Therefore in this article instead of talking about how candidates should prepare and appear for interview, I offer here the most common mistakes committed by Interview-panel members, so that my fellow academicians can avoid it.

10. No Preparation for conducting the Interview: This could be very basic like simply not reading the candidate’s resume or CV before the interview. However the lack of co-ordination between panel members in conducting an interview is due to no preparation is however the bigger danger to watch out for. As unless it has been agreed in advance with regards to structure and guiding principle for the interview, it is almost impossible to conduct a purposeful, constructive conversation. Without prior co-ordination, panel interviews too frequently transform into either one-on-one questions and answers or even worse, a single conversation that meanders into irrelevant dialogue. Panel interviews work best when the members have agreed on a line of standard questions to prompt functional, useful responses, similar for every candidate (though not in a rigid fashion and more individual specific questions can be asked at the later part of interview), thus providing common ground for evaluating and taking a hiring decision.

9. Don’t understand the roles & responsibility: Unfortunately, this happens almost all the time. The Higher Education leadership in India, has evolved in line with the growth in the sector and has changed radically. Today the job profile of a Vice Chancellor / Director / Dean in private institutions can vary from being an academic head (figurehead) to a dynamic academic leader with Profit & Loss responsibility similar to a CEO. Similarly, while the role of Head – Corporate Relations might be limited to placements in some institution, in other institutions, the person might even be responsible for fundraising and endowment from corporates for e.g. starting industry sponsored Chair and Center of Excellence. Yet several people conducting interviews do not have an idea of the exact role and responsibilities of the position in concerned institution. In absence of such information, the interview panel members decide who is and who is not capable for the position (which they don’t fully understand) based on their own assumptions.

8. Not Approaching Issues Heads On: Academicians are known to be polite, more so in group settings. Instead of asking in a straight forward fashion about a complicated or controversial issue, they would either ignore it or ask in an evasive manner. Later they would either question the candidate’s motives about the issue or simply assume the probable answer to the question. By being polite and circumventive, the panel actually deprives the candidate an opportunity to present his side of the story and resolve the issue.

7. Speak more than Listen: Academicians by their nature are conversational and tend to explain things. Don’t we all know that, when an academician starts speaking and explaining, it is difficult to stop them. I have been a part of interviews in which, candidate hardly get 20% time of the allocated time and one or other panel member keep on explaining one or other point. Candidates too often either quietly listen to the panel member or try to put across his point in limited available time. Then, after the candidate leaves, interview panel wonder why candidate didn’t speak much. Or they extrapolate what they think they would have heard had the candidate got the time to speak.

6. Represent only their area or interests: Most academic interview panels are constituted with people from various areas to ensure participation from various areas. However it should be kept in mind that though representation of different interests is important, ultimately the candidate is being recruited for the entire institution. And hence the members should keep this in mind while trying to uphold views of their constituencies.

5. Remember that interviewing is still about recruitment: In a best case scenario, the institution and the candidates find themselves at the same stage of mutual consideration at the same time. It is obvious that during the interview, both the interview panel and candidate, are in discovery mode. Hence while the candidate is conveying to the institution that they want the job, the institution should be communicating them that how interested it is in them and retain their interests in the institution. If you forget that you would be evaluating a candidate who is no longer interested in the position. 

4. Treat candidates like mere applicants: This can have implications which last beyond the interview. If the interviewing panel as representative of the institution takes a candidate for granted thinking that their commitment to the job is a sure fact, they are sowing seeds of discontent in minds of candidate. A critical purpose of any interview is the aligning candidate’s interest in the job and the institution on a long term basis. If treated in an improper fashion, candidates will carry a negative impression of the institution. Even if they are selected, they might not join or leave soon on getting an opportunity at a more welcoming institution. Academic hiring is an expensive and time consuming process with good talent being hard to find. So as, a member keep that in mind and treat each candidate as a potential employee and brand ambassador.

