Exploring EFL Doctoral Students’ Perceptions of Employment Interviews for a Faculty Position

Abstract

In a growing competitive employment market, the employability of EFL doctoral graduates at Algerian universities is becoming of great concern to many parties due to the large pools of applicants and the short hiring windows, over the last years under the umbrella of LMD system. Among the selection methods used by faculties in the hiring process is the job interview. Due to the fact that most candidates, may have similar CVs in terms of qualifications and experience, their performance during employment interviews could make the difference in getting a faculty position or not. The aim of this paper is to investigate the faculty hiring interview from the lenses of applicants (interviewees) in order to determine EFL doctoral students’ readiness and consciousness of the employment interview that they are likely to take after graduation to get an assistant lecturer position. To reach this aim, a survey is conducted with twenty EFL doctoral students from different Algerian universities using an online questionnaire. Results highlight two major findings: doctoral students’unconsciousness about selection procedures in the hiring process; and needs to enhance applicants’ communicative skills in employment interviews.