘I must have been so bad they can’t even be bothered to tell me’, and these are caused by uncertainty, and the assumption that the hiring decision is the number one priority for your interviewers.
It’s important to remember that, while hiring an academic is absolutely an important decision, your interviewers have other responsibilities which may demand their more immediate attention. It is difficult enough for academics to meet regularly at the best of times, as schedules often conflict or deadlines need to be met. If you are waiting for a long time, this may simply be because your interviewers have not yet found a suitable time to meet up and discuss the interviews since they happened – remember, this must be a unanimous decision from their side.

Do not be afraid to call
If you have had to wait as much as a week after your interview without word, it is perfectly acceptable to phone the institution or department you interviewed in to follow-up about the current status of the hiring process. It may well be that one academic is on holiday – or it may be that the department needs a kick up the backside and get moving and stop people waiting for them. There is no way to tell, but there is absolutely no harm in checking to see what’s going on. It will not affect the hiring decision one way or the other, but it may serve to give you a bit more peace of mind.

Do not be idle
There is little point in waiting by the phone – it will ring when it rings. There are likely to be plenty of things to distract you from the anxiety of the hiring panel’s final decision, including:
Continuing your current work; whether you’re a post-doctoral researcher or a current lecturer, you’ll have plenty to be getting on with.
Researching and applying for other roles; there’s no need to put your eggs all in one basket. While there is similarly no need to apply for everything you see, it is worth your time investigating other roles to see if they match your career and life ambitions.
Personal projects; anything from working on your own website to cooking up some previously unattempted feasts in the kitchen are valid. Don’t let your mind go too idle otherwise those troublesome thoughts can creep in – but equally make sure you have time to relax, too.

It’s an old classic and a question that seems to have had plenty of interviewees struggling, but should this question cause so much worry? Well, today we’re going to have a look at the different types of answers and offer some useful tips to help you with this tricky interview question!

Describe a weakness that’s a positive
This is a popular strategy and there are certainly no shortages of advice articles that propose this type of answer.
Below we’ve listed some of the more common examples:
“I’ve often been told I’m a bit of a perfectionist”
“Sometimes, I put too much of myself into my work and I struggle to get the right work-life balance.”
“I like responsibility so I’ve a tendency to take on a little bit more than I can manage but I’ve since learned to delegate.”
“I find it difficult to sit and do nothing so have set myself some self-development goals”
In theory this appears to be a sound approach and there’s no doubt that in some circumstances it works.
The problem with this approach is that often recruiters and interviewers have heard it all before. Giving an example that is obviously a positive in the workplace is easy to see through and may even be off putting to an interviewer. Nobody is perfect and an interviewer could even see this as arrogant. So what’s the alternative?

Be honest, describe a true weakness and show how you have overcome it
The first thing you’ll need to do is to think of a weakness to use as your example. Try to pick something that isn’t too serious or too integral to the role that you are going for. For example, “in the past I have struggled a little with presentations to large groups.”
When describing your weakness in the interview, try not to emphasise it. The key is to show that you have struggled a little with this aspect in the past. This ensures that the interviewer doesn’t worry too much about how it will affect you in the role.

The next stage is to show how you have overcome this. Did you complete a training course? Did you practice to overcome the problem? Did you ask for advice from a colleague or get support from your line manager?

Once you have explained how you dealt with your weakness, the next part of the process is to incorporate a success story. For example, “recently in my current role, I gave a presentation to the regional managers. Due to the practice I’ve been doing, it went really well and I got some great feedback.
Ideally if you follow these 3 steps you should have an example of a weakness that you struggled with a little, an explanation of how you overcame the problem and a success story, proving that you have made progress with your weakness.

Why showing a weakness isn’t a bad thing
Pinpointing a weakness in an interview can help to show to an employer that you are self-aware. It shows that you are able to look at yourself objectively, spot a training need and resolve that need with training, practice, or by seeking advice. This helps to show your commitment to personal development. Importantly for an employer this shows that you will continue to grow. We’re all human, and being able to spot our own weaknesses can be the key to developing strengths.