I was already employed as an Adjunct (i.e. part-time) English Instructor, so the Humanities Division Chair encouraged me to apply for the position of Developmental Reading Instructor (as it was a full-time position). I filled out a standard application; submitted the required paperwork (teaching philosophy, etc.); waited a few days; and then I was called in for an interview before the hiring committee. This committee included the Humanities Division Chair, the head librarian, a few professors (who had nothing to do with the position itself), the head of the Read Right program, and the Academic Dean.The Committee was very cordial and professional and asked me standard/relevant interview questions (e.g. tell us a little bit about yourself, list qualities an instructor should have, why do you feel literacy is an important, how would you handle a difficult student, etc.) Afterwards, I was set up for an interview with the college's president, which I was told was just a formality, but in all actuality, it was nothing short of a sham interview. He was completely unprepared, had no list of questions to run through, and just asked me random questions came to his head. Most of the time was spent listening to him talk about himself, his wife (a retired school teacher), and the history of the college, and very little time was spent discussing the actual job or asking me relevant questions. Instead, he asked rather prying questions such as where I went to high school; how many siblings I had; where my extended family (aunts, uncles, and cousins) lived and if they had gone to college (and, if so, what fields had they studied in and what did they currently do for a living); what colleges my parents attended; what degrees my parents had earned; and my parents' current professions. When he found out that one of my parents graduated high school, chose not attend college, and enter directly into the workforce, that seemed to be the proverbial nail in the coffin. From that point on, he acted completely disinterested in me and displayed a cold, uncouth demeanor as he concluded the "interview." About a week later, when I heard nothing about the job, I inquired of my Division Chair, who asked me if the president had even interviewed me. I said yes and she thought that was strange because, during their hiring committee meetings, she claimed he never even indicated that he had talked to me. Needless to say, I didn't get the job but it was easily the worst interview I had ever been on (and I've been on some poorly-conducted interviews before). In retrospect, I can only assume the college president was looking for a particular person, a "home town girl," for lack of a better term, to teach at *his* school. The overall experience was very insulting and left a poor impression on me as far as how the college's top administrators acted and treated others.
