So You Want to Teach at a Community College

It took me six years to land a full-time, tenure track English position at a community college in California. Overall I sent out dozens of application packets, interviewed a handful of times, including three second interviews, before I finally triumphed. Some of my colleagues spent many more years in freeway flyer hell, others are still there.

Now that it is spring application season again, it seems like a good time to share the lessons I have learned sitting on the other side of the table. There is a lot of non-information out there, and very little guidance in general from most institutions. When I was looking and applying, I spent a lot of time online digging into different college's hiring practices and policies. I found that some colleges offer the occasional training, and every school has its quirks, but the process seems to be nearly identical wherever I applied. Interestingly, the biggest resource for community college job seekers, CCCRegistry.com, offers very little guidance.

Applying to a Community College
No matter the subject, it is crucial to understand the role of a community college: We prepare students to be successful in college and beyond. This often means remediation of math, English and life skills; we often help students develop study skills and learn to access resources. The most effective instructors scaffold learning in such a way that students can learn to climb the academic ladder themselves. My experience as a graduate of my local community college is that the rigor is solid, and there are lots of services and support.

The tenure process focuses on teaching and fulfilling contractual obligations. Professional development is a high priority; publishing and research are peripheral to teaching. Unless the subject of your Ph.D. or E.D. dissertation is directly related to that specific job description, you don't need to spend a ton of time talking about it in your application materials.

Understanding the Process
I have often heard from disgruntled colleagues that the system is rigged, that candidates are chosen in advance and then shepherded through the process. But here is the thing: all completed application packets are put through the same review process. Each packet is read by the hiring committee, each piece is assessed and assigned a number value using a rubric that is based on the advertised job description. Once the numbers are tallied, those with the highest scores are invited to interview.

Some colleges use one committee for the paper screening, and another for the interviews. Others use one committee from start to finish. Some committees are made up of only the department members and the division dean; others bring in other departments, staff and management. The whole process is overseen by the Human Resources department, and they are mindful of potential lawsuits of any kind; while I suppose rigging may be possible, I doubt pretty seriously it really happens.

When you are putting that packet together, make sure that your qualifications for that particular position are suuuuuper easy to find; don’t make the committee have to guess or spend extra time tracking down important information. Be explicit in the cover letter, CV, application and answers to supplemental questions. Larger colleges and departments may receive hundreds of application packets and every member of that screening committee probably has to read every single page. Make their reading experience count.

Application Packets
This is part of the process that always baffled me. I assumed that there were trick questions included in the directions or job descriptions. I have ultimately learned that adhering to the list of items to be included in the packet, or following the directions, is the only trick.

If the application has to be downloaded and is problematic, then ask for a hard copy or print one out and fill it out by hand. Fill it out completely! If you can submit everything online, make sure to review every document carefully before hitting the submit button.

Human Resources will use the teaching history information in calculating your initial salary. Simply writing “see resume” or “see CV” at any point on the application itself will almost guarantee that your entire packet will not make the cut.

If letters of recommendation are required, include them, and only the number requested. It is really a pain to have to ask for new letters every time you apply for a job, so lots of us recycle. That's fine, except that it doesn't look good if you include a letter to one college that is addressed to another, or if the letter is 10 years old, or if it doesn't address any of the job qualifications.

If a diversity statement is requested, write one. If not, don't bother including one you wrote for another college.

If supplemental questions are required, answer ALL of them, even if there are a dozen.

Avoid sending in anything not requested. Some colleges might accept additional materials like evaluations or lesson plans, but why take the chance if you don't know for sure? If there is a stated option, then send the best and most relevant materials.

Cover Letters
If the advertisement requires a cover letter, it should be written to the specific position and include information about how you are uniquely qualified for THAT position.

Adjuncts
Part-time instructors who currently work for a college might be openly encouraged or invited to apply for full-time positions. Adjuncts can have insights into the needs of the college, department, and students that can often be addressed in the application materials or interview. Encouragement from a department chair or administrator is not usually a signal that an interview is guaranteed.

All applicants, by law, are put through the same screening process. Treat the application process as if you are introducing yourself for the first time to new colleagues. Do Not assume that since they know you, they will fill in the blanks themselves because legally they cannot.

Adjunct instructors are not always interviewed. Track down and read the full-time and part-time bargaining agreements/contracts. These are very insightful. Some community colleges will interview all adjunct applicants as a courtesy, others will interview at least one. I would argue that most will only interview those who earn high scores in the paper screening process. Also check the Human Resources websites; they can sometimes be very illuminating.

The Interview
Becoming familiar with that particular community college will help you understand the needs of the student population. Scour the website, look for academic senate meetings, board of trustee meetings, and the most recent union contracts to help you get a sense of the climate and needs of that campus. Get to know the college and district so that when you are discussing your qualifications, you can offer the most direct and relevant answers. Do you know someone who works there? Went to school there? Ask them questions. Do your research.

In the interview itself, avoid badmouthing colleagues, administrators and, most importantly, students. Pay attention to the interview prep instructions. If you are asked to do a teaching demonstration, even about a topic you wouldn't normally teach, create a lesson plan and teach it. If you are asked to give a teaching presentation, create a lesson plan and be ready to explain and discuss it.

Often you will be given the interview questions as much as a half hour in advance. If you are allowed to keep them, do it. If not, take thorough notes. My adjunct friends and I shared questions with each other for years. After awhile you get to know the kind of information that committees generally want to know. Take another look at the job description; what kinds of qualifications beyond general teaching responsibilities is the college looking for?

Prep
Find someone to help you practice with mock interviews. Use the interview questions you have found online or from colleagues and review potential answers. Some are standard like "What qualifies you to teach at this college?" Duh--they want to hear you talk about your qualifications, the same ones you listed in your packet. But hearing it and reading it are two different things.

I found that I did better if I viewed the interview like an opportunity to talk about teaching with other teachers, which I love to do, so I felt less nervous.

The Aftermath
If you are not invited to interview, or asked back for a second, you can still learn something from the experience. Human Resources can give you some limited feedback about how you fared in the process. If you don't ask, you will never know.