3. Misunderstand the true purpose of leadership: A leader has to be a good strategist, analyzing situations and if required taking difficult decisions in line with best long-term interest of the institution as a whole. Such decisions may make some if not all stakeholders of the institution unhappy. While recruiting academic leadership talent, members of the panel must subject the candidate to difficult strategic choice questions and focus on the analytical reasoning and the likely impact of his decisions. They could also go through his leadership history to analyze his decision making skills.

2. Value process more than the outcome: Recruitment ultimately is a process and a selected candidate from a process with some faults may still turn out good, but a perfect process leading to no selection indicates a failure. A process has only one “goal”, result in selection of a suitable candidate, not be a result itself. When the institutions become so involved in the process and individuals conducting the process get obsessed with its micro level details that put process on top, things do go bad in a slow fashion. Here, how can I forget a globally benchmarked new university in Delhi / NCR, which has not started School of Management for the last 2 years due to failure in appointing a dean with credentials at par with Harvard and Wharton?

1. And the biggest mistake: Look for Academic Leaders through a walk-in interview. When you want a good partner whether on business or personal front, you have treat them in respectful manner and treat them with care. We all know good academic leaders are difficult to recruit. Still I am not able to understand how so called world class institutions expect academic leader with dignity to attend walk-in and wait for hours for their interview slot like a fresher? I will leave this point over here for you to think over.

I can continue expanding the list but let’s stick with the above for now. Additionally I am sure that your comments about this article will not only expand on the points I covered but also throw light on unexplored points.

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The demand for international faculty in Indian institutions and the resultant influx of foreign faculty in recent times has been due to the pursuit of academic excellence by most of these institutes. These institutions are driven by the belief that by hiring foreign nationals would make help them get better rankings in global listings of top colleges as internationalization of campus is good for rankings. Until recently the foreign faculty in Indian institutions was primarily on faculty exchange programs or as a part of international visiting faculty. The institutions have always desired to hire foreign faculty or faculty with global experience; it is only recently that they have been making concerted efforts to market themselves internationally. Comparative salaries and global competition has also successfully driven international teaching talent to Indian institutes.

Building institutes of academic excellence is a time-taking and incremental process. Once an institution has achieved a certain level of reputation, maintaining it at that level is also quite a challenge. Thus, even the best universities are in constant quest to access indicators of prestige like knowledge, research and talent.  And while evaluating the indicators does one realize the importance of faculty in making an institution. International teacher researchers bring academic excellence well within reach of the Indian institutions.

The Indian institutions both private and state funded are gradually seeing an increase in applications from faculty based out of India for they also are of the belief that the foreign faculty would enable them to strengthen and enhance research visibility in international forums.

Raging debates in favour of and against appointment of foreign faculty in Indian institutes has thrown up a number of points in favour of appointment of international faculty. Though the debate veers between obsequiousness and arrogance the middle path allows us to move to a quality based system where the institute would gain tangible outcomes.

Firstly, it is a belief that by bringing faculty from abroad would catapult Indian institutions to ‘Top 100’ global rankings. Globalization has had a major influence on Indian higher education with the ease of mobility the institutes are demonstrating greater international strategies simply by the numbers of international faculty. No Indian institution has featured among the top 100 in global rankings, which is a worrisome obstacle and concerted effort is required to change the situation.

Secondly, our outdated, rigid curricula and the absence of in course content and skill development will be infused with fresh viewpoints from different cultures and value system.

Thirdly, compared to the West lack of inquiry based learning and early researcher skills is limiting the capacity of Indian institutions to engage in vital research and innovation activity. India is not producing enough PhDs and very few students in India as compared to other countries in the West are enrolled as postgraduate researchers. But recently due to the government’s outlook towards internationalization and India’s transition from an inward gazing scientific culture to one increasingly characterized by external engagement Indian institutions are hosting foreign faculty in stable, long term posts more frequently than ever before.

