About @anyquestionsforus

The idea for the “Any Questions for Us” blog was developed after reading “Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration” by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace. 

I read the book for the first time in June 2020 shortly after submitting all of the final documentation to complete my PhD in Higher Education. The world was also going through the Covid-19 pandemic and most higher education institutions were under a hiring freeze.  So, I decided to take the rest of the year off to recover from the 5-year grad school journey and spend some much needed time with family.  Reading Creativity, Inc. was definitely one of the best things I did during this time off. 

I was absolutely surprised at the key takeaways from the book and inspired that so many of the concepts and approaches described in the book directly aligned with my research. In short, Catmull and Wallace explained how to rely on creativity and prioritize people as a company grows and transforms.  Even more-so, they talked about what healthy and thriving office cultures can look like and what managers can do to cultivate these environments. I knew I wanted to re-read the book and develop some questions to bring to interviews when I returned to the job search.  I thought about creating an Instagram account to share these questions with other job applicants who may be searching for work in higher education. My advisor thought it was a great idea and encouraged me to make a blog to accompany the posts.  

So here we are. The content from this blog largely derives from a combination of the work by Catmull and Wallace as well as my research on power dynamics in higher education.  I have a developed a few dozen questions related to the themes of: Team Culture and Values, Management Style/Approach, Communication, Organizational Flaws, and others.  

In higher education, most search committees provide time at the end of an interview for the candidate to ask questions. They typically say something along the lines of “We’ve covered all of the questions we have for you.  Do you have any questions for us?” It can be challenging to come up with meaningful questions to ask potential employers, so that’s where this blog can be most useful.

These questions can be asked at that time but also at any other phase of the interview process.  If you are asked to interview on campus, there are many opportunities outside of formal interviews to get to know the office and institution you are applying to. Also, these questions can be directed at any of the institutional personnel, not just the search committee.  Additionally, it is important to say that while these questions are written with higher education in mind, they can absolutely be applied to any profession/field/company that requires teamwork of any kind. 

One last note. Interview processes may look completely different during the time of Covid-19. That will differ dramatically based on the procedures of the institution, department, and the requirements of each job. However, do not let this deter you from asking your questions and getting the information you need to make the best career decisions.