Lastly and not in any way lesser than the others is the inclusion of foreign faculty in the Indian education system would finally render the teaching space market driven in the future. It will increase the quality and the competitive spirit within the Indian academic community as we are likely to see more and more academics who are genuinely interested in the profession and not those who were led to teaching by default.

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These faculty exchange programs in most cases international faculty exchange lead to some benefits that accrue to the organization like:

• Revitalization of course content at the school to reflect the latest trends;
• Invigoration of school faculty by the addition of new colleagues directly involved in the similar practice arena;
• Creation of new opportunities for future school-agency collaboration on research, special projects and practicals;
• Acquisition or update of practice experience which can inform faculty teaching and research

When a higher education institution actively supports a program of international faculty exchange by means of a foreign university partnership, they endorse the wider experience that exchange faculty members bring to the new and different environments; broader exposure for our students from visiting faculty members; expanding reputation of the college/institution/university in the quality of its students and faculty; and increased opportunities for faculty to meet and work with colleagues in different institutions.

And the overriding positive element is that the costs to the universities/institutions involved are minimal since each institution will continue to provide salaries and fringe benefits for its own faculty members. This arrangement, furthermore, will greatly facilitate exchanges and provide for minimal interruption to individual careers, earnings, and accrued benefits, such as time toward sabbatical leaves, pensions, etc.

Faculty exchanges are not limited to exchanges with other universities and colleges but may be arranged with industrial firms, government agencies, businesses, and such, where both parties involved may benefit from the exchange.

Introducing an Academic Exchange Program in an Institute

The international faculty exchange program is one way to take advantage of the benefits of diverse and talented faculty. This is a slow process for an institute who is building an exchange program. In order to facilitate the process, Indian institutes should look for foreign university partnerships to develop plans for a faculty exchange programs. These plans will benefit faculty members from both foreign universities and Indian institutions by exposing them to new ideas, other cultures and different methods of teaching. The faculty exchange programs will be viable if they are flexible. The faculty exchange programs present a unique opportunity for interaction between foreign universities and Indian institutions.

They will create a greater bond among the concerned institutions and will be a powerful recruitment and retention tool.

There are certain things that need to be taken care of in case the college/institution wants to introduce an academic exchange program in the school.

1. Documentation: The institution must have written policies covering job descriptions, reporting responsibilities, liability, and other personnel issues for their employees when they are working off-site. A formal agreement and supporting addenda outlining the details of policies governing the management of the exchange program between the two institutions must be created.
2. Legal issues: Individuals interested in faculty/staff exchanges may have concerns about professional liability. Since there is no change of employment status in an exchange program (staff is “on loan”), benefits, insurance, vacation time, etc., remain as they are at the originating employer.
3. Supporting the exchange program: Employees should be supported financially by their own institutions with no changes in employment status or benefits. Written policies should stipulate that participants in the exchange program will be provided with office space, library access, and other work-related support.
4. Length of appointments: Length of exchange appointments can vary and should reflect the needs of the institutions involved. One-semester appointments are appropriate for the teaching of specialized courses that are not taught on a regular basis. One-year appointments allow more time for course and curriculum development and research. The particular tasks to be accomplished should dictate the time needed.

The overriding reason to develop a faculty exchange program remains the need to  enhance the higher education institute’s educational profile interstate and overseas;  popularize the strategic objectives and directions of the institute;  broaden the personal and professional experience of participating teachers by providing an opportunity to enhance skills and knowledge;  contribute to the participating higher education institutes by focusing on the initiatives of different education systems;  contribute to the enrichment of participating host schools; foster communication, goodwill and exchange ideas between states/territories and countries;  promote networking between students, teachers and schools; and  acknowledge the commitment and contribution of effective faculty on exchange.

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A major shortage in teaching talent is paralyzing Indian higher education. The current strength of 8.2 lacs professors and faculty is 32 percent lower than the required number of 12 lacs. What’s even more worrying is that by 2020 the sector will need an additional faculty of 15 lacs to join its ranks.

Sadly, not only are we lacking in quantity of academic talent, but also in quality. India has more than 400 universities and 20000 colleges. Despite being among the largest higher education systems (number of institutions and students enrolled) in the world, only a handful of Indian Institutions are globally recognized. This is a reflection of the quality of academic staff along with other systemic failures in the education system.

These alarming statistics force us to ask the question – just how are we going to fill the gapping shortfall in quality faculties and professors in the country?

Our failure to attract the best talent to academics

One measure of quality of education offered in a country is the ability to attract the brightest talent into the sector. However, employment trends indicate that academics is no longer a preferred career choice with the large number of students graduating from the country’s higher educational institutions.

Global giants like Google and Facebook are increasingly recruiting from India, offering mega salary deals. The best of Indian talent has also been able to successfully integrate itself with top Fortune 500 companies. With industry soaking in the best, the pool of talented individuals available to join academics has steadily declined.

Indian academics has also failed to offer remuneration prospects similar to those being offered by global universities which have also become a destination for some of India’s brightest minds.

In India the pride associated with academia has been lost, unlike other countries such as Singapore and Finland which go to great lengths to bestow enormous prestige on those associated with the profession.

Of course tackling the overall crisis would require sweeping changes in the institutional framework by the government, greater partnership with the private education sector as well as greater involvement of the industry.

But a crucial remedial step will be making academics an attractive destination of choice and this is where ‘Star Professors’ can play a major role.

Who are ‘Star Professors’?

Globally we are seeing the emergence of ‘Star Professors’. These academicians of high repute have gained superstar statuses for their ability to present educational content in a manner that almost seems like an entertainment to audiences. They have courses and programs designed around their knowledge base and draw in huge crowds at colleges, seminars and events.

Both educational institutions and big corporations seek out star-professors and are willing to pay them ‘top dollars’ for academic and consulting / advisory roles. Their influence is not limited to the academic silo. These media savvy star professors are opinion leaders on socio, economic and political issues impacting their countries and indeed the world.

Star professors are trailblazers that inspire others to follow in their footsteps.  Not only do they encourage existing professors to better themselves, but more importantly they act as magnets for young minds to join the academic field. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the future of academics depends on star professors.

Indian Education desperately needs Star Professors

We Indians love our stars.  From movies to cricket to business, names immediately come to mind; from a Shah-Rukh Khan to M S Dhoni to Narayan Murthy. These people represent the best in their fields and have become powerful brands in themselves.

Unfortunately, we have failed to attract and develop academic talent that has anywhere near this kind of star power. Indian higher education is in desperate star professors’ as symbols of the successes that academics can offer, and for attracting young talent in much larger numbers, across myriad fields of study, than is presently happening.

Attracting and Promoting Star Professors

Indian educational institutions compete on an international stage when it comes to attracting and retaining the best academic talent.

The global economic slowdown, which has put a strain on research budgets, salary increments and general standards of living, may well work in favor of India regaining preference with a section of the Indian Diaspora currently based in International Universities. Salary is an important consideration, but is not the only factor that can draw top Indian academic talent back to its shores.

Teaching faculty need to be given compensation comparable with the best in the country, allowed wide-decision making powers (which includes course content, student assessment policies, courses offered and budget allocations) and conferred highly publicized recognition for outstanding work. Indian institutes can attract faculties by offering them faculty fellowships, offering research grants and made-to-order research facilities.

Indian institutions looking to create and attract Star Professors will need to have a dedicated talent management strategy towards –

• Investing in young academic talent, which includes providing international standard training opportunities and compensation during the training period
• Providing reputed professors with research amenities and autonomy in decision making they enjoy at global universities
• Promoting individual professors on their faculty as ‘personal brand names’ and specialists in the field across platforms ( advertising, social media, education forums and industry)
• Institutionalizing a  framework for recognition and reward for academic achievements

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The trend is growing leaps and bounds in last few years of foreign academics joining Indian institutions. Most of foreign faculty joining Indian educational institutions is of Indian origin but there are many academics of foreign origin also coming to India and working here as faculty and helping Indian students getting a diverse global perspective. A very generic question arise in our minds is why foreign faculty joining Indian Universities leaving their fat pay packets and environment of top ranked universities from developed hemisphere of Earth, where they get all facilities as per international standards, mostly these foreign universities have set benchmarks of education and research.

There are a lot of reasons that pull foreign faculty to Indian universities, some of them being growing opportunities in Indian education institutions; their earnest desire to give back to home country; growing competition in developed education systems; willingness to work in developing country and India provides ample opportunities for being a developing country with distinct view; alma mater calling; culture calling; and many times it’s their personal reasons, like, aging parents, spouse’s workplace, rearing of children in India, and so on.

Opportunities in Indian education:

In India, there is dearth of academics in educational institutions. This shortage is acute if we look at higher education sector more than 30 %, and further aggravates when we aspire for good academics as faculty. The search for good faculty with diverse perspective leads universities to foreign faculty willing to help Indian educational institutions bringing more research oriented outlook by working for them in their Indian campus. Indian institutions also deviate from their normal working structures at-times to attract international faculties. Faculty gets a lot of scope for mentoring and research in Indian universities. They may not be paid as per globally top ranked universities and institutions, but have a lot of scope to satiate their academic thirst.

Higher competition in developed education systems

Nowadays, in developed countries’ education system it is getting difficult to obtain faculty position in top educational institutions for non-local academics. Government of developed countries have even reduced funding to educational institutions has made it tough to become a tenured professor for academics; and has increased competition amongst academics. In developed countries faculty has very hectic schedules of teaching and conferences that leave no space for research and other academic interests.

Give back to home country

There is a good number of foreign academics wants to return favour to their homeland i.e., India. After, getting global exposure and feeling of accomplishment on international platform, they are longing to enhance the level of Indian higher education and research at par with world-class universities. Now that even Indian institutes are also willing to have foreign faculty for visiting, part-time or full-time engagement, this compliments the faculty’s choice well.

Culture calling

India has a varied culture. Many international faculty of Indian origin have deep seated grains of culture that do not allow them to adapt to culture of foreign land. After spending time at foreign land foreign faculty get nostalgic, and found themselves no good fit in foreign culture, starts looking for options of their stature in Indian educational institutions to satiate their desire to be attached to their roots.

Wants to work in developing economy

Faculty of top ranked global universities researching on developing economies or on India in specific, look forward to take teaching assignments in India to get more clear perspective about their topic of research. They feel that India has good prospects of research on developing world. For research on developing country topics, even foreign faculty of foreign origin are choosing Indian institutions to work with. They find most favourable environment for such researches and studies in Indian universities.

Alma mater calling

Foreign academics of Indian origin, after satisfying their desire of being faculty in top global universities feel obliged to their alma mater back in India. They want to return favour by mentoring students of their alma mater or by becoming mentor to their alma mater itself. These international faculties join Indian educational institutions as visiting faculty; part-time faculty; full-time faculty and in some cases as advisors to the Indian institute as well.

Personal reasons

At times foreign faculty of Indian origin return for personal reasons, like their parents require them at the eve of their life; some foreign academics return for the future of their children i.e. they want their children to grow in their home country and culture, inculcate same values and traditions as their own. In some cases, their spouse is in India or spouse has work base in India and parents are also in India which pulls them to look for assignment with Indian educational institutions.

There must be many other reasons for foreign faculty to move with their bag and baggage to India, personal; professional; social; academic; emotional or any or all of them, result of their movement help them satisfy their mental faculties and students of these institutions have different viewpoint and international exposure from faculty. Institutions get international perspective while deciding about the syllabus and research and studies. It is more of a win-win situation for faculty, institution and students as well as economy as added faculty reduces the gap of faculty crunch.

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